Sometime later . . .

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, next up, we have the lovely Elijah Berridge. This fine specimen of manliness is thirty-one years old and loves hiking . . .” Liana’s voice was overshadowed by the cheer of the crowd as Elijah stepped out on stage.

Valentina’s heart soared at the sight of him. He was being such a good sport about being auctioned off for their charity gala. He swaggered down the catwalk of the stage with a rose in one hand and a leash in the other. Her whole body flushed with desire for him.

Finally, he got close enough for her to see who he was walking with. Buster’s chocolate-brown curly fur was the first thing she saw, followed by his dark-brown eyes and the pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“Now, Buster is a poodle mix and loves to play catch and snuggle. He is already house trained and knows basic commands. If you win the date with Elijah, not only do you get to have a playdate with Buster but you also get a spa package from Skin Deep! You’ll get a mani-pedi and a hot stone massage. Ladies, I ask you, who could turn down this package?”

Elijah was shimmying about on stage as he shrugged out of his suit jacket. The well-tailored white dress shirt showed off his physique, and she could feel the women around her become more interested than they had been a moment ago. When he turned and began playing tug of war with Buster, hearts all around the room exploded.

When the bachelor and bachelorette auction had been proposed a few years ago as part of their annual charity ball, she had been hesitant, but as soon as she saw it in action, all her worries were swept away. Each bachelor or bachelorette walked with one of their dogs and came with a special prize donated by a local business. Their guests loved it.

“Can I get two hundred?” Liana’s voice snapped Valentina’s focus back, and she focused on the ever-climbing number. “Two hundred for the woman in the blue dress, three hundred to the red dress in the back, four hundred to the red dress in the front, four fifty to the green dress on my left, five hundred to the red dress in the front, five fifty to the green dress. Can I get six hundred?”

Valentina raised her paddle and mouthed seven to Liana.

“Seven hundred to the woman in gold. Can I get seven fifty? Seven fifty to the green dress. Eight hundred? Do I hear eight hundred?”

“One thousand,” Valentina shouted over the din.

A smile broke out over Elijah’s face as he finally saw her in the crowd. By the elders, he was sexy. The white shirt clung just enough, and him with a dog was almost too much for her heart to handle. Was it cheating to bid on an auction that she had a hand in running? She wasn’t sure, but either way, her jaguar wouldn’t allow anyone else to win their mate.

The thought rolled through her like a thunderstorm.

Mate? Had she really just thought that?

“One thousand going once, going twice, sold to the lady in gold!” Liana’s voice called out, and an almost deafening round of applause went up. “If you’ll please head to the end of the stage, you can claim your prize.” She gestured to Valentina and the stage. “Now, next up, we have a gorgeous bachelorette, Ms. Megan Lowe. She’s a twenty-five-year-old chef at . . .”

All the words faded into the background as Valentina approached the end of the stage. She hadn’t seen Elijah before she’d left, since she needed to be there earlier as the official host, which was probably a good thing, as he looked good enough to eat.

“My lady.” He bowed slightly at the waist. When he stood back up, his eyes were wide. “You look like a queen.”

“Thank you for the compliment, kind sir.” She giggled.

“Give me a twirl?”

“As you wish,” she said as she spun around. She could feel the layers of chiffon at the bottom of the dress spread out and float as they caught in the air. The beading that started about mid-thigh and continued all the way up the bodice was heavy enough to hold the rest of the skirt down, so she didn’t have to worry about flashing the guests. Elijah gave her a quiet round of applause, and as she spun again, she hit something and a loud crash sounded as she fell to the ground.

A gasp went up from the people around them, and Elijah had already handed Buster off to another employee and dropped down to help her before she could even process what had happened.

“I’m so sorry! I totally didn’t see you there,” a young male voice said from behind her.

She turned and found one of the servers standing over her. All around her was the remains of the glasses he’d been carrying on his tray. The scent of champagne was a sharp tang not only in her nose but on her skin as well. As she looked down, she saw fragments of glass embedded in her hand and shoulder, which she had landed on. The small cap sleeves of the dress had protected her somewhat, but all the exposed skin on her upper arm looked like a pin cushion.

“Let’s get you out of here and get that cleaned up,” Elijah said, concern spreading over his face.

She tried to stand, but found she couldn’t put weight on one foot. Pain was radiating through her toes and up her leg. She winced as she finally got upright. Blood was trickling down her arm and dripping from her hand.

“Find someone to get this cleared up,” she said to the server. “Now,” she added when he didn’t move.

As the server scurried off, Elijah led her from the ballroom, supporting most of her weight. As soon as they were out of sight of everyone, he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, setting her down on the lavish marble counter next to a sink. Even through the layers of her skirt, she could feel the chill of the stone on her legs, and it raised goosebumps up her arms.

