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“Which will leave Finley with two options—back down, or challenge me to establish herself as the stronger female.”
“She’ll probably do the latter,” said Aspen, taking the words right from Blair’s mouth, “but I don’t doubt that you can handle her. Luke said you’re quite the scrapper.”
“I’ve had to be,” Blair told her. “Bush dogs begin fighting for dominance among their peers at the age of eight.”
Aspen’s brow puckered. “Eight?”
“It’s instinctive for us,” said Blair with a shrug. “There are no fights to the death when we’re that young, though.”
“Well at least there’s that,” said Aspen.
“We generally don’t try to kill each other during duels until we’re eleven or so.”
Havana’s mouth opened and closed. “I really don’t know what to say to that.”
Blair snickered. “Luke said those exact same words when I told him about it years ago. He also plainly and publicly stated that he’d murder the shit out of anyone who even entertained the thought of ending my life. I don’t think he ever realized that the other female bush dogs only found it cute.”
Bailey angled her head. “What was it like finding your true mate so early and having him around all this time watching over you?”
Blair felt her face soften. “Like the most natural thing in the world. He was always there when I needed him. Always had my back and built me up. I never felt alone. Never felt unsafe. Never doubted myself. He wouldn’t have accepted anything else.”
A slow, warm smile curved Havana’s mouth. “I think that’s beautiful.”
“I’ve had Camden in my life since we were kids,” said Aspen. “We grew up together. We had a tight bond even before we mated. We didn’t actually realize we were predestined mates until recently, but having him at my side through all my highs and lows and all that jazz … I loved it. It’s a special thing to have your true mate with you as you grow and mature and establish your sense of self.”
“I’ll bet having Luke around as you aged wasn’t always easy, though,” hedged Havana with a teasing smile. “He must have been an interfering pain in the ass at times. Such is the life of an alpha.”
“For the most part, he was careful not to be too pushy,” said Blair. “But that changed when I reached my mid-teens. He got more intense with each year that passed. My hormones kind of loved it, though. Even when he went all growly and caveman on me one night.”
“Growly and caveman?” echoed Havana. “Ooh, I wanna hear about the growly and caveman incident.”
Bailey leaned forward. “Yeah, do tell.”
Blair smiled. “He came to a party on Sylvan territory when I was seventeen. I was talking to a bunch of people, including a few unmated males, when I sensed that Luke was nearby. Just before I turned toward him, one of the guys put his hand on my arm. The same guy Luke once caught trying to stroke my hair.”
Aspen sucked in a short breath. “Oh, how unbelievably stupid.”
“Yup.” Blair crossed one leg over the other. “As you can imagine, Luke stalked right over like a Viking warrior. The male who’d touched me, Ryker, noticed him coming and backed away. But Luke got right in his face, threatened to snap each of his fingers if they ever touched me again, and then hauled me off to a dark corner where he backed me up against the wall.”
Bailey fanned her face. “Stop, I might swoon.”
Blair chuckled, her mind replaying the incident …
Luke shoved his way into her personal space, growling. “You smell of that fucker. I don’t like it. My cat doesn’t like it. He shouldn’t be touching you.”
She frowned. “It’s not like he tried feeling me up or anything.”
“Not the point. Has he made a move on you?”
“Of course not. No one would dare.”
Luke planted a hand on the wall either side of her head. “Would you tell me if they did?”
“No, I’d probably just settle for breaking their will to live. Maybe also their nose. Stop growling. There’s no way women don’t come on to you sometimes. You never tell me about it.”
“That’s different, because they don’t know I’m taken until I make it clear—which I do. The males here know not to touch you. They know you belong to me.”
“You’re still growling.” She playfully snapped her teeth at him. “Bad kitty.”
“You will not make me smile.”
“He says while smiling.”
“What did you do?” asked Aspen, pulling Blair back to the present.
Blair delved a hand into her popcorn again. “I planted a kiss on him. It was the last thing he expected. He almost pulled back. Almost. I ended up having the breath kissed out of my lungs, and then he marked me right there.”
Bailey fanned herself again. “Well damn. It’s not often the dude loses his composure like that.”
