Chapter Thirteen
Dax
“Why don’t you get the shower ready, and I’ll go grab my spare clothes out of my truck.
Then we’ll head out and get your lists done.
” I suggest, giving her ass a swat as I move to stand.
Her shriek of indignation brings a smile to my lips.
If it wasn’t for the damn air mattress I would have taken her again, hell I probably would have stayed buried inside her all day if I could have.
Which probably would have resulted in me claiming her, something that was harder than I thought it would be.
Alas busted air mattress means postponing more boning at the moment.
I reach for her hand to help her up and I’m tempted to throw her against the wall and have my way with her again, fuck needing a proper bed.
Her hair is sticking up in every direction, looking thoroughly fucked.
My animalistic side wants to climb the highest tower and crow loudly that she is mine.
A blush stains her cheeks as she stands in front of me.
Damn, how did I get this lucky in life, she’s perfect.
“Does this? Does this mean you’ve claimed me?” She asks hesitantly looking down at her feet as though they will have the answers. Putting my finger under her chin I tilt her face to look back up at me.
“No, my love.” I say simply and a look of despair crosses her face before she masks it.
See we should have claimed her. She wanted us to claim her. She doesn’t understand what that means, there’s no way she wants that yet.
“Oh. I thought. That is well we...” She leaves it hanging as though she’s unsure how to finish what she wants to ask.
“Beautiful, beautiful Myra. To claim you I must bite you here.” I gently touch the spot I nipped at with my teeth before pulling away. It’s still slightly red from my attention and my tiger growls his approval at seeing her marked by us.
“Bite? Like breaking the skin kind of bite?” She squeaks out.
“Yes, my love, as in break the skin kind of bite.” I answer cautiously.
“Is that why you pulled away? You didn’t want to claim me?” Her voice trembles as she asks.
She thinks we don’t want her. Fix this! I know dumbass I’m working on it. This whole mate thing is new to me too dipshit!
“Yes, it’s why I pulled away, but not in the way you think.
It’s not because I do not want to claim you.
Believe me, it took everything in my power to pull away.
I want you, no I need you to know exactly what you are getting when I claim you.
You need to accept what will happen before I give in and claim you.
” The neanderthal part of my brain is screaming at me to claim her, but the more modern version knows she needs to understand first.
“I don’t understand. What will happen if you claim me?” Her eyes plead with me for answers. I was hoping for more time to make her fall for me before revealing what happens when I claim her, but in for a penny in for a pound.
“When I claim you, it will change you. You won’t just be Myra anymore, you’ll be more.
You’ll be considered other, no longer merely human.
It will give you a tiger.” My voice cracks as I explain everything to her.
Her eyes fill with fear as she takes a step back from me.
Exactly what I feared would happen is happening.
I’m going to lose her before I’ve ever truly had her.
“So, I’d be a shifter if you claimed me? Like you, Chase, and Alia? Would I get special powers? Like x-ray vision or bullet proof? Or something cooler?” My head snaps up in shock at her questions. When our eyes meet her smile blossoms into a mischievous grin.
“Yes, you would be a shifter. The only special powers you get are excellent hearing and smell. No superpowers I’m sorry. You’re truly okay with the idea of becoming a shifter?” I ask cautiously. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
“Will it hurt? I’m not good with pain. Like at all. In fact, just FYI, I plan on having all the drugs when I give birth. Not that I plan on doing that anytime soon. You don’t want kids soon do you?” Her voice rambles on as though she’s nervous. She’s so fucking cute when she’s flustered.
“No, I don’t want kids soon. Eventually yes, but we’re both very young no need to rush.
I honestly don’t know how much it will hurt or won’t hurt.
Alia didn’t seem in pain after Chase claimed her, and her claiming mark healed very quickly.
Yours would too, once your tiger took over.
Shifting might hurt the first time though; your body wasn’t born to take an animal so it will be foreign to it.
It might rebel against the tiger. I won’t do it until you’re ready.
I promise.” The need to reassure her is strong.
