Page 11 of Their Shared Mate
Trepidation tingled down Claire’s spine. The disparate ratio of women to males was the reason each feline coalition bonded with the same female. Was it the same here? “Will each female have only one mate or will cabin-mates share a female?”
He studied her for a moment before he answered. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze began to smolder. “You know there are nearly ten males for every female planet wide. We wouldn’t expect you to take on ten males, but why not two or three.” He shrugged. “Such arrangements are permissible on Earth. It’s more common for a man to have multiple wives, but the practice has been acceptable for centuries.”
It sounded like a sales pitch and understanding unfurled inside her. If Raphael was Victor’s cabin-mate then this was the beginning of a courtship. Raphael hadn’t brought her here to question her. He’d brought her here to seduce her.
She looked at the door, heart thudding in her chest. If she bolted, he’d chase her. The predatory gleam in his eyes warned her that he was hoping she’d run. The strangest ache erupted in her pussy. She felt empty and needful, yet it made no sense. She didn’t even like Raphael.
Rather than run like a coward, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. “You need to make it clear to the other women that they will be taking on more than one male. That’s not the impression you gave us last night.”
“I was distracted last night.” A lazy grin curved his lips. “Still, it was not my intention to mislead you. I will clarify our expectations.”
“Which are?” she asked. “Lions and wolves need a genetically compatible mate. They can’t produce offspring without one. Is it the same with raptor hybrids?”
“Yes, and no,” he said. “We can instinctively sense the female who will make the best mate for us. The more intense the attraction, the better the chances of babies. However, the mating bond is formed intentionally.”
“What happens if the woman doesn’t agree with your instincts? Does she get any say in this?” She was being an argumentative bitch, and she wasn’t sure why. Raphael had been nothing but polite and informative since he ran after her. Why did she keep provoking him?
He watched her silently for a moment, his gaze shimmering with orange-gold fire. “Our bodies produce a complex combination of pheromones. The female either responds to them or she doesn’t. Again, the more intense the attraction, the better the chances of babies.”
The door opened and Victor stepped inside. His gaze landed on Claire and narrowed. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine,” Raphael told him. “I wanted to speak with Claire and thought a quieter setting might benefit the conversation.”
What nonsense. He didn’t want an audience while he tried to seduce her. Another unwanted rush of heat assailed her body. Her nipples tingled and her inner muscles clenched. What the fuck? Did she want to be seduced by these two males? None of the lions had affected her at all.
Victor looked at her more closely and his expression darkened. “Why is she wearing your coat?”
The accusation in his tone made Claire want to slap him. She barely knew either of these males. They sure as hell had no claim to her. “Heather blurted out a secret that I wasn’t ready to share. I got upset and ran outside. Raphael came after me and brought me here. End of story. No big deal.”
Victor’s shoulders relaxed and his expression eased. “I’m glad you weren’t harmed.” His lips curved into a warm smile. “Any chance you’d tell me what Heather said?”
“No,” Claire said firmly then looked at Raphael. “Can I go back to the bunkhouse now?”
Raphael set his mug aside and scooted to the edge of his seat. “I have a few questions first.”
Feeling overly warm and restless, she shrugged out of his coat. “Questions about what?”
“Your life on Earth.”
Unwanted emotions extinguished her simmering arousal. She’d about calmed down and now he wanted to drag it all up again? She shook her head as tears filled her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about any of that.”
“Yet, you clearly need to,” Raphael countered. “Was Heather right? Are you hiding from the pain?”
“I’ll deal with Heather later. You have no right to dig around in my personal life.”
“I can help you work through?—”
“You have no idea how this feels,” she snapped.
“Actually, I do,” Raphael told her. “My older brother, Charles, was murdered when I was thirteen. It didn’t happen in frontof me, but I spent many years focused on his death, the senselessness and injustice of how he died. It was only when I filled my mind with memories of his life that I was able to move beyond the pain.”
Her lips trembled and tears escaped the corners of her eyes. Thinking about Joel was still horribly painful. There was no way she could talk about him. “I… can’t.” Her throat was so tight she barely got the sentence out.
Victor walked over and held out his hand. “Come here.”
She hesitated. Grief made her feel isolated. All the females were dealing with so much. Her friends did what they could to cheer her, but she’d kept her emotions bottled up. Tempted by Victor’s compassion, she placed her hand on his.
His warm fingers closed around her hand, and he pulled her to her feet. “We’ll do this together,” he encouraged. “Take your time and share whatever you can.”
