She noticed something when she admired his chest again. “You’re not wearing your grandma’s ring.”

“I took it off because I was expecting some trouble today.”

“At the lodge? I know I was a surprise.”

“The lodge meeting. I hoped no fights would break out but I wanted to be prepared just in case.” Lavos got on the bed. He caught her gaze with his. “Any regrets for what we just did?”

“No.”

“You look a little stunned.”

“You’re big all over.”

He laughed, lying down on his side, facing her. Only inches separated their bodies from touching. “I have good genes.”

Yes, you do. Animal magnetism too. She smiled, keeping that to herself.

He smiled in return and used his arm to prop his head up. He reached out, playing with her hair. He wrapped a damp lock of it around his finger. “We need to talk.”

Her good mood died. “Already?”

He unwound her hair from his finger. “You know what I’m going to say?”

“Yes. This was a one-day-stand kind of deal. Don’t get attached. You want me to understand that this isn’t going to lead anywhere. I’m human. You’re not. Yada, yada, yada.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Is that how you feel?”

“No. But you’re still a man. I almost forgot that, despite what we just did.” She felt disappointed, and worse, disgusted with them both. Him for hurting her feelings by seeming to think what they’d done was just sex, and her for not expecting it.

She rolled, preparing to get out of bed. She’d borrow something to wear from him that wasn’t covered in dirt and then leave. Maybe she could move to Siberia or Antarctica. She doubted Werewolves or Vampires would hang out in either place. She’d freeze her ass off but she’d live longer.

She’d almost reached the edge of the bed when Lavos lunged, wrapping an arm around her waist and dragging her back to the center. She twisted her head, gaping at him. He looked pissed.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

His gall pissed her off. “I had questions and you answered them. I can kiss my ass goodbye if that nest contacts their council and has other nests hunting for me, thinking I’m some Vampire slayer. I got it. Avoid all Vampires. You have no pull with Werewolves, so avoid the woods and big parks, in case they hang out there. Maybe I can drive my RV into the middle of the desert. Do wolves like blasting heat and miles of cactus?”

“Why are you so angry with me?”

“It’s mostly at myself, Lavos. I don’t know what I was thinking. You get close to me and I turn stupid. That’s the problem. Couldn’t you have at least waited until tomorrow to pull that ‘we need to talk’ crap?”

“I wasn’t going to say what you think I was.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. Spill it. I’m waiting with bated breath.”

His eyes narrowed and he still looked pissed. “I was going to say that what happened between us changes everything.”

That stumped her. She didn’t know what to think. The silence stretched between them until she got irritated. “Do you want to expand on that?”

He sat up and let go of her waist. “How about I show you?”

He opened his mouth and his fangs grew as she watched. They were menacing, even scary, considering the thunderous look on his face.

He moved fast, startling her. She found herself flat on her back, Lavos coming down on top of her. He grabbed her wrists before she could react, jerking them up to the sides of her head, and he held on to them as he settled his body over hers.

“I want to bite you.”

This is what happens when you get into bed with a predator. He’d warned her about flirting with him, and that he would bite. Her heart rate increased, and Jadee knew she was about to die. How could she be so wrong about Lavos? It leveled her, and left her feeling more bewildered than terrified.

His tone softened, and so did his harsh features. “The urge to bite strikes a VampLycan when he thinks a woman could possibly be his mate.”

Never saw that one coming.

“And I want to bite you, Jadee.” He inhaled. “You smell right to me. I’ve been attracted to you since we met, and it only grows stronger every moment we spend together. I missed you. Now that I have you in my bed, I can’t imagine you not being here.” He growled and his eyes began to glow neon blue. “I can’t get enough of you.” He shifted his legs, pressing his stiff cock against her thigh. “That’s what I wanted to talk about.”

He felt hard and big. “Oh.”

“I’m trying to be reasonable, telling myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t do it.” He paused. “This clan hates humans. Our old leader was a real asshole who would have killed you before he allowed one of us to mate with one of your kind. He shared that belief long enough that a lot of members bought into his bullshit. He preached that humans would be the downfall of us all. I never believed it, nor did my brother. Lorn leads the clan now but he just took the job. If I test your blood, and you taste perfect to me, it’s going to force him to have to fight to remain in control of the clan. But I will claim you regardless of the consequences, if you’re my mate. I’ll never let you go.”

Jadee managed to open her mouth but no words came out. She was too stunned. How had they gone from her thinking he was going to say they meant nothing to each other, to him saying he might want a future with her? Mates sounded serious. Movies were bullshit on getting facts straight, they’d established that, but him saying he’d never let her go sounded really permanent.

“You were raised in a human world, so adjusting to life with VampLycans is going to be tough on you. I’m considering that but I have to admit, it’s not really bothering me too much, since I’d kick anyone’s ass who looked at you wrong. And I’d keep you very busy.” His gaze lowered, his look heated as he admired her breasts. “Maybe even keep you tied to my bed and just fuck you every day until you couldn’t move, so you never wanted to leave me.”

She swallowed, then cleared her throat. She still wasn’t sure what to say but her body was responding to the image of him doing just that. It was a shitty threat, if that was what he’d intended it to be, especially right after he’d just shown her how incredibly talented he was with his mouth and what it felt like to have him inside her. She’d let him tie her to his bed and do his worst. It sounded hot, and the idea turned her on.