a fighter in every since of the word, but if Genevieve wanted a picnic and flowers he would give them to her, no questions asked. He finally figured out what the odd feeling was when he saw her the first time. He had truly loved her even before his soul bonded with hers.
“I hate sharing her with Kota.” He spat the name out.
“Well, that unfortunately is nonnegotiable. He goes where she goes and nothing will ever change that. Unless he dies.”
“There’s a thought.”
Asa laughed as he took a seat. “Yes, it is, but sadly, she wouldn’t survive that.”
Eli rolled his eyes at that even though he knew it to be true. He would tolerate Kota because he was a necessity. Eli, no matter how much he wanted Kota gone, felt grateful the shifter had been there the night before. She wouldn’t have survived the transformation without his blood. The three of them shared an unbreakable bond now, connected by their blood. The more he thought about the way Kota watched over Genevieve, the more he realized, he didn’t hate the shifter as much as he thought he did.
“Son of a bitch,” Eli groaned, dropping his chin to his chest.
“You can’t hate him, can you?”
“Fuck you! And if you tell anyone, I’ll rip your fangs out.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Asa laughed again, slapped Eli on the shoulder, and left the room. Eli sat there staring at the wall, thinking of how, in the short time it had been since he’d been ordered to watch the human woman a little over a month ago, his life had changed completely. His life was no longer his own. Everything about him belonged to her, his mate. He hadn’t realized he’d been sitting there for so long until he felt a light touch on his shoulder.
He smiled, not needing to see who stood there. He could feel her there. Her presence made his insides shake with desire. Every worry, uneasy thought, anything remotely negative in his mind disappeared the moment she entered the room.
“I woke up, and you were gone,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I just needed to think.”
Eli took in the changes the transformation had brought on. Her auburn hair looked shinier, her hazel eyes brighter, and the violet specks glowed slightly as she looked at him. Her body, which had been lean before, now looked more defined. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and she belonged to him and him alone.
A smirk appeared on her face. “So, I’m yours and yours alone huh? What about Kota?”
“This whole mind reading thing is going to take some getting used to.” He scratched his eyebrow before continuing. “Kota is bonded to you in a very different way. His only mission is to protect you. To give you whatever you need in order for survival.”
“Seemed like more than that in the bed.”
Eli stiffened as the memories of Kota’s body pressed against hers flooded both of their minds.
“That was part of your transformation. It doesn’t have to happen again unless you are seriously injured.”
She shrugged, walking around the room, taking everything in. Her thoughts shifted from their time together last night to what happened next. Eli could see the wonder in her mind as if she had projected her thoughts right into his brain. She was slightly uncomfortable in her new skin because she could feel everything. She still had so many questions, but didn’t know which to ask first. Genevieve also felt fear. She didn’t know if she could live up to all the expectations everyone seemed to have for her.
Eli walked to Genevieve and pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He ran his hands down the long, elegant line of her spine as he tried to give her some kind of comfort. “Don’t be frightened, love. I will be with you every step of the way.”
“I just don’t understand it all. What makes me so important?”
“Asa!” Eli called because he knew the male would be a better history teacher.
“You rang?” Asa said as he walked into