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Retelling his story was harder than he’d envisioned. If NeNe turned away from him, the need to continue on would disappear. Endless days and nights had been spent thinking what life would be like with his mate. Having her within his grasp, only to lose her, he wouldn’t survive.

He told her of the first year after his father made him leave, then the long years he’d spent searching for the woman his family said would fix him. “If I had this elusive female, I could go home, you see.” He looked at her, watching how she took his words.

“So, you did what, fuck your way across the world?” she snarled.

Coti laughed, her jealousy welcome. “NeNe, I can smell my mate. I can feel my mate. My others, inside,” he took a deep breath, tapping his head. “Know our mate. She was nowhere to be found. I went to the Cordells’ grandfather once out of desperation. I wanted him to end me. I’d tried everything, but nothing worked. The old bastard sneered at me, and said I wasn’t worthy of his sword.”

The familiar ache of being cast out by another member of his family made him look away, not wanting to see her do the same.

“Do you think he did that so that you wouldn’t expect him to actually kill you? Or I don’t know, maybe it was his way of being noble. What did you do after he did that?” She pressed up against his back.

Coti didn’t dare turn around, her soft breast against him gave him hope. “I decided I’d learn how to use a sword and go back and challenge the fucker. I mastered Kenjutsu, Jaijutsu, Jaido, and Ninjutsu. They were my preferred choices after seeing the katanas. Of course, I forged my own blades, and when I was confident I could take the old bastard—I decided he wasn’t worth it.”

She wrapped her arms around him, her head resting between his shoulder blades. “I’m assuming those are all some totally kickass fighting things?”

He laughed. “You could say that, yes.”

“Back to the vampire thing. You want to suck my blood,” she said in a weird accent.

Coti shook his head, then nodded. “I don’t need blood to survive. I think the Cordells and I differ in that way as well. If I’m severely injured, I go out and hunt on four legs, the blood of an animal, like a deer, works to heal me. However, since we were together, I’ve changed. My other beings have settled, come to an agreement of sorts. Hell, I don’t know, but now, my body aches for yours. My teeth ache to sink into your flesh and mark you, mate you, claim you for ours. I want to replace every bad thing that’s happened with good, make you so damn happy you never want to leave me.”

“Coti, look at me,” she whispered.

He stood from his slouched position over the counter, seeing his nails had grown during his speech. Go big or go home was a saying he figured he’d embrace. Or in this case, run his mate off. NeNe didn’t move back, making it hard for him to turn around without bumping into her.

“I’m not going anywhere, even though you got some freaky eyes going on right now.” She pointed toward his face.

He had a feeling he knew what she was referring to. When a vampire was in extreme situations, their eyes turned red. Since his beast was no longer locked down, it was making itself known, fucker. Coti blinked, willing control to surface. His wolf seemed to laugh at him. “Better?” he asked.

She nodded. “Will I become a vampire if you do take my blood?”

“Not if I do, but when I do. Armina, you understand you’re it for me. You stay with me, I’m going to do all the things I said I was. This calm façade you see before you? Its not going to last. I’ve worried about you, feared for your safety for too long. If you don’t think you can accept all of me, you have access to get out. Take one of my rigs and go. Do it now,” he gritted.

“You didn’t answer my question. I’m thinking a vampire bear will not be a very sexy beasty.” She ran her hand up his chest. “Does it hurt?”

He gripped her by the hips and spun them, settling her onto the counter. “I’d never hurt you. Ever. You want to know how it works?” He licked his lips, then let his incisors drop, showing them to her. “I’ll lick along your neck, finding the vein that calls to me. I’ll make sure you were aroused, then lick that sweet pulse, suck your skin into my mouth so you’d have a little bruise to remind you I was there. When my teeth finally sink into you, you’ll feel nothing but pleasure wash over you while my incisors act as needles sort of. Only instead of injecting, they’ll allow me to take your essence into me. Unlike movies, there’s no pain, no blood filling my mouth to drip down your shoulder when I finish. I do have anticoagulants in my saliva, so the wound will heal up almost instantly once I removed them and licked over the area.”

Her hand lifted, one finger aiming toward his mouth. “That doesn’t sound too bad. How about this mate, mine thing? What exactly does that entail?”

Coti growled. “Armina, you ask too many damn questions.”

She grinned. “Hey, you’ve known about all this for...holy shit, you said over a hundred years, grandpa. Give me a break.”

He grabbed her finger, sucking it into his mouth. “I’ll show you grandpa.”

The sweet smell of her arousal filled the air. He knew he needed to explain the truth about mates and the fact they didn’t divorce. There was no such thing in their world. He didn’t understand why her bear wasn’t raking at her the way his two beings were.

“How about your wolf? Does it feel like he’s always trying to take control? Like it’s competing with your human counterpart?” She looked down, then up, her nose scrunching.

