“Tell me about it,” he retorted, rising to adjust himself before leading her upstairs.
Kirsty turned, obviously surprised when Leia didn’t follow. Kade saw the Shepherd sound asleep and smiled. “She looks right at home, leave her be. You can leave your door open if you want, and she can join you later if she’s of a mind to.”
“But I’ve never slept alone since I got her,” Kirsty whispered, wavering on the bottom stair, her bottom lip quivering just a little.
“You don’t need to ever sleep alone again.” Kade tilted his head to the side. “You’re more than welcome to sleep in my room. I promise I won’t try anything.”
Holding his hands up, he carried on quickly. “I mean it. You’ve gone through a hell of a lot today. You’ve been chased by rogues, you’ve killed two, got knocked out, been brought here, met me and my Pack. Jeez, that’s a tough day for anyone. I’m just saying that you don’t need to be alone tonight.”
Kirsty looked longingly at her pet then back up at Kade. “I’m not used to being on my own but I’m a big girl. I could manage it if I wanted to. But I guess I just don’t want to. No wandering hands though, or you’ll find out what it feels like to get on my wrong side. Trust me, that’s not somewhere you want to be.”
Kade backed up the stairs. “I would never do anything to upset you, Princess. You have no idea how much that would hurt me. I think you should talk to some of the Pack tomorrow, maybe some of the women who are mated, and find out a little more about how this works. I think you’ll be surprised when they fill you in on things. I’ve done a piss poor job of it if you’re under the impression I could do anything that could cause you any distress, hurt, or suffering. For now, we’ll get some rest and tomorrow is another day. Okay?”
“Fine,” she said, following him warily.
Kirsty was rudely awakened with a wet nose pressed against her cheek, quickly followed by a rough tongue licking her face. “Leia, stop,” she wailed as she pushed her dog out of the way.
Leia pounced up, her front paws on the bed and tail wagging furiously. “Give me a minute to wake up at least, girl.”
Kirsty wiped the sleep from her eyes, stretching and looking around. “Shoot,” she said, realizing she’d had a damn good sleep in Kade’s bed and hadn’t even felt him leave. She felt a pang of regret at missing the opportunity to see him possibly naked, maybe even wet from a shower. Dang, that would have been some sight, and she’d slept right through it.
A clock on the chest of drawers told her it was way past dawn so she hadn’t even been there to tell him to be careful. He was already well on his way to hunt down rogues, a dangerous mission, and she’d not been there to let him know how worried she was for him. Some way to start the whole “mate” thing.
She got up, patting Leia for a few moments before having a quick shower and brushing her teeth. Kade had given her a toothbrush last night and she’d scrubbed her teeth clean before they’d had a chaste goodnight kiss. He’d kept true to his word, not attempting any kind of “naughty business” other than holding her close as they spooned in his huge bed. His hard body, full of strength, taut muscles, and oozing pure power had given her the best night’s sleep she’d had since her parents had died.
From the moment she had set eyes on the stunning Alpha, she’d felt the tug toward him. Something deep inside urging her in his direction. It had confused her, even angered her, until he’d explained this mating malarkey. Then things fell into place and she couldn’t deny that the thought of having Kade as her “soul-mate” made her feel a happiness she thought she’d never have.
She knew she still had a lot to learn. Shit, she knew next to nothing about Shifters, but she was a quick study and the fact she felt safe for the first time in ages went a long way to easing her concerns. Now all she had to do was try to figure out what being Kade’s mate entailed. Kirsty thought she had a lot of questions to ask but wasn’t quite sure where to start.
Dressing in her one set of clean clothes, she followed Leia downstairs, finding an impatient Jimmy waiting. He shuffled from foot to foot, his face lighting up when Leia bounded down the last few steps, prancing around him.
“Leia!” he shouted, crouching down to grab her ruff, shaking her and shoving his face into her fur. “I missed ye, lass. Are ye hungry?”
Leia barked, tail swishing around furiously. “I think that’s a yes.” Kirsty laughed.
“Can I take her?” Jimmy asked, his eyes imploringly cute.
“Of course you can, just be careful and make sure she’s safe. Okay?”
“Aye, I’ll guard her wae my life,” Jimmy replied seriously.
“I don’t think that’s required but if there’s anything dangerous, you get back here and get an adult. I don’t want you hurt either.”
“Och, I’ll be fine. I know our land like the back oh ma hand.”
Leia bolted to the open door, stopping to wait on Jimmy, her body quivering with excitement.
“I think you’ve made a friend, Jimmy.”
“Aye, I have,” he replied proudly, running after the Shepherd.
“He loves animals.”
Kirsty spun around, the soft voice surprising her.
Skye stood at the kitchen door, wringing her hands nervously.
“Oh, hi, sorry, you startled me.”
Skye’s face flushed as she rushed to apologize. “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know you didn’t. I’m just not equipped with your super-duper Wolf hearing so I wasn’t aware there was anyone here.”
“I’ve made you some breakfast.” Skye still hadn’t made proper eye
