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“And you’re my mate. You don’t know a ton about shifters, but Duke is clearly frantic to get to Ree and it would be a shame for him to break down the door when you could just unlock it.”
She tilted her head and gave him a long, quiet look. “Do you think they’re mates?”
“She’s wearing his mark, so yes, but it doesn’t matter what I think, only what they decide. I do know that he’s honorable. He wouldn’t have come for her if he really didn’t want to be with her.”
“You promise?”
“I do.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed him. “You’re honorable.”
A smile curled the corner of his mouth. “I want to get you into bed so bad right now.”
She giggled and leaned away from him to unlock the door and pull it open. Her sweet smile disappeared. Barron was sure if she had fangs that she would have bared them at Duke. “Barron said it wasn’t right for us to interfere with whatever’s going on between you and my sister. I don’t really agree, because she’s my best friend and I hate you a lot right now. But I trust my mate, and he trusts you, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Thank you.” Duke’s shoulders slumped in relief.
“Thank Barron. If it were up to me, you’d be standing out there all day.” She took Barron’s hand and stomped across the hall to her apartment. When they entered and the door was shut, she spun on him and jumped into his arms. “I heard you wanna take me to bed.”
“All damn day.”
“I’m yours.”
Their lips met in a heated kiss that stole his breath. He didn’t even need to open his eyes to navigate to the bedroom – he simply carried her straight there, stripped them both and took them on a trip to the heavens. He’d never get enough of his gorgeous mate. His cat was content. His heart was full. And there were no more lonely nights in his future.
ChapterSix
Mercy’s mind was still reeling from everything she’d witnessed in the past few hours. She and Barron had accompanied Duke and Ree to the lion’s territory. Duke had expected to be exiled from the pride for not only breaking an arranged mating he had contracted with another lioness but choosing Ree as his heart-match. But Duke’s father had no intention of allowing his son to walk away from the pride or for the other pride to bring a war to their doorstep. He substituted Duke’s cousin Stef in the mating contract, and the lioness apparently only cared that she would be alpha female someday and didn’t care who the male she mated was.
Which Mercy thought was crazy on a hundred different levels.
Once the visiting pride was gone and the threat of lions battling each other was over, Duke’s father announced a change to the laws and stated that lions could mate who they wanted and still be in the pride, whether they were lion, another type of shifter, a supernatural creature, or even a human.
Mercy was speechless and also thrilled. She’d been grateful Barron was willing to walk away for her, but she’d been sad that he needed to make the choice.
She and Ree had been invited to spend time with Duke’s mother Davina while the pride went for a celebratory hunt on Ree and Duke’s behalf.
Her favorite part had been watching Barron shift. He’d led her away from the group, explaining his lion didn’t want her to see any naked males except him, and then he’d stripped and shifted. She’d had only moments to appreciate his sexy body before he changed into a lion. His fur was tawny gold and his mane was dark chocolate. She’d stroked him and rested her ear on his massive chest to hear him purr.
She’d known all along that he was a shifter, but she hadn’t really been prepared for what it would be like to see it in person. He’d been human one moment, and then he was a lion. It was mesmerizing.
He’d bounded off to hunt with his pride and she’d stayed with Ree and Davina, drinking blueberry champagne and talking about the pride. Shifters had to be in their forms for several hours before they could change back, but the time had passed quickly and before long, Barron and Duke returned.
Mercy handed Barron his clothes. He gave her a rakish grin.
“Like what you see, sweetheart?”
She chuckled. “You know you’re gorgeous.”
“I know you are.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Yeah, but I would rather have been with you.”
“Aw. I missed you, too. But I had fun with Davina. She filled me in on a lot of lion stuff.”
“I’m glad.”
