“Since you said I’m your mate, yes.”
“Basically, you’re my one and only. You’re it for me. If you agree to mate with me, you will live as long as I do and you will heal faster than a standard human. Neither of us will be able to cheat on the other and there is no divorce. It’s for life, and it could be a long one.”
Jamie was too stunned to answer. Talk about commitment. He wasn’t even sure he was over Colin yet, and Ward wanted him to pass the rest of his life with him? And not another sixty or so years, but at least another hundred and fifty ones.
“How…how does it work?”
“We will have to bite each other and drink a small amount of blood.”
“Blood? Eww! I thought you were felines, not vampires!”
“We’re not vampires, but the blood exchange seals the bond between mates,” Ward said with a smile. “That’s what will allow you to take the shifter characteristics I told you about.”
Well, shit.
* * * *
Ward waited for Jamie to say something. He was scared to death that Jamie would simply walk away and never look back. He couldn’t even start to imagine how Jamie was feeling, since Ward had known about mates all his life and he wasn’t scared of that particular commitment, in fact, he craved it. He had seen how beautiful and fulfilling being with your mate could be with his parents. They were still together after more than ninety years, and he couldn’t even imagine them apart. He wanted that for himself, but he knew he would let Jamie decide, as much as it would hurt him if his mate decided to walk away.
“Do I have to decide right away?” Jamie asked in a small voice.
“No, you don’t. I know you must be confused about everything that’s happened to you in the past few hours, so if you want time to think about all of this, take it.”
“Yeah, I think I need that.”
“Do you think maybe…maybe we can hang around or something? I want to give you time, but I don’t want you to forget about me. I want to get to know you better, Jamie.” Ward slowly cupped Jamie’s cheek, giving him the opportunity to step away if he wanted to. When he didn’t, Ward leaned over and feathered a kiss on his mate’s lips. It was only a touch, but it felt like heaven. Jamie’s lips were soft yet firm, and Ward had to force himself to stop. He didn’t want to scare Jamie away by asking too much, too soon.
Jamie sighed and leaned a little in Ward’s palm, making Ward’s heart beat a little bit faster.
“You want to date?” Jamie asked with a smile playing on his full lips.
“Yeah.”
Jamie stayed silent for a few minutes, and Ward started to put some distance between them, his hand falling on his knee. It obviously wasn’t what Jamie wanted, so…
“I’d like that.”
“Really? I mean, you want to date?”
“Sure. We’ll just…take it slow, okay?”
Ward wasn’t sure how slow he could go. He could already feel the bond between them strengthening with every moment they passed together, and his cock was rock hard in his pants from just the tender kiss he had given Jamie. However, he would do anything for his mate. He had fully expected Jamie to run for the hills, and he was relieved to have an opportunity to show him how life could be between mates.
“Slow, okay. I’ll try,” he told Jamie, smiling down at him.
“Umm, do you think you could take me home? It’s really late and I’d like to sleep at least a few hours.”
Ward glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was nearly three A.M. As much as he wanted Jamie to stay with him, he knew it wasn’t an option right now.
“Sure. Let’s go get your brother.” Ward stood up but didn’t move, taking this opportunity to have Jamie brush against him as he stepped toward the door. It didn’t help his erection, but he was willing to take any crumble of contact his mate would allow.
Laying a hand on Jamie’s back, he led him through the house until they reached the back porch, where Ward had to do a double take at the scene in front of him. Keenan was on the floor, wrestling with Bryce in his cougar form. Ward could tell right away they were playing around, but Jamie shot out of the door, screaming for Bryce to let go. Ward caught him around the waist and pulled him in his arms.
“Slow down, sweetheart, they’re just playing.” Ward rubbed Jamie’s back, trying to sooth him.
“But…but what if he hurts Keenan?”
“Bryce knows what he’s doing. Even in our animal form we are still us, you know? It’s not the first time Bryce has played with a cub, although I have to admit that they’re usually smaller children. I don’t remember ever seeing anyone around here playing with a grown man.”
Ward took a deep breath, inhaling his mate’s sweet scent. Now that he was even closer to Jamie, he could distinguish that hint of spicy cinnamon and a touch of mint among the sweetness, and his dick grew hard again. It had never gone all the way soft since he’d first scented Jamie and discovered he was his mate, but damn, now it was so hard it hurt. There was no way Jamie couldn’t feel it when they were pressed this close against each other.
Deciding to take a chance, Ward moved his hips, slowly rocking his erection against Jamie’s stomach. His mate blushed furiously before clearing his throat and stepping away, making Ward smile. Oh, well, he had all the time in the world to try and woo his mate.
“Your brother is…different. Most people would be scared to roll around with such a big feline, even knowing it’s a shifter.”
“Yeah, Keenan has always been like this. I love him, and he really is a kid in a grownup body, but…I actually wish I could be a bit like him. He took this whole situation so well, while I’m worried as hell. He’s so carefree.”
“Not everyone is so open to new things as he is, but I’m sure you’ll be okay once you think it over for a while.”
They watched as Keenan straddled the cougar as if he were a horse, rubbing him under the chin. The cat started purring, and Ward couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He was going to tease Bryce to death about this. Playing like this with kids was one thing, but with a twenty-something man?
