“What?” She gave a nervous frown.
“Sometimes the tribes clash, and they fight over the territory or… whatever it is that the invading tribe wants.”
“Which, in this case, may or may not be me…” She pressed her lips together.
“You’re the only thing we have that they could want.” Vincent sighed.
“They don’t exactly seem like good people.” She hugged herself.
“Not the kind of people we would want to join us, that’s for sure.” Vincent cleared his throat.
“What?” Jillian sensed he was trying to work up the nerve to say something.
“Listen, I don’t make any assumptions about what happened between us.” He kept his eyes facing straight ahead.
“Vincent.” Jillian frowned as the cabin came into view, and Finn disappeared inside. “Please...”
“With rival clans rolling in, I think it would be a good idea for you to choose one of us as your mate.” As the words left Vincent’s lips, Conner came outside. His blue eyes lit up as he smiled, seeing them approach. “My tribe viewed women as sacred beings, and anyone who wants to join us will abide by the laws of my people. But not all tribes are going to share those beliefs.”
“I thought all of you believed in the same spirits. Shouldn’t you be following the same rules?” She stopped walking, not wanting to have this conversation in front of Conner and Finn.
“How has that worked out for humanity?” His eyes shifted from the cabin to her and then back again.
“You make a good point.” Jillian groaned.
When Conner’s eyes met with Jillian’s, the smile faded from his face like he knew she was upset.
She stood by her decision to try and have a baby with Vincent, but she had an attachment to Conner that meant too much to toss aside. Finn was probably locked in his room, either fuming or being quietly heartbroken. He was not as open to the lifestyle Vincent described as Conner was, and his reaction drove that fact home.
God, I’m a horrible person. She put her hand on her forehead.
Finn had asked her to be upfront with him if she decided one way or another, and she jumped onto Vincent without even talking to him.
Was there even any point in agonizing over any of this? Not unless Conner would be open to being her mate even though she was planning on trying for a baby with someone else. After playing out that conversation in her head, it made her stomach tie itself into knots to even think about bringing it up.
“I know you’re going to be an amazing father.” Jillian looked at Vincent, but her eyes were drawn back to Conner, who was leaning against the house, waiting for them to finish their conversation.
“You don’t have to let me down easy.” Vincent faced her.
“It’s not about letting anyone down easy. I get that relationships are a little different where shifters are concerned, and I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that I can love you all in different ways.”
“Then why is this such a hard decision.” He put his hands on his hips.
“Because I also feel like when I choose a mate, I should at least know what that means. If I’m allowed to have sex with other people and love other people, then what exactly makes being someone’s mate so special?”
“Because our kind mate for life.” He exhaled. “You can be a vessel to give someone children without any strings attached. You can love someone as a friend and also be attracted to them. Your body is yours to share with whomever you choose as long as the people involved know where they stand.”
“When you say mate for life…” She bit her thumbnail.
“A spiritual connection is formed. You can sense each other’s thoughts and emotions, and oftentimes, the bond runs so deep that if one dies, the other doesn’t last long without them.”
“Those are all pretty crucial details, don’t you think!” Her face reddened. “How did you not think that was pertinent information?”
“I planned to tell you.” He rubbed his face.
“When?” She threw her hands in the air. “When were you going to tell me? I’m supposed to give another person access to the inside of my head. Do you know how insane that sounds? Oh, and I also die if anything happens to them.”
“You seem like you’re already overwhelmed, and I wasn’t sure how long you needed to adjust to life here before learning every little detail about how we operate. For example, we age thirty percent slower than humans, so whomever you choose is more than likely going to be sacrificing thirty or forty years of their life.”
“Are you serious?” She put her hands on her heart. “The person I choose to love… I’m a walking death-sentence! What else were you waiting to tell me?”
“The people we just saw…” Vincent pointed back at the woods. “Treat their women like slaves. If we end up meeting with them, they are not going to care what you want or how you feel. If you’re unclaimed, they will view you as fair game.”
“Well, you’re not going to let them take me, are you?” Jillian shivered at the thought. “Just because I haven’t chosen a mate?”
“No, but it’s less likely to escalate if they know that someone has already spoken for you.” He took a breath to calm himself. “Don’t you think we should avoid a violent conflict if we can help it? We don’t know if they have weapons, what animals they shift into, or if the rest of their tribe is still on the way.”
“You mean there could be more of them?” Jillian’s chest tightened.
“It would be foolish to assume
