Kissing Macy was perfect in a way he had never considered before, the tide coming in, the sun rising. It was new, of course it was, but there was something ancient about it aswell, the touch of her, the taste of her. This was who he had been made for, this was his mate, and he knew it and accepted it with a soft moan, sliding his fingers through her hair and pushing even closer.
He kissed her until there was a gentle press of a hand on his shoulder, and then he pulled back, still watching her. Luca knew he had an uncanny stare. Most cat shifters did, intent and overly-serious even when they were at their happiest. Macy, though, only looked into his eyes with the same fierce concentration that was so familiar to both him and his panther, and she nodded slowly. The tip of her tongue flicked out to run along her full, kiss-red lower lip, and Luca swallowed hard.
“Well, if I had any doubts before, that just put them to bed,” she said softly.
“Any more questions I can settle for you right the moment?” he asked. He was proud of how level his voice was.
“Cathy called you, uh, a kitty cat. Are you actually, like, a cat-cat?”
“No!” he said with more offense than he intended. “I mean. No. I’m a panther shifter. My whole family is.”
Macy smiled softly, and his panther purred.
“Is it offensive if I say that I was always more a cat person than a dog person?”
“Just be my person.” The words popped out fast and honest, and the way Macy nodded warmed him. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“What do you want to do now?”
“There’s a lot of answers to that. They start with beds and altars and maybe a barbecue grill—”
“How does a barbecue grill work into this?”
“I really, really want to hunt for you and feed you. Wait, are you a vegetarian?”
“No, and I like venison.”
“Perfect. But yeah, that’s where it starts, but I don’t figure I can get you on board with those quite yet.”
“Well, Betty-Anne’s on vacation until Tuesday, but I can get us in first thing.”
He tilted his head slightly, and Macy laughed.
“Oh God. Betty-Anne’s the county clerk. She... she issues marriage licenses. I’m sorry, that’s just where my brain went when you said altars and I thought, well, we’re going to need a marriage license, and we can get it out of the way quick, and, oh my God. I just met you and—”
He leaned in and kissed her again, bringing her torrent of words to a halt.
“I like that you know the county clerk by her first name,” he said softly. “What do you need for a marriage license in Illinois?”
“You. We just need to fill out the application and appear in front of Betty-Anne.”
“Perfect. That’s Tuesday planned out, then.”
Macy choked on a laugh, but she didn’t argue, only squeezed his fingers tighter.
“All right, we’re good on Tuesday. Until then?”
He bit back the first fourteen or fifteen things that could fill in the time until Tuesday, because he probably couldn’t just kiss her and keep her in bed until then. He sighed wistfully.
“Well, until then, Madam Mayor, it seems like you have a snake that wants catching.”
*
Luca reluctantly dropped Macy off at the Lucky Tater so she could pick up her car, and he even did the proper thing and told her that she didn’t have to come back to City Hall with him.
“Cerastes are nocturnal, mostly. I figured it got scared or hungry enough it came out for the science fair earlier today, but they’re most active at night. If it’s actually on the move, I have a much better chance of catching it. I may be at this for quite some time. If you’re willing to trust me with the keys—”
The look she gave him was bright and sharp.
