Devin would know. He’d devoted many hours to helping rescued shifter children adjust to the world. He knew where they were coming from. His childhood internment in a shifter prison had all but shattered his mind, leaving him a breath away from being crazed. Only his love and responsibility to his twin, Mira, kept him together.
“Do you think Megan’s unstable?” Rafe asked the obvious question.
Devin grunted. “We won’t know until we interact with her. She’s very clingy, though, especially with Josh. Whenever he’s in the room, she keeps him in her line of sight.”
“Or she’s protective of him. Being a white lioness, she’ll likely be a dominant when she grows up.”
“Could be.”
“Are the humans good with her?”
“Yeah. She seems comfortable. Not exactly happy, but you can’t really blame her.”
No. Rafe couldn’t. He sighed. “Thanks for letting me know about the fire chief. Call if anything else happens.”
“Will do, but I shouldn’t expect a quick answer, right? You might be… occupied.”
Rafe grinned. “I hope I’m occupied. All night long.”
“I hear she might be the one.”
Rafe gripped his phone tighter. “The one, huh? Did Kade tell you that? Because I don’t know what the—”
“Relax. Kade told me about the woman and your interest in her. I put two and two together. If I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have snapped, but Kade was giving me a hard time about it. I’m a little defensive.”
“Finding your true mate is a blessing. If Jasmine is yours, you should be thanking the goddesses for bringing the two of you together.”
“Unless she can miraculously bridge me and my cats, it’s just lust.”
“Could be.”
Rafe licked his upper lip. He swore he could still taste her. “Once I have sex with her, I might lose interest.”
“True.”
“And even if I’m still drawn to her, there’s still the little issue of her being human.”
“Can’t argue that.”
Rafe paced from the lamppost to the edge of the building and back. “If she’s not my true mate and I try to mate her, my cats will reject her and she’ll die. That’s assuming she’ll even risk her life for me. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. Who wants to roll the dice with death just for a chance to be stuck with me for eternity?”
“Your true mate would.”
Rafe ran a hand through his hair. “I’d have to take her to the point of death. Hurt my true mate. What kind of male does that?”
“One who’s found the woman who can heal him. Give him peace. If Jasmine’s that female, you’d be a fool not to tie her to your soul.” Devin snorted. “I know I’d move heaven and hell if some woman could bring me even a little bit of comfort.”
Rafe squeezed the bridge of his nose. Guilt rushed over him. Devin had often talked about how he’d love to have a family, but he knew it wasn’t in the cards for him. He was too broken. Nobody would be able to fix him.
“She’d be a lucky woman, Devin. You’d treat her like a queen.”
“Yeah, well, I doubt there’s a female alive who’d want to share my broken soul or my crazed cats so I don’t think I’ll need to worry about pampering anyone. I’ll call if something comes up.”
The line went dead, and Rafe sighed. The men who’d ruined Devin’s life deserved to be punished. Too bad they’d died hundreds of years ago. There was nobody left to pay for what Devin had been forced to endure.
Rafe slid his phone into his pocket and made his way back to the bar. Each step he took eased the tension in his body and built his desire for the woman waiting for him. The only question remaining was whether it was her body that tamed him or her soul.
Chapter 12
Rafe reclined in his seat and watched Jasmine’s mouth move. They’d talked about bland topics at first, the kind meant to help them get to know each other, and ones he’d realized he had to answer carefully so as not to make her suspicious. When she’d asked what his first car had been, he’d answered truthfully—a Model T Ford. She’d frowned, and he’d had to quickly inform her that his family collected automobiles and the vehicle had been a gift.
The topic of classic cars had made her eyes light up. She’d gone on to tell him of her restoration business, which he’d already known about. He’d walked through her garage in the early hours of the morning, but he settled back and listened to her speak. Her husky voice captivated him. He found he didn’t want her to stop talking.
Jasmine laughed and brushed her fingers over his forearm. The desire that had simmered all evening flared to life.
“Are you even listening to me?”
He wrapped his hand around hers and rubbed his thumb over her wrist. Her pulse kicked up. “Absolutely. Your current project is a ’67 Camaro Z28 you’re refitting with a modified Corvette block. Customer lives in Delaware, a Steven…something with a B.” He shrugged. “Sorry. I can’t remember his last name.”
She leaned over the table and gave him a wonderful view of her cleavage. “You really were paying attention.”
Rafe stood and pulled Jasmine from her seat. She leaned into his embrace without prompting. With a hand on her lower back and another at the base of her neck, he bent close and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Of course I was. You’re an intriguing woman.”
“Thank you, but I didn’t mean to dominate the conversation.” She turned her head and her warm breath bathed his neck. “I want to learn more about you too.”
He tugged her flush against him. “You will. Very soon.”
She let out a shaky sigh and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s getting late. Maybe we should leave.”
“I like that idea. Let’s go.”
He led her through the bar and out the door. Jasmine walked with him, hand in hand, but he scented her
