Page 15 of Savoring Her Snake

“Fuck you.”

“Listen,” he says quietly. “You have waited for the perfect person for the universe to put in your path. Would they send you someone who couldn’t handle you?”

“I don’t know.” I rub my face. “I don’t know anything about her.”

“Trust it. You deserve her.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Are you going to let her walk away? Find some human to be with?”

My blood sparks. “Fuck that. She’s ours,” I growl, my beast speaking with me.

“That’s what I thought,” he says, and I swear I hear his lips curve.

“Asshole,” I say, but without heat.

“Talk to her.”

“Alright,” I agree, reluctantly getting to my feet. “Do not tell anyone.”

“I won’t. At some point, you will have to let us support you.”

“I’m not ready.” I have relied on myself for so long that letting others in is difficult.

“We’ll see.” He hangs up on me, and I curl my lip.

He is an asshole. I toss my phone onto the couch and realize the water stopped.

I silently move out of the room and down the hallway. Stopping at my bedroom door, I close my eyes and concentrate on her. Her heartbeat is steady, and her breathing is deep. She’s asleep. I turn the knob and ease the door open with my foot. My head tilts and my vision fills with my delicious mate on my bed, on top of the covers, her feet on the floor. She was tired enough to fall backward, her hair wet and her body covered in my black shirt.

Cautiously moving toward her, I admire her. She’s fucking perfect. Her black hair is shoulder-length and thick. She's curvy in tempting ways that make me want to explore. Her green eyes are shut, and I miss their gaze on mine.

Could she handle my beast?

Leaning over, I slide the covers down as far as possible before scooping her into my arms. Her eyes remain closed, and she snuggles close. My eyes roll back, and a rumble spreads through my chest. I take a deep breath, taking her scent in, letting it fill me up.

I shudder and curl my fingers under the covers, pulling as I put her head on my pillow. Satisfaction fills me. She is here. In my bed. I fear every minute I am near her, the beast won’t give her a choice to leave. The thought is disturbing enough to cause me to move quickly to my closet, grab sleep pants with little thought, and leave the room.

Escaping into the living room and shutting the door, I strip and roll my shoulders. I slide into the dark blue pants. As much as the suits are necessary to hide the tattoos, they also help me demand respect. The effect on my skin is suffocating. It’s always a relief to bare my chest, allowing it to breathe.

The universe has never done me any favors. Shifters are taught to believe we will be gifted with the one person who will stay by our side and love us no matter what. I have always craved a mate but doubted a woman could match me. I have seen Micah and Quinn find that perfect mate, so I know it can happen; I just didn’t think it could happen for me.

I have spent almost three hundred years living alone, with no hope of finding someone to share it with. I have purposely isolated myself for much of my life. The idea of Juliana accepting this world and being my mate is tantalizing.

I have had little love in my life. The affectionate touch of someone has never been something I’ve experienced. The women I have been with have been about physical release and nothing else. They have used me just as much as I did them. I have been a mystery, the dangerous man, and the unknown. It’s been easy to leave them. I treat all women respectfully, but no one has moved my soul.

The magic of the mating bond has fascinated me, yet I doubted it. Meeting Juliana has made me believe. I don’t have to know her to believe I will kill for her. She just became the most important person in my life. There is a burning in my chest that only gets stronger by the minute. Panic flares at the thought of her walking out the door tomorrow, knowing nothing about our bond or my need for her. I dread revealing the truth of my world and having her fear or feel disgust because of it.

Sitting on the couch, I turn and lay flat, curling my arm under my head. I won’t be sleeping tonight. I don’t need much, but the night will be long with my mate so close. Nightmares used to fill my dreams and forcefully bring memories back. I have worked for years to shove the guilt and anger deep inside. I don’t regret my actions, but I wish things had been different.

My dad was big, loud, and proud to be a snake shifter. My mom was his fated mate and human. It was a different time, a simple time, but the people weren’t as accepting or willing to believe the unusual. Shifters hid in the dark even more, especially snakes. My parents are the only snakes I have been around. I don’t know how Dad convinced her to mate with him and be turned. As the years passed and she had three children, the more she lost pieces of her human life, and one day, it all caught up to her.

She grew increasingly unhappy, angry, and mean. Dad ignored this and believed she would come around. My younger brothers didn’t understand her hatred of her snake. They loved to shift and show off their bodies. Something she enjoyed at first became increasingly shameful, and she made all of us feel that shame.

Lost in the past, I failed to realize Juliana was no longer asleep. Her steps move quickly down the hall, and I roll to my feet, reaching for my shirt as the door opens.

“Heath?” she whispers, sliding through the door. I shrug on the shirt but don’t get it buttoned in time. She stops abruptly, her gaze on my chest.

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