“True mate. Is this a dragon thing?”
There was a small part of Morgan that mourned the note of incredulity in her voice, but he clung to the fact that it was incredulity and not disbelief.
“It's a shifter thing. There are a lot of different tribes and clans, but this is one thing we all seem to have in common. Unlike humans, we have true mates, and when we find ours, that's it for us.”
There was a long pause. He could imagine Harper examining the idea as if it were a bolt of fabric, fingering the weave, trying to figure out if she was pleased or not.
“It sounds final,” she said.
Morgan didn't respond. It was.
“Morgan –“
“Are you telling me you didn't feel anything?” he burst out. “Are you telling me that when we kissed, when I made love to you, you didn't feel anything at all?”
The urgency in his voice made her eyes widen, and she stood up from the bed, picking up a robe hanging from the closet and tying it securely around her waist before turning back to him. She needed the armor, he realized with a pang.
“Look, neither of us are in any shape to discuss this right now. It's…been a big night for both of us, hasn't it? You got into an aerial brawl, and I learned about the existence of dragons. This true mate…stuff. It's just too much. Surely you see that?”
Morgan had been ready to argue further, but there was just a tiny bit of a plea in her voice, just the smallest waver of confusion and weariness. He couldn't deny her something that she asked in that voice, and he nodded reluctantly.
“Do you want me to leave?” he forced himself to ask. If she nodded, he would leave, and then he had no idea what he would do. Maybe go find that dragon that had decided to test him earlier and do some testing of his own. Maybe go find a bar and cry into his beer. He was still deciding.
To his surprise and immense relief, Harper bit her lip and then shook her head.
“No. Stay. I'd be pretty damn cold to kick you out at this point, wouldn't I?”
“No. If you wanted me to go, I would. No matter what.”
“And the true mate stuff?”
He gave her a stiff look, suddenly slightly envious of her robe. He felt more naked than he had a moment before, even after everything they had done together.
“I wouldn't love you very much or very well if I disregarded your wishes and imposed my own.”
Something, Morgan wasn't sure what, flickered across Harper's face, and then she nodded.
“Then stay,” she said huskily. “I'd like to sleep with you. That's all I know right now.”
She disappeared into the bathroom for a shower, and after his own, Morgan came back to find her arranging a few more pillows at the head of the bed and along the side.
“Sometimes it helps me sleep more comfortably if I can sort of wedge myself in,” she explained.
Morgan watched with interest as she laid down on her side, a small pillow cuddled to her chest, and he followed her into the bed, instinctively wrapping himself against her back. His arm fit in the dent of her waist as if they had been made for each other, and he breathed in the scent of her eucalyptus shampoo, clean and light.
In the dark, he listened dreamily as her breath grew longer and smoother. Her body relaxed against his, and some little while later, he knew that she was asleep, safe in his arms and as peaceful as the moon.
Softly and secretly, he kissed the top of her head, and he let the pleasure and wonder of discovering his true mate suffuse him from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.
Mine, he thought. And I am yours, if you want me. If you'll have me.
Chapter Nine
∞∞∞
Harper woke the next morning alone in her bed and with the strange feeling that that was simply not right.
I shouldn't be alone, she thought with some asperity. Morgan should be right here with me.
The feeling of unease and irritation was so surprising, so unlike her, that it made her jump a little, shaking her head at her own silliness.
All that talk about true mates, it's gotten into my head, I think. And honestly. It hasn't been that long since I've gotten laid. I shouldn't be this clingy, should I?
It was a slightly disturbing thought. She valued her independence, guarded it fiercely from people who might try to take it away from her. She was good alone, and skilled at navigating that way when so much of the world seemed designed for two.
Still, when she heard rustling from the kitchen, Harper allowed herself to feel the brief twinge of relief that Morgan hadn't disappeared in the night. She told herself that it was nice to have more than just a one-night stand, but even as she pulled on a large T-shirt and a pair of panties, she was reassured.
It occurred to her belatedly that perhaps she should have worn something a little more enticing when entertaining one of the most handsome men she had ever met, but when she got out to the kitchen, it wasn't as if Morgan was dressed any better than she was. He had put on his jeans again but nothing else. Harper allowed herself to admire the way the jeans rested low on his hips and the muscled curve of his back before clearing her throat.
“What're you up to so early?” she asked.
He glanced over his shoulder, a slight and almost shy smile on his face.
“Breakfast. You were good enough to get me dinner last night. It's nothing fancy, I'm afraid.”
Harper went to sit at the tiny table in the corner of the kitchen, watching as he cracked two eggs into
