Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
If I had any doubts about who Marielle was to me, her being able to sniff out a hint of my dragon in my scent with her less acute, human sense of smell would’ve clinched it. Fated mates were more in tune with their partner than other couples, and my inner beast puffed out his chest upon learning that our woman liked our scent. “Glad to know that I smell manly.”
“As if that comes as a surprise when your picture”—she waved her hand down the length of my body—“literally could be in the dictionary next to the word masculine.”
“And yours could be next to gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” She ducked her head at my compliment, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “But now that I’ve gotten to know you a little, I have to confess something.”
“You can tell me anything.”
She probably thought they were just words, but I meant them as a vow. My fated mate never had to worry about me judging her.
“When I was on my hike on Saturday and found your cave…”
I could tell she struggled with getting out what she wanted to say, and I couldn’t bear to watch her struggle when there was something I could do about it. “You also found something else and took it with you.”
“Crap, you already knew? I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier,” she apologized, sincerity shining from her hazel orbs. “I was embarrassed because my professor had just told me that I was wrong about it being a lunar meteorite. And I—”
I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, stemming the flow of words. “You don’t ever need to feel uncomfortable talking about anything with me, Marielle.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.” She sniffed, her eyes shining with tears. “I feel awful. As though I stole from you, but I swear that I was going to call Leyton if the test my professor promised to run proves that I was right.”
The monetary value of the moon rock that I had owned for years meant nothing compared to the fact that it was what had brought Marielle into my life. But that didn’t mean I would give it up so easily. And definitely not to some asshole who tried to convince my smart-as-fuck mate that she was wrong about what it was. “Where is the Lunaite now?”
Her eyes widened. “You knew what it was all along? And the proper term for it?”
“Of course, I did. I’m the one who put it where you found it.”
“Well, crap,” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “So much for me thinking that I had made a grand discovery.”
“Sorry, baby. I’ve owned it for a long time.”
“Until I basically stole the darn thing and gave it to my professor for testing.”
Thinking about how I’d referred to her as my little thief in my head when I first found her, I smiled. “You’re welcome to anything I have since you’re my mate.”
Her professor was another story, and I would definitely be dealing with him at some point.
7
MARIELLE
“Mate?” My brows drew together. “You don’t have an accent, but are you Australian?”
He shook his head with a deep laugh. “No, but that would be a fuck of a lot easier to explain.”
I blinked up at him, biting my bottom lip. “I don’t understand.”
“Let me pull the pizza out, and then I’ll fill you in.”
The rumble of my stomach had more to do with nerves than the delicious smell coming from the brick oven as he took out the pizza and set it on the table. I’d been looking forward to devouring about half of the pie just a moment ago, but now I was too anxious to take even a small bite.
Spotting my trembling fingers, Artemis wrapped his hands around mine and tugged me over to a chair. After helping me settle, he yanked another seat closer and dropped onto it. His thick thighs bracketed my knees, and even though there was space between us, I felt surrounded by him. But in a good way.
“What did you need to tell me? Are you in the witness protection program or something like that?”
He chuckled again and squeezed his knees. “I’m glad you have a good imagination because you’re going to need it with what I’m going to share with you.”
I was acutely aware of the heat from his palm as he rested his hand on my leg, but it didn’t distract me from the conversation we were about to have. “I don’t think I can take any more buildup, so please just spit it out. Whatever it is that you need to say can’t be any worse than the scenarios running through my brain right now.”
He scrubbed his other hand down his face before he blurted, “When my kind uses the term mate, it’s different from what the Australians mean.”