The cat scowled at him as Keenan jumped down, running to his brother.
“Did you see that, Jamie? It’s so cool!”
Bryce shifted and reached for his clothes, quickly pulling on his jeans while rolling his eyes at Ward.
“Come on, Ward, he’s like a kid!”
Ward looked at the brothers. They were talking, Keenan bouncing on his feet while Jamie was more composed, but he could see a smile on his mate’s lips. If that was what it took to make Jamie smile, Ward would give Keenan piggyback rides on his leopard’s back anytime the kid wanted.
The ride to Jamie’s house was quick, much to Ward’s dismay. He knew the time with his mate was ending and his leopard wasn’t particularly happy. Ward could feel it prowling in his mind, pushing to claim the human. Thankfully Keenan talked during the whole trip, asking a thousand questions about shifters and distracting him from thoughts about Jamie’s naked body.
“So, how many types of shifters are there? Do you have cow shifters? And penguins? What about water shifters? Are there dolphin shifters?”
Ward didn’t even have the time to answer one question when another one popped out of Keenan’s mouth.
“I don’t know about water shifters. To be honest, all the species I’m sure do exist are predator ones, plus some prey ones, but I guess it makes sense that there are others out there. It’s not like we have a blog or something, so apart from the ones who live near us, we don’t really know about other shifters.”
“Predators? Like what?”
“There’s a pack of wolves not far from here, and our pride has a lot of different felines. I also know some bears and a few foxes.”
Ward stayed with the brothers and answered questions until they reached their front door. Keenan gave him a wave and disappeared inside the house while Jamie stayed outside for a while longer. Ward watched his mate shift from foot to foot, clearl
y uncomfortable.
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“You mean later today?” Jamie asked with a smile.
“Yeah, I guess it’s pretty late.”
“I’m free.”
“How about I come by at seven and take you out?”
“Okay.”
Ward knew he should go, but it was hard to leave Jamie. Uncertain of what his mate would accept right now, and unwilling to push, Ward placed a light kiss on Jamie’s forehead before heading for the stairs. He gave his mate a last glance and saw Jamie was still looking at him, his eyes dark pools of feelings Ward couldn’t understand, not yet. With a last smile, he left.
* * * *
By the time Jamie was ready for his date, he was a nervous mess. He still wasn’t sure about going out with Ward, even with the mate thing going on between them. Well, especially with the mate thing going on between them. Jamie kind of felt that Ward wanted to go out with him just because they were mates, but he was sure if that wasn’t the case, the leopard wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
The man could have anyone he wanted, so why should he settle for someone like Jamie? Not that he thought he was ugly or anything, but Jamie was…well, Jamie. He admitted he was cute in a boyish kind of way. Where Ward was tall and well built, Jamie was a normal height and lean, but he lacked definition. He just knew Ward wouldn’t have wanted him without the mating thing, and that made him angry. Why should he go out with someone who thought they had to be with him?
Jamie wanted to call Ward and tell him not to come, but aside from not having the leopard’s number—and that was just stupid, by the way—Jamie really did feel a pull toward his mate. It made it difficult to say no, even if he still wasn’t sure about the whole shifter thing. So he decided to give it a try, and see how things would go from there.
“I don’t understand you, Jamie. You have a date with a hot stud who obviously wants you, so what’s the problem?”
Keenan was lying on the couch watching, of all things, a documentary on a pride of lions.
“Doesn’t the fact that they can shift into animals worry you? I’m still not sure if this whole thing is real or if I dreamt all of it.”
“Well, if it’s a dream, I know I don’t want to wake up, like, ever. I think the fact that they can shift is cool. Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they’re going to hurt you.”
Jamie knew that, but he still had a hard time wrapping his head around the whole thing.
“What if after he claims me, Ward wants to leave me? If he realizes he doesn’t like me?”
“You can’t live on what ifs, Jamie. Give the man a chance. It’s not like he’s going to bite you as soon as you step out the door. Date him, get to know him, then decide.”
Jamie had explained to Keenan what being mated meant and how it was done, and his brother had accepted it just like the rest. He wasn’t worried at all. Of course, it wasn’t him who was going to have to drink blood.
Plus, the fact that if Jamie did mate with Ward, he would have to watch his brother age and eventually die terrorized him. Keenan was his baby brother, even if he was only three years younger than Jamie’s twenty four years. Jamie had made it his job to protect him no matter what, but aging wasn’t something he could deal with.
A knock on the door tore Jamie away from his gloomy thoughts. Opening it, he found Ward waiting for him, and damn, the man was hot! He had looked fine in jeans and a t-shirt, but he was scorching in his black dress pants and his blue shirt. The shirt molded his chest like a second skin, while his pants were just a little less revealing. But still, Jamie could see that the man really was a hot dream. He could feel his cock filling just from looking at Ward, which led to all kinds of interesting images of what they could do instead of going out. Shifting a bit, he tried to get more comfortable in his pants while he greeted his mate.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
They looked at each other for a while, an awkward silence between them.
“Hi, Ward!” Keenan yelled, breaking the ice.
