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Dieter’s gaze slid back to Havana, still utterly devoid of emotion. He parted his lips as if to speak, but then he clamped them shut and cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to you again soon.” He spun on his heel and left, closing the door behind him.
Bailey puffed out a long breath. “We should totally have him over more often.” With that, she headed to her room, presumably to get dressed.
Tate turned to fully face Havana. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied, scratching her nape. “You?”
“I’m good.” He looped an arm around her and drew her close. “He doesn’t like that you’ve found your mate.” In fact, Tate was thinking that the eagle might have offered Havana a relationship if she’d confessed to wanting more from him. Either that or seeing her with someone else simply hadn’t been easy for the guy. Some could feel a little proprietary over people they’d slept with, even if it had been emotionless sex.
“I think he’s just all wound up about the drive-by,” she said.
Tate didn’t think so. He’d seen the hurt in the eagle’s eyes. “I wanted my family to be the first people I told about us being mates. Instead, it had to be that asshole.”
“Think your family will be happy for you?”
He smiled. “Oh, yeah. They like you.”
She smiled right back. “I like them. The rest of your pride might not be so pleased that your mate is a lone devil shifter, though.”
Tate snorted. “After your display of mercilessness at the Tavern, they all think you’re the shit. Pallas cats respect strength and viciousness—you know that.” They’d be happy to have her as their Alpha female. He didn’t say that, though, because he had no idea how she felt about running a pride and he didn’t want to spoil the mood. They could discuss it later. Right then, all he really wanted to do was taste that mouth of hers again. So he did.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Standing in front of his fireplace, Tate glanced at each of his family members, who were spread around the room in various poses. Their wary expressions weren’t a surprise. Tate had sent them each a text, asking them to meet him at his home—mysterious, yes, but he’d wanted to share his news with them all at once.
“Is everything all right?” asked Vinnie.
Tate nodded. “Better than all right.”
A smile split his sister’s lips. “Let me guess … You got your act together and fixed things with Havana?”
“In a manner of speaking,” said Tate. “She’s my true mate.”
A shocked silence momentarily fell over the room.
Elle gawked. “Seriously? How cool.”
Ingrid clasped her hands together, her face a study in delight. She crossed right to Tate, pulled him into a hug, and smacked a kiss to his cheek. “This is just fabulous. Darlin’, I’m so happy for you. Havana’s my kind of girl—strong, fierce, protective of the people in her circle. Many of the males in our pride will be jealous as hell that you snapped her up.”
“I suspected she was your mate when you almost went ape-shit yesterday after hearing she’d been shot,” Luke said to him, his mouth curved. “I hoped I was right. It’s about time you and your cat settled down.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Vinnie stood and slapped Tate’s back. “Congratulations, son. I’m pleased for you.”
“Same here,” said Damian, smiling. “Havana’s hot as hell.” He raised his hands when Tate narrowed his eyes. “So I’m told,” Damian quickly added.
“Where’s your claiming bite?” asked Luke.
“We haven’t gotten around to claiming each other yet,” said Tate. “She can’t feel the bond. She’s not denying that it’s there—her gut is telling her we are mates.”
Elle drummed her fingers on her thigh. “What do you think is blocking the frequency?”
Tate shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but I suspect the fact that her devil slammed a mental door on me has a lot to do with it. The animal was rightfully pissed when I gave Havana up.”
“Ah,” said Ingrid with a slow nod. “Well, you’ll win the devil over in time. And your cat will help. You should let the animals run together and see if he can soften her up a little.”
Tate had had the same thought. The devil might not be as upset with his feline as she was with him.
Vinnie tilted his head. “You know, Tate, I was worried you might never recognize your true mate. Don’t think I didn’t know how wary you were of true-mate bonds. You’ve clearly overcome that wariness now, which is good. But don’t let it creep back in, son. Having a mate, being so intricately connected to her, is a beautiful thing. Let it happen. Don’t fight it. You’ll never regret it, not even for a single moment.”
“I don’t imagine that I will,” said Tate.
“Good.” Vinnie returned to his chair. “She’ll make a strong Alpha female. Keeping a pride of pallas cats in line is no easy thing, but she’ll manage it just fine. She’s already an Alpha, in her way. Those girls of hers would follow her anywhere.”