I want her to want me to claim her, I don’t want her afraid of being claimed.
She looks like she’s mulling it over trying to decide right this second, but she needs to really think about it.
This can’t be a spur of the moment decision on her part.
“For now, let’s take this one day at a time.
When you’re ready you can tell me. Until then we live life together as a couple getting to know each other.
We spend time together, we date, and when the time is right you can tell me your decision.
Whether you decide to be changed or not makes no difference to me, I am still yours and you are still mine.
” I put conviction behind my words as my tiger whines inside my head demanding I take it back.
She’s our mate, we must claim her! We won’t force her to become one of us.
If she wants to stay human, we must respect that decision.
Fine, but I don’t have to like it! You cannot like it all you want but if you want her to be happy you will deal with her decision no matter what it is.
He huffs in frustration, but he doesn’t argue back.
He knows as well as I do that her happiness is more important than our own.
“Alright, I can do that. We spend time together and date.” She nods in agreement, her smile softening as she looks up at me. A more perfect woman there is not in this world for me. Fate got it right on the money when it came to picking out my mate.
“Now, off to the shower with you while I run outside and grab my spare clothes.” I turn her facing toward the bathroom, giving her ass a smack causing her to jump and scurry away.
Watching her ass bounce as she scampers away almost tempts me to follow her, ignoring my need for clothes.
Growling, I reluctantly make my way out to my truck.
Grabbing my clothes I hurry back inside to the bathroom so I can join Myra in the shower.
If I thought being around Myra before we had sex was hard, after having sex with her was even harder, showering with her harder still.
Having her wet body next to mine was a temptation not even the devil would wish on anyone.
Helping her wash her hair and body was a trial of epic proportions.
Only my need to see her happily settled with a proper bed and her lists being completed kept my hands from roaming too much.
I’m not saying my hands didn’t wander, just that I kept them under control.
After a brief argument over who’s truck we would take into town, we decided hers would be best for carrying a bed frame and mattress back. Okay, she decided and I gave in, what can I say I like seeing her happy. Anytime I can make her smile makes me smile. It’s a win-win scenario if you ask me.
Walking through downtown shopping for her bed frame and mattress with her hand in mine makes my tiger purr with pleasure.
Her hand in mine, my hand on her back guiding her into each shop, or her hand in the crook of my arm all feel as though we’ve been doing it for years instead of it being the first time.
It’s so natural that I don’t know how I lived before this day.
Every day before feels empty by comparison.
When she finds the perfect bed frame propped against the wall all the in the back of a dusty old antique shop I’m not surprised when she releases a happy squeal.
Clapping her hands in excitement she starts trying to pull the pieces out from against the wall with no success.
When she looks over at me with a pout I grin back at her.
“Alright my love, go talk to the lady at the front. I’ll try to determine if all the pieces are here.
It doesn’t need screws; it's set up to be hammered into place. As long as all the pieces are here, we can load it up.” I turn her toward the front, giving her ass a little tap and she squeaks in pleasure.
“Alright, but don’t hurt yourself trying to carry it all.
I’ll be back to help.” She retorts as she sashays her ass toward the front of the store.
I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face knowing she’s mine.
One day I hope she will agree to become my mate fully, until then I will bask in the glory that is my mate.
My ears perk up at the sound of the front door dinging followed by the murmur of voices.
I continue to pull out all the pieces of the bed frame until I have them all lined up against the wall ready to be taken outside.
It’s only then that I realize that the murmur of voices has stopped and Myra has been gone for several minutes.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and before I even think about it my feet are moving toward the front of the store.
She’s in danger. I can feel it, move your ass. Let me out! My tiger growls out as I pick up speed.
Just before I reach the front of the shop, I smell it, or I should say him, Nolan Riggs.
The motherfucking former alpha of the wolf pack that attacked us trying to take over the territory.
When I round the corner of an aisle, I can see him, and he has Myra in his grips.
His hand is over her mouth and she’s looking at me with fear in her eyes.