Ward chuckled. “Are you ready to go?”
Jamie nodded and grabbed his keys.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! Or better yet, do everything I would do!” Knowing his brother, that meant that Jamie would have to put out on the first date, and there was no way he was going to do that.
“So, where are we going?”
“I was thinking The Oyster? Do you like seafood?”
“Umm, sure.”
It wasn’t that Jamie didn’t like sea food, really. It was just that he couldn’t understand why on earth someone would open a posh seafood restaurant in a small Wyoming town. And since they were so far away from the ocean, how fresh could the seafood be?
“I’ve never been there, so I don’t know what to expect, but I thought it would be nice to try it together.”
Jamie just didn’t have the courage to tell Ward that the local diner would have been just as fine, if not better. Posh places weren’t really his cup of tea. In fact, they made him uncomfortable. He never seemed to remember what cutlery you had to use for each dish, and he was always scared of spilling something, so he very much preferred a more relaxed place. The restaurant Ward had chosen was exactly what Jamie usually avoided, but it was obvious Ward was trying to be nice, so he didn’t say anything.
Standing in front of the windows Jamie could see the candleholders on each table, the china plates and the many types of silverware laid beside each plate. He really, really wasn’t looking forward to this.
He watched as Ward looked first at him, then at the restaurant. When the leopard chuckled, Jamie couldn’t help but laugh with him.
“Okay, let’s go. I wanted to make a good first impression, but I would be too afraid of staining their tablecloth to even eat.”
“Don’t worry, I’m all for choosing another place.”
They ended up at the town’s diner, eating burgers in a back booth and talking.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Jamie asked Ward.
“I’m a building contractor. I don’t really have to work for a living, but I like what I do.”
“Are you rich or something?”
Ward smiled, and Jamie’s heart fluttered in response. The man was too handsome for his own good.
“No, but the pride takes care of its members. I don’t have to pay mortgage, since I live there and the food is paid for by Dominic. I only buy clothes and stuff like that with my money.”
“Isn’t it weird to have someone pay for you like that?” Sure, Jamie didn’t particularly enjoy his job as a clerk, but he wasn’t sure he would like being dependent on someone else.
Ward shrugged. “This is the way we live. Feline shifters always live in prides, and the Alpha takes care of everyone. It’s like a big family.”
“Are there always that many species living together?”
“No, usually all the pride members are of the same species. We’re different because Dominic takes in the strays, the shifters that were shunned from their prides, and the ones who want to live with more open minded people. He put the pride together a little over twenty years ago and since then our numbers have doubled.” Ward gave a bite to his burger and chewed, his eyes thoughtful. “Most shifters have a narrow mind. We’re so used to living only among our own species that we look at the others as bad or lower.”
“How did you end up with Dominic?”
“I’m gay.”
Jamie laughed. “Yeah, I kind of noticed that.”
“I told you, shifters don’t have an open mind. Gay is not an option for us because of most shifters still think you have to reproduce to make the pride bigger and stronger. So, I decided I’d had enough of the snarky comments and all that homophobe shit and I decided to join Dominic. We have a lot of gay shifters and more than one interracial couple, either because one of them is from another culture or because they’re human.”
“Oh, so because I’m human you being with me wou
ld be a bad thing? But didn’t you tell me Fate or whatever decided we were the perfect match? It’s not like you can choose who you want to mate with, right?”
“Exactly. It’s not that we have to bond with our mate, but honestly? Who would turn their back on the other half of their soul? Mating is a one time opportunity, and anyone walking away would be a fool, in my opinion.”
“So…that’s why you want me? Because I’m your mate?” That was Jamie’s biggest fear—that Ward wanted to be with him just because of the mating bond.
“The bond gave me a little nudge, but I like you, and I would have liked you even without the bond. It’s like…two halves of a whole. We complement each other, and the pull is just a little help from Fate for us to get together.”
Somehow that answer made Jamie relax. He still wasn’t sure he liked Ward because of the bond or because the man was funny, caring and sweet—and let’s not forget hot. There was no way to know how things would have been without it, however. So he decided to stop worrying and enjoy the evening.
After that, the conversation became lighter. They talked about favorite movies and music and what they liked to do in their free time. Jamie quickly discovered that Ward was a very touchy-feely kind of guy. He often brushed his fingers against Jamie’s, making him shiver, and never let an opportunity to touch Jamie pass. His mate was very sensual, and Jamie had to admit he couldn’t wait to see if Ward was as affectionate in bed as he was out of it.
When the waiter came by to tell them it was closing time, Jamie couldn’t believe they’d been there talking and drinking coffee for nearly four hours. He started getting nervous once they were in the car, knowing that their date was ending and not sure about what was going to happen next. Jamie’s body wanted to grab Ward and climb him like a tree, but his rational part knew it was too soon for that. Right? Bouncing his leg, Jamie looked at the night sky, wondering what would be waiting for him tomorrow. Would he wake up in Ward’s arms? His cock took instant notice of the image and twitched in his pants. Jamie’s hands flew to cover it. Yeah, he wanted Ward, but there was no good reason for him to know it, right?
Whitedell Pride 1 - Jamie Page 3
