Mating Dance by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online

end. We’d put in too many years fighting human wars in faraway
lands. Plus, we had about reached our limit for fooling folks. See,
shifters don’t age the same way you humans do. We live a lot
longer.”
    “How much longer?” she asked quickly. “What
about Nell and Brody? Is he going to stay young while she
ages?”
    The stricken look on her face made him
answer quickly. “No, honey. Don’t worry about your sister. She is
Brody’s true mate. The magic that makes us able to shift will also
make it so that they grow old together—and Brody’s rate of aging.
So your sister has a very long, happy life ahead of her.” She still
seemed skeptical. “As for how long that could be, well, Brody’s
about my age now, so maybe another century or two. That’s about all
we’ll get. We’re not immortal, like the fey or the
bloodletters.”
    “Fey?” she repeated, looking stunned.
“Bloodletters?”
    “Fey are about what you’d expect. Beings
from another realm where magic is a way of life, not just an
exception to the rule, like it is here. And bloodletters are what
vampires like to be called. They usually don’t like the word
undead, so I’d avoid that if you ever run into one.”
    “Vampires are real?” Ashley looked shocked.
Adorably so. Then she shook her head. “What am I saying? I’m
talking to a guy who can turn into a bear, for crying out
loud.”
     

Chapter Seven

    Tom thought, all in all, Ashley was taking
everything rather well, but he definitely didn’t want to overwhelm
her with new information about the world she was just coming to
understand. There would be time for her to come to terms with it
all. At least he hoped she would stay with him long enough for her
to get comfortable with the truth about this brave new world she
had stumbled into.
    Deciding a change of topic was in order, he
led the way back into the house. The grill was warming up. It was
time to bring out the meat.
    Ashley helped him retrieve the platters he’d
stashed in the fridge the night before. He had marinated some
steaks overnight, as well as a platter of chicken.
    “I wasn’t sure what you liked best, so I
figured I couldn’t go wrong with a little variety,” he
explained.
    “This is great. It all looks delicious.” She
helped him carry things back outside, and they worked together as
if they’d done so a million times before.
    Ashley was comfortable to be with, yet her
mere presence stimulated his senses in ways that made him think of
long-term togetherness and commitment. He’d never thought of such
things before with any other female, which argued for the fact that
she might just be his mate.
    He figured he’d know for sure after they
made love. If his bear was still on board the Ashley forever train
after that, then there was no doubt about it. They were meant to
be.
    There was a large round wooden table at the
center of the patio, with a few cushioned chairs around it. Ashley
set the table and arranged the condiments they’d brought out. She
also poured the wine and brought him a glass as he stood over the
grill.
    “To a lovely evening,” she said, raising her
glass to chime with his.
    “To a lovely companion,” he echoed, holding
her gaze as they sipped the wine. He’d pulled out one of the
special bottles for this evening.
    Ashley’s eyes widened when she tasted the
vintage. “Oh,” she exclaimed softly. “This is delicious.”
    “Remember those vampires I was telling you
about?” Tom put his glass down so he could attend to the chicken,
flipping it expertly with his tongs. “The only thing they can
actually ingest is wine. It has healing properties for them, so
they say. As a result, some of the best vintners in the world have
been perfecting their craft for a few centuries, if you know what I
mean.” He gave her an exaggerated wink that made her smile.
    He flicked on a small radio, and soft music
spilled out. Setting her wine glass down, he took her into his arms
and began dancing around the