Steve scrubbed his face. “Shifters have excellent smell. We smell anger, deceit, happiness, depression, and lust. All emotions have a smell, and we all have an individual smell. When you mate a shifter your smell will combine with theirs and your own. It warns other beings you are taken, and other shifters know whose you are. It also works vice versa. He’ll have your smell. You get it?” Jess nodded. “So your mate, Jess, will smell like you.” Steve paced before her. “Some say mating is our weakness, and in a way it is. Our mate is like a drug to us. But they have a calming and happy effect on us. They can tame our beast, calm our animal side. When you receive a mate your strength grows and your abilities enhance. You gain a treasure. Shifters cherish their women, but they, we, are extremely possessive. Our mates are our one thing that is ours, and we don’t share. We share our time and resources to help protect the world from the nightmare creatures.”
Jess remembered Brandon telling her from the time he was a teen he had gone hunting to make the world safer. “Brandon has told me some of this. What has it got to do with me being here?”
Travis held her hand. “Steve is telling you that you can’t stay here today or ever again, Jess.” Travis closed his eyes and slowly opened them. “I love you, Jess.”
“I love you, t—”
“No, not that type of love. I am in love with you. I have been for a long time.” She flinched as he reached over and brushed hair out of her eyes. “I fought it. Not only are you my best friend, but you’re not what I thought I wanted. I didn’t want people to see you as the type I went for if it didn’t work out. Zeck knows how I feel. He was—is—okay with it, but I’ve been scared to act in case I ruined our friendship. Your birthday night Zeck and I argued. He said that I should do something before you get taken away. I told him he was just overreacting because of what happened with Sasha. I said, ‘Jess doesn’t go anywhere without us. Who’s she going to meet? She’s never been really interested in anyone. I have time. No one around here wants Jell-O Jezebel.’ Then that night Brandon wanted you, and I knew you’d had a crush on the Prides. I thought it would be just like all his other one night stands. The Prides are known for being ladies’ men. I mean he is a Pride. I never thought he would be your mate. I mean you’re you.” Jess choked back a sob as he raised his hand to encase her. “No supermodel shifter. I thought even if he kissed you it would build up some confidence. It wasn’t until you called the next day I realized my mistake.”
Jess scooted off the bed. What the hell was going on? Her best friend that she’d been friends with since childhood was tearing her heart out. She took a deep breath to hold back her tears and stammered out. “Y-you … I … you just called … m-me—” Jess couldn’t finish. She felt her vision blurring, and her stomach churned at the words Travis was saying. How could he have called her that dreaded name and been ashamed of her? She’d thought he was her friend. She never thought he cared about her weight or what she looked like. She couldn’t believe her best friend was ashamed of her.
“Steve is saying that I smell of lust when I’m around you. Shifters can smell it. It is why Savron, Sasha’s boyfriend, knew about Zeck and was so angry with Zeck. He thought I lusted after Sasha, but it was you I desire.” He tried to scoot to her. “You’re human, Jess. If you want you could choose someone else.”
“Travis.” Steve’s growl had her glaring between them. She’d forgotten Steve was here to hear and see this embarrassment.
Jess opened her mouth, shut it, and opened it again. Her heart hurt at the things Travis had just told her and what he’d called her. She backed up, unsure of what to do and say. She looked him over to see he looked even more deathly pale than she’d first thought. “Why aren’t you healed? Steve said you’re being punished?”
“I knew about shifters and the creatures, and I took you two without protection.” Travis’s sad gaze caught hers. “They told me they could sever the mate bond. You were covered in my scent. The boogiemen were supposed to change that to the scent and person you would want.” Tears slid down Travis’s cheek, but Jess felt no sympathy for him. “I almost killed us all. All because I figured out I wanted something after it was too late. I’ve had years to act.” Travis shook his head. “Well anyway, if I hadn’t caused all this I would have had a very small dose of shifter blood every day for a week, but when they found out what I’d done, I’ve have been cut back.” Travis grimaced. “Brandon came to see me after he dropped you home.” Jezebel snapped her gaze back so she could look into his eyes at the mention of Brandon. “He came to talk to me. My room and bed smelt of you. I’m lucky Mac and Carter were here to hold him back. He went crazy and turned to a lion. When he calmed, Brandon turned back, and we chatted. I’m being punished further for provoking a shifter and attempting to take a mate away.” Travis gazed back at her, and for the first time she saw longing there. “What I did if I was a shifter is a death sentence, but Brandon stood up for me and said it would upset you if anything happened to me and he never wants you unhappy.”