Page 18 of Elias
“Yes. Remember when a woman disappeared from the valley right before her ceremony?”
“Yes. I didn’t know her. She was from another school.”
“That was Suzette. You will meet her when we’re done with our seclusion and venture out to visit others. Suzette was taken by a bear shifter. He was able to mask his scent. Her mate is my brother, Brock. He followed Suzette’s scent to find her, and he was lucky. She was unharmed. But ever since then, we have had several encounters with members of a bear-shifting community. We’ve learned a few of their own have gone rogue and are causing problems.”
“That’s scary,” she whispered.
“And that’s the primary reason you will not leave the house alone, understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“At this point, we believe the majority of the bears in the area mean us no harm. They’re looking for a new place to live. Afew of them are bad news, though, and they’re not to be trusted. They’re bold enough to come right up to the house. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”
“I won’t go outside, Elias.”
At least he seemed to have scared her into compliance on this issue. It was the most important rule. He cupped her cheek. “You may call me Elias when you’re screaming my name in our bed, Little firecracker, but please call me Daddy when we are not actively having sex.”
She licked her pretty lips again. They were swollen and red from her biting them several times.
He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles, loving the way her breath hitched and her arousal kicked up another notch. Taking a chance, he wrapped his lips around her middle finger and sucked it into his mouth.
His cock jerked at the taste of her. Leah leaned into him, unable to fight the pull. It was powerful and growing.
He released her finger with a pop.
“Are you going to take me to your bed now?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Not until you’re ready, Little one.”
“When will I be ready?”
He smiled and rubbed her fingers against his jaw. He longed to do exactly what she was suggesting. Take her to their bedroom, strip these layers of material off her, and worship her body. Soon.
“Do you understand how your first shift will happen?” he asked, needing to cover this topic, too.
“My mother said I can’t shift until after we consummate the union.”
“That’s true, but she may have oversimplified it. When we decide to take that first step of consummation, we will enter a frenzy of need that will cause us to come together over and overuntil we’re both exhausted. Meanwhile, your body will prepare for its first shift. Your temperature will slowly rise until you’re ready, and then you will shift completely out of your control. It will gradually consume you until you drop to all fours and let your wolf take over. It’s freeing and invigorating, but you will be so very tired that you will not stay in wolf form for long. Soon you will return to me, and we will sleep like the dead.”
She nodded slowly. “I’m scared.”
“I know you are, Little one. Frankly so am I. I’m scared that at some point I will be so consumed with the need to claim you that I will rush you. I’m scared of hurting you. I’m scared ofanythinghurting you.”
“Daddies get scared, too?” she murmured.
He had to restrain himself from roaring into the open air at her first use of the word Daddies. It wasn’t directed at him, but it was close.
“Yes, Baby girl. Daddies get scared.”
“Do you expect me to submit to you all the time?”
“Yes, Little one, but I promise it will come naturally. It will not be a difficult struggle.”
“Are you going to make me wear a diaper all the time?”
“Nope. Diapers are optional. They are for times when you need to submit deeper. Times when you feel like turning over all of your care to me. It’s called regression. You will feel it pull you in at times. I may encourage you to let me Baby you when I think you need it, but more often than not, the choice will be yours.”
“And all the other mates have nurseries, too?”
