Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
“Are you okay, little Minx?” Concern fills his eyes as he stares down at me.
“It’s just a little hot in here.” That’s an understatement. I feel like I’m sitting in an oven. Every time I get anywhere near Asher, I feel like I’m burning up from the inside out.
“I think you’re reacting to my bear’s pheromones.” He runs his hand over the condensation on the outside of one of the glasses then rubs it slowly across my upper chest. Goosebumps break out as he slowly massages my overheated skin.
“Well, can you tell your bear to tone down the pheromones?”
Asher throws back his head and laughs at my request. “It doesn’t really work that way, little Minx.”
“Please, explain to me how it works.” I drink his entire glass of water, too, hoping the waiter gets here soon with my wine.
“The effect I’m having on you isn’t something I can control. The first moment I laid eyes on you, I lost my heart and soul to you.” That should terrify me, but I’m curiously turned on by his words.
“Does your inner bear feel the same way?”
“My inner bear recognized you as my mate a few seconds before my human side caught up, and I couldn’t be happier with the universe’s choice of you for my soulmate.” His warm breath brushes against my ear as he speaks, causing my temperature to rise even higher.
“Do I have a choice in this?” I ask, knowing I’m losing the ability to fight this draw between us, and I’m honestly not even sure I want to.
“As a human, you do have a choice, but I hope you don’t reject me.” He sits back and stares into my eyes. “If you do, I’ll spend the rest of my life alone because no other female except my soulmate will ever interest me.”
The freaking waiter returns to the table with my wine not a second too soon. I take a huge sip to fortify myself and feel the alcohol rush through my blood. “Why don’t you explain to me what I’m getting into here?” I smile up at him, attempting to lighten the mood a little.
“What do you want to know?”
“How does being a bear shifter work? Do you turn into a bear anytime you want, or do you need a spell or something? And who the heck is in control when you’re in bear form?” I really should’ve investigated shifters more before I impulsively took the teaching job in a mostly shifter town, but something drew me to the position. I asked Timmy Cole’s mom about it after he shifted mid-class, but she mostly blew off my question.
“I shift on demand and have full control of my bear at all times. He usually grumbles and complains, but the fucker knows I’m the boss.” I mentally absorb the information while my mind fills with questions.
“Before I moved here, I read a little bit about shifters online, but Google’s information on bear shifters is lacking.” I found as much as I could, but it didn’t even scratch the surface.
“All shifters are a combination of their host animal and human genes. Most shifters live in a community of their own kind since each breed is vastly different. We blend well with humans and, most times, humans can’t even tell when shifters are around.”
Every time he answers a question, several more come to mind. I don’t even know what to ask next. “Is it normal for shifters to mate with humans?” I really need to find out what I’m getting into here.
“It is.” He smiles down at me, and the intimate look melts my insides. “When shifters find their one true soulmate, whether human or shifter, we mark the base of their neck, sealing our bond. The bite combines our destinies together for eternity, plus the tiny mark tells the entire world that you belong to a very possessive shifter.”
“Are shifters immortal?” I can’t believe I’m asking my date if he’s going to live forever.
“Not at all. We’re stronger than humans, and our inner animals protect us from harm, so we tend to have a little longer lifetime than humans, but we will die one day.”
“And will I live longer, too?”
“Yes, the mate bond connects our life forces, so we will leave this world and move on to the next life together.”
“Can we have children together?” As much as I already feel for him, I’m pretty sure not having kids would be a deal breaker for me.
“We can, and I plan to have tons. I’m thinking seven or eight to start.”
I blink several times, wondering if I heard him correctly. “Seven or eight?”
“To start off,” he confirms.
“Then you had better find a way to pop them out because I’m not going to be your broodmare.”
“There’s my sassy girl.” He smiles and brushes a strand of hair off my forehead. “You were getting a little freaked out, so I decided to lighten things up.”