Page 42 of The Right to Bear Claws
Kaia accepted the steaming mug gratefully. "I've been wondering when you'd get around to explaining that. Lucien mentioned something about it at the bookstore, but he got all evasive when I asked for details."
"Because it wasn't his place to explain. This is something that should come from me, as your..." He hesitated, then decided on complete honesty. "As your mate."
"Right. You mentioned that before, but you didn't go into much detail about what it actually means, besides the life-long infatuation."
"A claiming bond is the formal completion of a mate connection. It involves a ritual that marks both partners permanently, creating spiritual and emotional ties that can't be broken by death or distance." Elias watched her face carefully, looking for signs of fear or rejection. "It's the deepest form of commitment possible between supernatural beings."
"Permanent marks?"
"Physical scars that tell other supernaturals you're claimed. They're placed here," he touched the curve of her neck, "and here sometimes." His fingers brushed against her hip through the fabric of her dress. "The marking itself is... intense. Passionate but also painful, since it involves my claws in shifted form."
Kaia shivered, but again, not with fear. "And this would protect me from Tobias how?"
"A completed mate bond creates spiritual armor around your consciousness. It anchors you so firmly to the physical world that dream entities can't pull you into their realm or use you as a gateway to ours." He set down his coffee cup, turning to face herfully. "But Kaia, I need you to understand something crucial. I'm not offering this bond just because it might save your life."
"No?"
"I'm offering it because I love you. Because I want to build a life with you that has nothing to do with supernatural threats or protective magic." His voice grew fierce with conviction. "I've been yours since the moment I pulled you from this lake. The claiming bond would just make it official."
"And if I'm not ready? If the idea of permanent marks and spiritual binding is too much too fast?"
"Then we find another way to fight Tobias. We keep looking for alternatives until we find something that works." He reached for her hands, covering her cold fingers with his warm ones. "The choice is entirely yours, Kaia. I'll respect whatever you decide, even if my bear is pawing to claim you right now and worry about the consequences later."
"Your bear wants to claim me?"
"My bear has wanted to claim you since day one. He recognizes you as our mate on the most primal level, and every day that passes without making it official is torture for him." Elias managed a rueful smile. "But the human part of me knows you need time to process everything. To decide if a life bound to a grizzly bear shifter is really what you want."
Kaia was quiet for several minutes, staring out at the lake where moonlight danced on the still surface. When she finally spoke, her voice was thoughtful rather than frightened.
"The night you found me here, I was running from something I didn't understand. Terrified of my own abilities, convinced I was dangerous to everyone around me." She turned to meet his eyes. "But you saw something worth saving. Worth protecting. Worth loving, even when I couldn't see it myself."
"Because it was there. Because you're extraordinary, Kaia. Beautiful and brave and stronger than you know."
"And you knew I was your mate immediately?"
"The moment our skin touched. It was like every missing piece of my life suddenly clicked into place." He squeezed her hands gently. "I've been trying to court you properly, give you time to fall for me naturally instead of overwhelming you with supernatural concepts you weren't ready for."
"Well, it worked. I did fall for you, supernatural bond or not." Her smile was soft and wondering. "I love you too, Elias. More than I thought possible."
"So what do you think? About the claiming bond, about making this permanent?"
Kaia looked out at the lake again, then back at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. "I think," she said slowly, "that I need to understand exactly what I'd be agreeing to. Every detail, every consequence, every way it would change both our lives."
"Of course. What do you want to know?"
"Everything.”
20
KAIA
Kaia sat on her bed at the inn, staring at the note she'd started and abandoned three times already. Outside her window, the wind chimes Elias had carved for her sang their gentle protection song, but tonight the sound felt like mockery.
I'm his fated mate.
The words echoed in her mind, carrying equal measures of wonder and terror. During their conversation by the lake, she'd managed to ask intelligent questions, to discuss the claiming bond like a rational adult considering her options. But now, alone in her room with nothing but her own spiraling thoughts for company, the magnitude of what he'd revealed was finally sinking in.
"Destined," she whispered to the empty room. "He knew from the moment he touched me."
