Deliciously Mated(29)
But Magic’s nostrils flared with his labored breaths. He might as well have been a bull fighting, for the sounds he was making.
Eagan shook his head. There was no hope that he and Clara could live a life here with his family. None at all. Not if it reduced Magic to a raging monster.
With a burst of energy, the human gave way to the cat, Magic’s panther unfurling from his skin in a furious flash of black fur.
“Fuck,” Owyn barked when he got too close and the panther took a swipe at him. It was a warning, but still, those paws were the size of Eagan’s head, and the claws sharp as a sickle. They would have injured Owyn bad enough Doc Davis would’ve had to call for help.
“Son of a bitch,” Renner muttered, starting to remove his clothes. “Get out of here, Eagan. Take your mate and wait at the cabin.”
Eagan stumbled for the door. There was nothing he could do for the cat.
“And…” Renner looked at him, frustration knitting his brow. “Have Layna tell the guests the noise is just us testing Halloween effects.”
Eagan nodded and pushed through the door just as Magic’s panther lunged at him, jaws snapping. He stared at the solid wood between him and the cat who used to be his friend, breathing heavy.
A hand touched his arm and he jumped.
Clara. It was Clara. She’d waited outside for him.
Gash came running down the hall, glaring at Eagan and then snarling at Clara. He snapped his jaws and Eagan growled low in warning.
“What did you do?” the man spat, staring at Eagan like he was no better than a worm.
“Fuck you. Your turn’s coming.”
Eagan grabbed his mate’s hand and pulled her through the lobby, quickly relaying Renner’s message to Layna.
She stared at Clara, a smirk on her face. “Don’t worry, honey. The men around here are more hissy than the females, that’s all. Things will settle.”
Clara nodded, her eyes big.
“Let’s go.”
Eagan led her through the parking lot and back down the path to his cabin. Inside, he slammed the door, locking it, and leaning against it to catch his breath. He needed to shift just as much as Magic had. The energy balled up inside him like a grenade ready to blow.
Shift or fuck. Or both.
He looked at Clara. She stood in the middle of the room watching him.
“What happened?”
“He’s an asshole.”
“Magic?”
“Yes. He… he wanted me to promise never to mate you. If I agreed, he’d let you work. If I didn’t… shit out of luck.”
Clara looked confused. Of course she was. She didn’t know their ways. He’d avoided telling her for too long.
“Eagan, what’s the deal with this mating thing. Explain it to me.”
He pushed off the door, stalking to her. He kissed her hard on the lips, pulling a gasp from her.
“We don’t mate. Our clan, we don’t mate. It’s against the rules.”
Her eyes went wide. “No sex?”
“Sex is fine. Mating is not.”
“What’s the difference?”
He reached a hand behind her head, pulling her hair free of its messy bun so it could tumble down her back.
“Mating is for life. A marriage of sorts. But one that bonds two people together forever.”
Eagan watched her throat as it worked a swallow.
“Why is it not allowed?”
He kissed her again, sweet this time.
“Because cats aren’t monogamous.”
She went stiff in his arms. Suddenly he was holding a tree instead of a soft, luscious human.
“Excuse me?”
“Cat shifters as a rule, aren’t monogamous. It goes against our animal’s instincts. Our clan is the exception. As young, we saw that it resulted in unhappy matings and wanted better for ourselves. So we made a pact. No mating. Ever. Easy fucking peasy.”
Clara squinted. “Your jaguar desires other women?” She laughed but it wasn’t funny. “That sounds like an excuse to me. If you guys can’t keep it in your pants, you just blame it on the cat? Do women really fall for that?”
If it was possible, Eagan fell even more in love with her in that moment.
“Yeah. Unfortunately they do.”
Clara frowned, shaking her head. “Poor Bethany.”
Eagan didn’t follow.
“I mean, it must be so hard to be mated to Renner and know he might be with other women.” The look on her face was so sad.
“No, it isn’t like that,” Eagan huffed. “I’m trying to explain this, but I’m not doing it right. Too damn angry. Too…” He looked at her, standing there sad and confused. “Too needy. I fucking need you, Clara. But I have to settle first. So we can talk. You understand?”