“Do you want me to get Liam?” Elijah asked.

“No, just pick the pieces out if you don’t mind. Once the glass is out, the wound will heal in no time.”

His fingers skimmed over her skin, gently removing shards of glass as they went, while she removed the pieces from her hand. None of it hurt all that badly; it was just uncomfortable. Once all the pieces were out and Elijah had gently washed the blood off her arm and hand, he said, “Let’s take a look at your foot.”

Cautiously, he lifted the layers of fabric that made up her skirts and pushed them over her knees. His hand slid under her ankle and lifted her leg. She could see the bruising that had already formed on her skin. Purple, blue, and yellow lines banded the top of her foot, and she could feel the pain radiating out of them.

“I’m going to take your shoe off, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath, knowing it was going to hurt more than all the pieces of glass combined.

Elijah deftly undid the buckle that held the strap around her ankle and eased the shoe off her foot. It stuck on the ball of her foot, and when he tugged it free, a whimper of pain escaped her, but it was finally completely off. The sparkly stiletto looked ridiculous in his large hand.

“You okay?” He growled the question at her, and she could feel his panther near to the surface. When she looked at him, she couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped her. His eyes had not only changed but they weren’t the eyes she was used to on either human or panther. One iris was still the normal pale jade green, but the other was a golden amber color. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“What?” he asked impatiently.

“Your eyes,” she whispered.

He looked over at the mirror on the wall. “What the . . . ?” Elijah stepped closer to get a better look. “What the hell happened?”

“I think I know, but I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it.”

“What does that mean? Just tell me, Valentina.”

“We’re mated.”

“Mated?”

She nodded. “Shifters don’t always do the big wedding thing. It depends on how they were raised. Sometimes it’s just something that happens over time, or sometimes it’s the animals that know before their human halves, which is what I think has happened with us. When a shifter has mated, their animal’s eye color changes to reflect the bond they have with their mate. One eye stays the same color it has always been, while the other eye changes to the color of the mate’s eye. Tell me, what color are my eyes?” She didn’t really need to ask, but she called forth her jaguar and let her eyes shift.

As soon as he saw them, his jaw dropped. “They match mine,” he whispered in awe.

“I thought as much.” She paused. “I’m sorry if this is weird for you.”

“It’s not weird. Just stole my thunder, that’s all.”

Valentina raised an eyebrow.

“I was planning on asking you to marry me in a few weeks, once all the crazy from the gala had died down.”

Her heart stopped and then beat painfully hard in her chest. After a moment, she said, “You can still ask if you want.”

“I’m not going to ask you to marry me in a bathroom.” He laughed. “Besides, I want it to be a surprise, so you might know it’s coming, but you won’t know when. I can’t wait to see your face when I surprise you.” He growled the last part, sending shivers of anticipation down her spine.

“Okay,” she said breathlessly, overwhelmed with emotion. Not only were their animals committed to one another, but their human halves were as well. Part of her wanted to squeal and jump up and down, while the other part of her wanted to take him to bed.

“I think we should take you home and get Liam to look at your foot,” Elijah said, completely derailing her sexy line of thought.

“In a minute. Right now, I just want you to kiss me,” she said in her best sultry voice.

A lascivious smile spread over his face, and he leaned forward until his lips brushed hers. The electricity was immediate, and her hands slipped behind him, pulling him closer to her as his tongue swept into her mouth. She wanted to moan and rock against him, for him to make love to her right then and there, but the door handle to the bathroom jiggled, and they broke apart like two teenagers caught making out.

“Just a second,” she called out, thankful they were in a single-use bathroom.

Before she could hop down from the counter, Elijah scooped her up again.

“Don’t forget my shoe!”

The hand holding her legs reached out and grabbed the strappy stiletto, while her hands grabbed all the paper towels he had used to clean up her arm and dumped them in the trash when they got close enough.

As they made their way out the door, the woman entering scowled at them.

“I hurt my foot.” Valentina shrugged and waved her bare toes at the woman. The scowl vanished when she saw the bruising.

“Be more careful, dear,” she said as she went into the bathroom and shut the door.

“Now, let’s get you home. I have some plans for the rest of our evening,” Elijah said as he smiled down at her.

She was ready to go home, not only to be with her mate but to check on Dante and Rex. The junkyard dog and the panther had formed an unlikely bond and seemed to be helping each other heal. It touched her heart to have had the opportunity to save both souls from a miserable existence. She sighed and cuddled closer to Elijah.

Nothing in her life could have prepared her for the happiness she felt in his arms, for the sensation of being complete when she was with him or for the agony of being without him. It was a good thing she’d never have to be without him again. Her handsome panther carried her down to the car and gently tucked her in, fluffy dress and all, as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Her mind raced, not only with how much she wanted him but with the fact that she couldn’t wait to see how he proposed.