“Jesus. I didn’t realize you were planning on grilling me on shifter etiquette.”
I pulled out of his arms so I could look him in the eye. “If I’m going to be your mate, I guess I need to know these things. So if you go out some night after midnight, I won’t think you’re with another woman.”
He laughed and peered down at me, but seconds later his smile faded. “First of all, I don’t cheat. That has nothing to do with being a mate and don’t you pay any attention to the puck bunnies. My mama raised me right. Although she will tell you I’m not perfect.”
“Trust me. Humans aren’t either.”
“We hunt for sport sometimes. I’m not going to lie to you, but there’s no need to gather fresh roadkill for food any longer.”
“Ah, yes. Because you can easily purchase beef in the grocery stores.”
“That’s what my brother’s mate said. Yep. We can head on into Costco and purchase whatever we want. We even have careers.”
When he started tickling me, I pushed him away. “Stop. I’m being serious here. Aren’t there bad shifters?”
“Well, yeah. Of course there are. Just like humans.” He rolled over onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head. “Where are you going with all this?”
“Just curious.”
“Okay, look. As with any other species, we have our bad eggs. We’ve tried to handle them without human interference. We have our own laws, our own communities.”
“You mean packs and prides and…”
“You might find it interesting my parents live in a community association. They have friends. My dad plays golf. My mother shops too much. Dad is on the board of directors of his homeowner’s association and yes, many of his neighbors are shifters, but not all.”
“Just normal people.”
“With special attributes, yes.” The look of concern on his face was endearing.
“Do you live forever?” I don’t know why I was asking. I honestly wasn’t certain I wanted to hear the answer.
“We live longer. Generally, two or three times longer, but human diseases are taking a toll on us.”
“Human diseases?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, like cancer. It’s still mostly unheard of, but there are rare cases. Are you okay? You look flushed.”
“I’m fine.” But I was anything but fine. The reality of this was finally starting to settle in. We weren’t playing a game of house or even of falling in love. This mating thing was ridiculous, even if that’s what it felt like we were doing. In truth, I wasn’t certain I was ready for a long-term relationship of any kind and even if I was, how could I saddle him with what I knew I was about to go through?
I avoided thinking the words just in case he could read my mind.
Oceans.
Hot sex.
Being fired from my job once the school administrators read the social media posts.
See? Another reason this relationship wasn’t a good idea.
As soon as I looked away, he gripped my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “What’s wrong? Do you hate me because I’m a shifter?”
“Of course not. That’s not it. I’m just… Overwhelmed, I guess.”
“Completely understandable. It’ll take time.” His entire brow furrowed. He was trying to figure out what I was thinking.
Chocolate.
Horror movies.
