Magic stood and paced behind his desk.
“I’ll make you a deal. If… if Bethany agrees to the mate, if you explain it all, and she agrees to forever…” He locked his hands behind his head and took a deep breath, as if he was about to go over Niagara Falls. “Then we try it your way.”
Renner had to believe this would work. For the sake of his heart, and hers, and for the sake of the clan. They needed more than this life they were living. His sister, Magic, even Eagan. They needed love, and a family to call their own.
“Deal.”
Chapter Eleven
The Christmas celebration was a hit. The lodge was overrun by locals, and even Magic seemed a bit more jolly than normal. The live band they’d hired blared carols through several different speaker systems around the grounds, and at ten o’clock sharp their music would correspond with the light show Renner and Ryan had set up.
Bethany stood near the nativity, sipping hot chocolate in between her shifts as one of Santa’s elves and passing out cookies to the kids riding the toy train. Warm arms wrapped around her from behind, and Renner’s breath on her neck gave her a sense of rightness.
They’d grown so close over the past week and a half. Sometimes she thought she was crazy, going all in with a person who’d hurt her before. But when he looked at her like she not only hung the moon, but tamed it and rode it like a thoroughbred, she couldn’t help but feel like the risk was worth it. Not just worth it, but necessary.
And he’d gone above and beyond to show her how much he cared. To explain about his life. His mother and father, and how he’d ended up in foster care. To answer her every question.
The one question she hadn’t asked about was mating. Marking, he’d called it. She hadn’t wanted to jinx things. But now it was Christmas Eve and their time was running out. In another week, her contract with Magic would be over and she’d have to leave. The idea that all that ‘forever’ talk was just something said in the heat of passion left her feeling ill.
But then again, was she ready for a commitment like that? Forever was a long time.
“What’s wrong?” His words traveled into her ear mixing with the lyrics of the Christmas carols.
She turned in his arms and went up on her tip toes to kiss him. His mouth opened to hers and he tasted like chocolate. Decadent.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she breathed.
“What do you think?” he asked, gesturing to the decorations.
Her face split in a grin. “It’s beautiful.”
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”
Taking her hand, Renner led her down a path toward the back of the lodge. It grew darker the farther they walked away from the celebration. When the path continued into the woods, Renner pulled a flashlight from his jacket pocket and shined the beam ahead of them.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Just a little farther, babe.”
In the distance, she could see a faint flickering glow. It was broken by trees and rocks, but it gave her something to focus on in the darkness. As they walked, it got brighter and brighter until they were standing before a row of candles. The glimmering pillars lined the rock bed that surrounded a natural hot spring. It was one Beth hadn’t seen before. The steam billowed from the water making the area seem like it glowed.
Renner clicked the flashlight off and turned to face her. His look was so intense, she almost wanted to step back.
“What is this?”
He stepped close, pointing over her head. “Look. Up there.”
Beth peered into the branches of a tree above. “I don’t see it.”
“Right up there,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She looked again, squinting through the dark. It was…
She gasped when she saw it. “Mistletoe.” There, nestled into the crook of a branch, was a bundle of the kissing flower.
“The real kind,” he murmured. “Not the shit hanging in the lobby. Only the best for my mate.”
Mate.
He kissed her before she had a chance to ask for a clear definition. His mouth was hot and insistent, his lips urging hers open, his tongue delving inside. But they didn’t get too far before he broke away.
“We need to talk, Bethy. Set a few things straight. I want to do it tonight.”
Her stomach clenched with nerves, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“Our clan doesn’t mate. To live at the lodge, you have to follow a code of conduct. No life mates. The way of the mountain cats is brutal. When we mate, the male claims the female as his own and she is no longer free to be with any other. It’s a one-way monogamous relationship, leaving the male free to… roam. In return, the male protects her and their young. But when we came together here, our clan, we decided we didn’t want that. As a product of that kind of relationship, I chose to avoid it at all costs.”