His chest hurt as he imagined how overwhelming it all had to be on her. “Sometimes it can be a little much, but for me, I’ve been the way I am since birth. For those who are turned, especially those who were changed against their wishes, I think there’s a major adjustment to their entire lives. I imagine there’s even a constant battle for supremacy, but you’re strong. Not everyone could survive what you did.” He didn’t want to mention the survival rate was less than fifty percent for those who’d been forced into their world. She already looked on the verge of tears.

“Lula said as much. She’s different, in a good way. I think she’s the reason I survived.” she swallowed, looking away from him.

He shook his head. “You’re the reason you survived. Every shifter needs to learn to accept their other being, finding a balance within themselves. Most need a strong alpha to guide them through their first shift, which doesn’t usually happen right away. You’re an anomaly in that respect as well. Already, I can see you’re controlling your bear, not the other way around.”

Coti could see she was letting his answers process, thinking what else she should and shouldn’t ask. He didn’t want to invade her private thoughts, knowing they were forging a bond built on trust. Usually, he didn’t like answering questions. If he was being honest, he loved knowing she trusted him to give her what she needed. His dick jerked when he thought of what else he could give her.

“When I first changed I...I don’t have much recollection. Once Lula brought me out...does that sound right?” She bit her lip. “Lula was all of the sudden inside my mind, and I could feel the bear. She was so angry, wanting to rip everyone and everything to pieces. When I realized that the bear was me, I tried to hide, but Lula wouldn’t let me. She forced me to take control, which was really weird being as I was taking back my own body.” A laugh escaped her, but her hands trembled.

“How many times did Lula make you shift before it became easier?” he asked, finding it fascinating to hear about her journey. His only regret was not being there to help her.

A grin lifted one corner of her lips. “If you were to ask Lula, she’d say elevendybillion. I told her that wasn’t even a number, which of course she claimed that was because nobody had tried and failed at shifting as much as me,” NeNe laughed before she continued. “Honestly, it was her tough tutelage that made me want to prove I could do it. Like she said, this is my body, I just share it with the bear. Once I owned that, it was easier.”

The next time he saw the pink haired dragon, he was going to give her a hug. “Any more questions?”

She licked her lips. “One more. I, of course, reserve the right to ask more in the future.”

He brushed his thumb over her lower lip, wiping away the dampness. “I would expect no less. Alright, what’s your last question, right now.”

NeNe reached for his hands, bringing them up to her mouth. Her hands were so much smaller than his. She loved the differences between them. His dark, tattooed fingers with the battle scars looked like they could take on the world and come out the winner. She kissed each knuckle, glancing up at him through her lashes. “I don’t want to be your almost mate. I want to be your true mate, or whatever it is you call it. My bear wants it too, although she’s sort of growled at your wolf.”

Coti moved forward, his free arm pulling NeNe’s body into his, her legs wrapped around his waist. “Mate, I prefer mate,” he growled.

She opened her mouth to respond, but he tugged her head backward, then his lips were pressing against hers with near desperation. Her bear grunted in her head, the sound almost comical as she imagined the big girl rolling on her back for the wolfman. The heat from his body warmed her, and she felt him tugging at her mind, asking instead of taking. She let him in, felt his relief in her acquiescence. She traced his bottom lip with her tongue, then grinned as he took over, humming low when he deepened the kiss.

“Forever mine, NeNe, you’re mine, my mate forever,” he growled, nipping at her lip before covering her mouth once again. His hard body against hers didn’t give NeNe a chance to respond while he kissed and held her, claiming her mind and heart.

“Are you going to claim me on your kitchen counter then?” She gasped when he finally let her up for air.

“First, I’ll claim you anywhere and anytime I want. Second, you’ll fucking love it. Third...where was I going with that?” He pulled her off the counter and began walking toward his bedroom.

NeNe wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve no clue, but I do like the way you think.” She bit his earlobe, loving the shiver that wracked his frame. Coti didn’t try to hide how he felt from her like some men would’ve tried.

“Let’s see if you like what else I do.” They entered his room, lights coming on automatically set on a dim setting.

He tossed her onto the bed, making her yelp, but then his eyes were such a bright green she had another question. “When you’re in your shift, do your eyes change?”

Coti blinked taking a deep breath. “Some do, but mine stay green Kellen and many other alphas will have blue. They call them alpha eyes. My family are Gypsy Wolves, a different breed of shifters, although we are wolves, they don’t seem to follow the same rules. My other, the vampire side, I’m told will have my eyes turning red, but only when my control slips.”

She leaned up on her elbows. “How about me, are mine different?”

Their gazes held, and she wasn’t sure if he was going to answer her. “I believe once you have more control, they might not, but right now, when you’re in your bear form, your eyes are that of the bear.”

NeNe wiggled until she was leaning against the mound of pillows. “Okay, that’s all I got for now. Information overload. Now, I need you filling me,” she said, not expecting the blast of lust that hit her from their connection. Good lord, the man had an imagination that set her pulse pounding.

