“Have you ever felt instant attraction to someone the moment you met them?”

She thought about it. “Sure.”

“Humans learn to ignore their instincts. VampLycans rely on them to survive. We hone them. I didn’t need to date you for months or years to realize you were the right one for me, Dusti. My body, mind, and instincts told me what you meant to me. Feelings have to be involved, if that matters to you. If I weren’t so drawn to your personality, I wouldn’t want to be your mate.”

“I guess that’s good to know. Not that I’m saying I accept this but what does mating detail? Give me the mechanics.”

“You make it sound so cold.” His tone told her it saddened him.

“I don’t mean to.”

“You’ve been raised human. I try to remember that. I wish you hadn’t been or you would rejoice in finding your mate, as I do.”

“Sorry.”

“What do your instincts tell you about me? You’ve lived your life ignoring them, haven’t you?”

Dusti closed her eyes, trying to “feel” what her body might tell her. She had the urge to climb onto his lap and have him hold her. She missed being in his arms. She wanted the closeness and the feelings of warmth he gave her just by being near. She looked at him.

“My head screams run but my heart wants to stay with you.”

His expression softened. “Always listen to your heart.”

“I’d have to give up my life in Los Angeles, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes. It would be too dangerous otherwise. VampLycans can’t exist inside a city. I’m not sure how your mother was able to do it, to be honest. I could never change forms and run free. I’d do it for you but my spirit would wither. I don’t want to lie to you. I won’t stop you if you wish to return to your home but I will follow you there. You’re my mate. Where you go, I go. Every Lycan and Vampire would target us as well. They fear VampLycans and you’ll smell like me. Do you understand why it wouldn’t be safe? I’m an excellent fighter but we’d have entire packs and nests coming after us. I will gladly face that every day and night, though, if it keeps me close to you. My life is wherever you are, Dusti.”

She fought the desire to cry but tears filled her eyes anyway. She blinked them back. No man had ever said such wonderful things to her or expressed his feelings in a way that left no doubt she meant everything to him. He was pretty much saying he was willing to battle every day just to be by her side. “You’d still try to live there for me?”

“I’d wither without you faster. I’ve touched you and know how you make me feel. I can’t walk away from that. It would kill me for sure if you weren’t in my life. I wouldn’t want to go on.”

She stared deeply into his beautiful eyes. “You really mean that.”

“You sense the truth. I will never lie to you.”

Maybe falling in love this fast is possible, she admitted silently. I love him. How can I not? The guy is telling me he’d rather suffer untold hell just to be with me if I want to live in Los Angeles and he’ll die if I leave him.

“What are you thinking?”

“What about other women? I won’t tolerate cheating, and I mean my definition of that, not some weird VampLycan one. It means you aren’t allowed to touch another woman and they aren’t allowed to touch you. I’d leave you so damn fast your head would spin if you did that to me. I’d never forgive you.”

Hope etched onto his features so clearly it was easy to read. “I give you my word. Once we cement the bond, my body will only respond to yours.”

“What does that mean?”

He turned to face her, spread his thighs, and revealed how hard he’d become. His cock jutted up thick and proud. “You’re the only woman who will do this to me. We’ll bond and no one else will be able to compare to you. I don’t want anyone else, Dusti.”

She couldn’t look away from his cock. Her nipples hardened just at the sight of him in all his glory and that urge to climb in his lap grew stronger. Only now she didn’t just want him to hold her. She wanted to ride him, feel him inside her, and she knew dampness spread between her legs. Just thinking about having sex with him made her ache to do it.

“What are you doing to me?”

“We’re mates. Your body knows it, even if your mind doesn’t. It’s why you crave my touch and react so strongly to me. You’re not completely human, Dusti. This is how VampLycans react to their mates.”

That made sense, in a weird way.

“I’m only going to get hard for you, sweetheart. That’s what I’m saying. If we complete the bond, you become a part of me and my body will only react to yours this way. Another woman could rub all over me but to put it in terms you’d understand, it would be like someone dragged their claws along a chalkboard. It would just irritate me and make me angry. I’d have the reverse reaction. I’d soften and remain that way, regardless of any stimulation she tried.”

“Seriously? That’s tough to believe.”

“Believe it.” He frowned. “I wouldn’t lie about that. We are true mates. Only matings that aren’t strong fail to get that kind of physical loyalty from the couple.”

“What if she blew you?”

“I wouldn’t enjoy it. I wouldn’t harden. Have you ever had a man touch you and it revolted you? It would be like that.”

She studied him closely but saw honesty reflected back at her. “Damn. You’re saying you’re pretty much dependent on me for sex then, right?”

“Yes. You don’t need to look so pleased about that.”

“Have you ever trusted someone completely, only to find out the person cheated on you?”

“I’ve never been in that kind of relationship.”

“It devastates you. When a man cheats it makes you feel as though you weren’t enough for him, and even though you know its bullshit, it just crushes you inside. Every aspect of what you had with them suddenly is all fucked-up. You love someone and they betray you in the worst possible way. It rips your guts out.”

Anger darkened his features. “You loved a man before?”

“I was married. I mentioned that.”

A snarl tore from his throat and he moved quickly, rising to his knees and pressing her back until he’d caged her under his body.