~

 

Karl swept Bonnie up into his arms without a word of protest. Given the emotions that he could feel coming from her; he never really expected much of one.

He carried her from the kitchen and turned towards the bedroom – the sight of Jenny and Bailey all loved up in the hallway made him pause for thought for only a moment before he followed his nose towards Bonnie’s bedroom.

“Is Bonnie ok?” Jenny asked – looking a little embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position with her mate.

“She’s fine. I’ve got this,” Karl assured her.

His bear growled at the woman, but he held onto it. Jenny was only being protective of her friend and Karl was grateful for it. if she hadn’t of raised the alarm when she had then he didn’t want to even consider what could have happened to his mate.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Bailey eyed the man. He knew that Karl’s protective gene had kicked in, and he knew that the man wouldn’t be happy having anyone else around until he’d wooed his mate…

“We…?” Jenny frowned. She couldn’t leave Bonnie in case the woman needed her…

“Sounds like a plan,” Karl growled just a little – that one he couldn’t hold onto.

Bailey had a lock around Jenny’s waist and as she tried to step towards the mates; he kept her firmly at his side until they disappeared into the bedroom and the door had been kicked closed.

“What are you…?” Jenny frowned up at Bailey…

“He’s the last person that is ever going to hurt Bonnie, but his bear is hyper sensitive right now because of what happened, and very damn protective. You won’t get near her, and trust me, it’s best not to try.” Bailey assured her.

“But…” Jenny raised her hand and pointed a finger at the closed door.

“Nope,” Bailey gave a small shake of his head.

“Shouldn’t I…?”

“Nope.”

“Ok, but…”

“Not happening.”

“Geez, you’re so negative…”

Jenny watched as a slow to boil, damn sexy grin took his lips, and she couldn’t have looked away if she’d wanted too. The man was temptation personified.

“Not about everything,” he dipped his chin and looked at her from under his dark eyebrows, and he smouldered with sex appeal.

“Good to know – so when do I get to see this positive side of you?” She played along – she liked it, because her pulse raced with excitement and her body hummed with desire.

“Like I said to Mr Sore Head, come home with me…”

“Oh, it’s a request now?” She kept up the play acting, looking suitably smug as she chastised him.

“Not really, no,” he offered back. “I might just pick you up in my arms and carry you off…”

“Kind of lucky that you don’t suffer from a bad back then.”

“Think of me like the battery bunny…”

“You run around in circles bashing symbols together?”

“I keep going long after other mere mortals have given up from exhaustion.”

There was one heck of a promise in his eyes and in that sexy grin on his lips, and her pulse didn’t just race, it hopped, skipped, and jumped.

 

~

~

~

 

Bonnie heard the gentle growl that rolled through his chest where her cheek was pressed and it felt somehow soothing to her shattered nerves. Her hand was palmed against his chest and her fingers were absently moving – stroking down over the hard muscles of his six pack as she laid with him in the semi-darkness of the room.

Only the bright moon shining outside the window shed any light on their surroundings and she was grateful for it.

The cold hard light wouldn’t have given her anywhere to hide. It certainly wouldn’t have allowed her to be bold enough to lay like that with him, it may have felt awkward between them, and right then, she revelled in the feelings that being that close to him produced within her mind and body.

They had a connection that went beyond what had happened that night, and she could feel it – she finally understood what the internet had been trying to tell her when she and Jenny had been drunkenly reading up on mates and all that implied.

He’d already found a place inside of her. Just being there in the darkness with him like that had taken away her churning thoughts and replaced them with an inner peace that she hadn’t known for a long time.

Jenny had been the closest thing that she’d ever had to anyone who had given a damn about her. Her parents, whoever they were, had bailed when she was a baby, and she’d been kicked around the state system – sometimes literally.

She’d never known love – not real love, because nobody had ever offered it to her, and she had given up on finding it, but she felt it now.

He offered her the kind of unconditional love that couldn’t be faked, could never be wrong, and she welcomed that alien feeling.

He’d killed for her – literally – and now she was safe, safe in the strength of his arms. She felt protected from whatever life wanted to throw at her.

It was the best, strangest, most amazing feeling in the world to know that someone had her back. That someone was there for her and she could be there for him.

She might not have been able to slay monsters for him, but she’d give it a damn good try.

Karl listened to the steady sound of her breathing and felt content to know that she had finally settled within his arms.

The waves and waves of emotions that had come from her in the kitchen were gone, replaced by a calmness that told him that he wasn’t out of line to be holding her like that.

He was more than grateful, because he liked the feel of her body resting against his. He liked the way that her head rose and feel against his chest and she pressed her cheek closer every time that his growl escaped when his mind wandered…

He knew that he was different then – different to his father in so many ways that he didn’t need to second guess himself – his actions – to worry that he couldn’t show his mate the kind of love that his father had never shown towards him.

He got it. Why his father was so bat-shit crazy all the time – he guessed after losing his mate the man had been barely holding on to some form of sanity for the sake of his son…

It wasn’t his father’s fault that he’d never shown him any kind of love or real kindness – the man had done what he’d needed to do to raise him and send him out in the world – a man – a man who could defend his own like he had earlier.

He’d gone crazy and given into his need to rip and tear the man apart for even daring to threaten his mate – to lay his dirty hands on her – and he’d seen that red screen come down on his moral compass, but he’d do it again, and again to protect Bonnie.

Hell, he’d willingly die tomorrow to protect her – just not right then.

He wanted to woo her. Bond with her. Make her his mate for life – forever, and he refused to damn well die until he’d spent one night with her in his arms after taking her body, mind, and soul as his, and giving her every ounce of love that he felt within his heart.

He wanted cubs with her – little butt-headed terrors that would keep him on his damn toes. Little princesses that needed her daddy’s love and attention.

He’d dress his bear up in a damn tutu if she asked him too.

His bear didn’t growl or grunt at the prospect…

Mine…

Yeah, that mean old bear of his was going to go all soft centred around pups – as soft centred as it was around Bonnie.

“About this bonding thing…” Bonnie’s soft voice jarred him from his thoughts and made his heart try to leap out of his chest…

His bear rushed towards the surface at that one little word … bond.