“If you like those clothes, I suggest you strip,” he ordered.

She didn’t waste time arguing as she wanted everything he had to give and more. Coti tossed the last of his clothing to the side, watching her while she stripped her final piece of clothing off. For some reason, being the one to bare herself for him made the act even more sensual.

Coti put one knee on the bed, his hands reaching for her, pulling her down until she lay flat. She leaned up, kissing his neck, a low throaty growl vibrated beneath her lips. The sound sent an answering growl within her. Need had her burrowing her hand between them, seeking out what she knew would ease the ache he’d created. Her hips thrust upward, searching for contact with his naked body. God, she’d never experienced such out of control hunger as this.

His hands smoothed over her, grabbing hers from between them, locking them inside one of his. “Damn, need to slow,” he muttered.

“Fuck slow. We can do that next time.” She arched her pelvis up, then like a beacon, his neck called to her. “Mate,” she growled, lunging forward erasing the scant inches to where she could suck the skin on his neck into her mouth. Salty, male, all Coti filled her.

“Ah shit,” he rumbled, the sound reverberating through him and into her as his hips collided with hers, sliding the tip of his cock into her.

NeNe felt the impact of his entrance with her entire being. His growl combined with his pulse beating beneath her teeth, she felt her bear rising up, wanting to claim Coti. She wasn’t sure how the mating happened, only knew the bear part of her was taking over, slightly, her teeth sinking into his flesh. Memories flooded her, his time as a young man in a time she couldn’t imagine. Her heart ached for the young boy he’d been. She and her bear took in the knowledge he had, filtering through things that angered the female as she saw him mating with others. NeNe pushed the animal back, releasing Coti with a swipe of her tongue over the wound. “God, I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Coti met NeNe’s eyes, hoping his weren’t red like his beasts. Fuck, it took all his willpower not to slam into her like a madman until he came. His body twitched, his balls were so tight he feared they’d explode with one move. “My turn,” he said.

He tried not to lunge for her creamy throat, wanting his claiming to be completely different from her change. He licked over the injury, his beast and wolf growling in unison, then his canines sank into her, making her cry out in pleasure. NeNe’s climax hit with the first suck, her tiny body spasming under his, her nails digging into his ass. He didn’t think the steady clench and release of her pussy would end up drawing him farther into her. Licking the wound, thrusting slowly, wanting to add to her pleasure, he kept up the pace of his thrusts.

“Holy shit, holy shit,” she muttered over and over.

He felt their link lock into place, the mating bond complete. His past was now hers. He vowed to protect and love NeNe for the rest of his days and nights, ensuring she never worried whether she was worthy ever again. To him, she was more than worthy, she was everything.

His lips drifted upward, kissing that mouth she used as a weapon. “Damn, you’re my perfect match in every way. Gonna love you forever, and even then, I’ll love you longer.”

A sweet smile crossed her face, her eyes glowing green. She bared her throat to him again. “Claim me again, Coti. I know your wolf did, but the other needs to as well.”

Coti froze, unsure what she was talking about, then his beast rose, his fangs dropped, taking what she offered. He sucked deep, his hips pounding out a furious rhythm while she moaned. He only took enough to satisfy the beast within him, then sealed the wound, shocked to see the old scar healing, his bites the only visible injuries. “Goddess, you’re beautiful, smart, perfect in every way, NeNe. How’d I get so damn lucky?”

He asked the question, but he really wanted to tell her she was insane. Beautifully insane for courting all that he was. However, she’d accepted all that he was. There were no take backs, and damned if his body wasn’t happy.

His cock shuttled in and out, balls so tight he feared he’d blow before she did. Arching back, he licked one tight nipple, sucking the hardened tip into his mouth before moving to the other side and doing the same with it.

No other woman could hold a candle to his sexy mate.

“Oh yes, Coti. Why am I so horny?”

He chuckled against her breasts. Opening their link, he gave her more, letting her feel what she did to him, the feel of her tight wet heat as he shuttled in and out of her.

“Oh fuck, that’s so, shit,” she screamed, her pussy constricting around him.

Coti closed his eyes, rearing back as he finally let go. The sweetest agony he’d ever felt was as he pumped his seed inside NeNe, watching her eyes close and her chest rise and fall while she screamed his name in pleasure. Another spasm had her clenching down on him, making his eyes cross. “Fuck. Oh fucking hell, NeNe, you’re the sweetest, most perfect female born.”

When they were both finally spent, he eased to the side, still locked inside her while holding her tightly to him. The thought of releasing his hold on her didn’t seem right just yet.

“That was—was so much more. I don’t have words, Coti. I felt you in ever fiber of my being. Like, every single inch of me is filled with you.”

He felt her words all the way to his very soul. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be with Hearts Loves and mates. I’m so glad I found you, armina.”