Page 7 of Bandit's Bounty

He reaches my side and gently grasps my arm, leading me back over to the table, then helps me sit down. He then gets a bottled water out of the refrigerator, opens it then hands it to me. As Itake a sip, I notice my hand is shaking, and my heart is racing. His fantastical statement is almost too much to comprehend.

“They’re not, sweetheart. We just don’t tell humans is all,” he says.

“Then why are you telling me? I don’t understand,” I question, my eyes finding his to see his gaze locked on mine. It’s full of compassion and something else I can’t quite decipher.

He proceeds to blow my mind again when he states, “Because you’re my mate.”

“What?” I screech. “That’s not possible, Bandit! I mean, going off of books I’ve read, shifters aren’t normally mated to humans.”

Or are they? Hell, I thought shifters were a figment of an author’s imagination, yet here he is, crouched in front of me, his hands on my knees, telling me he’s a shifter.

He shrugs and says, “Not got a clue, Sloane. Honestly, I didn't think I’d ever be fortunate enough to find my mate, so honestly, the fact that you’re human really doesn’t matter to me.”

He might say that now, but don’t shifters live a long time? I don’t remember why that is, but it has something to do with aging slower or something. So, if he’s correct, I’ll eventually grow old and gray, while he’ll still look like he’s in the prime of his life. That doesn’t sound fair to me at all!

Shaking my head, I tell him, “Is… is there any way you can prove it to me?”

Chapter Four

Bandit

“Actually, there is, honey,” I reply, gazing up at her beautiful yet confused face.

I concentrate and do a partial shift of my hand, then watch her eyes widen even further as she gently reaches down and touches my paw. She’s gentle, almost reverent, as she picks my paw up as well as my non-shifted hand, holding them both in her grasp. Her thumbs are lightly running over the top of my hand, and I can’t hold back the chuckle feeling the way my fur ruffles on the other.

“Holy cow, Bandit,” she whispers, briefly catching my gaze in hers. “I… I wasn’t sure what to expect. Your coloring is unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

I preen inside; I’m definitely different than my brothers. My fur is a deep russet, with slashes of white, and my paw reflects that fact.

“We’re bigger than wolves, too, Sloane.”

“Like the direwolves onGame of Thrones?” she asks.

Shrugging, I chuckle. “No fucking clue, babe. Never watched it.”

“Oh, the books are far better than the show itself, but as a point of reference, the direwolf is massive. Have you ever seen any of theTwilightmovies? Because Jacob, he’s a wolf as is most of his chosen family, is huge!”

Laughter now bursts free because she’s so damn animated her hands are moving, and of course, my hand and paw are along for the ride. “Can’t say as I have since that’s a chick flick. Give me car chases, explosions, and international espionage, and I can probably tell you a movie title, but not much for what you’ve just mentioned.”

“I see we’ll need more than one television then,” she muses, giggling. “So, what does this mean for us? I mean, aren’t shifters immortal or something? I’m just a regular old human.”

“We’re not immortal, but we do live a longer life than humans by several hundred years. I don’t know any shifters who are mated with a human, but I presume that once I’ve claimed you, you’ll get some of the benefits of me being a shifter. I honestly have no fucking clue. Just know that once I’ve claimed you, you’ll be mine until one of us draws our last breath.”

“How does that happen? The claim thing, I mean.”

I smirk at her because her cheeks are now flushed, and I suspect she’s thinking of the fictional books she’s read. “When we have sex, I’ll bite you and put my mark on you. That’ll let any shifters know you’re mated to me because our scents will mingle.”

“Oh.” Her response is quiet, almost an afterthought, while her face grows redder than before. “Sex? I um, yeah, that hasn’thappened in a few years and the last guy, well, it’s the one that destroyed me.”

I can’t help the growl that emanates from my lips, and can, in fact, feel my canines elongate. My wolf doesnotlike hearing about any other male being near his mate at all! Seeing the alarm on her face, I dial it back and shift my paw back to a regular hand before I pull her in for a hug. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart. My wolf just didn’t like hearing about any other male being involved with you.”

She giggles then replies, “So, your wolf is jealous? But you’re not?”

I shrug in response because I’m not sure I can adequately explain it. “Okay, so, until we find our mates, we’re not monogamous by nature. However, as a shifter, we don’t get sick and can’t pass on any sexually transmitted diseases. But, once we find our mate and have completed our bond, we become rather territorial and possessive. It’s why we mark our mates, so no other male will bother them. We’re monogamous, we don’t cheat, and like I said, we mate for the rest of our lives.”

“So manwhores become settled wolves,” she teases.

“If you want to think of it like that, yeah, I guess so. Now, what else do you need to do to wrap this up today? I know this has to have been a shock to you.”

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