And strong enough. Iona was no weak human. She was a beautiful Shifter woman, and she was winding up Eric’s frenzy at the same time as she was relieving it.

Eric wanted her now, and he wanted her always. It would never be enough.

His body burned, the hottest part where he pushed inside her. Iona rocked down, down, and Eric pressed up. He was shuddering now, sweat coating his body, his hands locked around Iona’s wrists.

His c**k reached higher into her, as high as it could, trapped by her wet, slick, tight sheath. He moved in slow, gentle thrusts, liking the way her face softened. Then he moved faster, his c**k so hard it hurt. The wiry curls around her opening tickled, sweet contrast to the need to pump and pump and never stop.

Eric arched back, his naked body slick against the sofa. She made soft, female noises, mixed with wildcat growls, as she rode him, her br**sts swinging, her hair snaking down to tangle around her ni**les.

A shout tore from his lips as Eric’s seed shot into her, her cry echoing his. He closed hands around her hips, holding them together, his instinctive need to fill his mate making him thrust and thrust again.

Iona cried his name, her voice ringing through the night, laughing with tears running down her face.

Warm tendrils wound through Eric’s heart, trapping him with unbearable strength. Tears wet his own eyes as he held her, their intense frenzy spiraling down to easy little thrusts.

Eric knew he was bonded to her in more ways than one, body and soul, and there was nothing he could do about it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Damn, I’m still hungry.”

Eric wanted to laugh as he stroked Iona’s hair. They’d fallen together onto the sofa’s seat—nearly onto the floor before Eric had stopped their wild roll. Eric lay on his back now on the leather, Iona stretched on top of him.

There was nowhere in the world Eric wanted to be but right here, with her.

“Still as bad?” Eric asked.

“No.” Iona drew a long breath. “Eric, I’ve been eating so much food. How can I do that without getting sick? I’m not a teenager anymore. I won’t burn it off.”

She looked annoyed with herself. Eric cuddled her closer and kissed the bridge of her nose. “Shifter metabolism is much faster than a human’s. You can take it.”

“But why? I didn’t even want this much food when I did the Transition thing.”

“Mating instinct,” Eric said lazily. “Hunger so you’ll eat for strength, mating frenzy so you’ll drag down a male and have him land a cub on you.”

“That sounds so…”

“Animal-like? Would be, wouldn’t it?” Eric slid his hands along her warm sides, her skin silk under his fingertips. “The Fae weren’t wrong when they called us little better than animals.” He smiled a little. “Fucking Fae bastards.”

Iona moved against him, restless. “I still want to run around too.”

“Mmm, I must be getting old. I want nothing more than to lie here, with you, the sexiest woman in the world, on top of me.”

Iona smiled. “I’m not sexy.”

“Sexy, hot, erotic, cute, beautiful as hell, and I want to make love to you all day and all night.”

“I see.” She sounded pleased. “We wouldn’t get much else done.”

“Who gives a flying f**k? What’s more important?”

Iona rested her crossed arms on Eric’s chest, her chin on her forearms, which put her a breath from his face. He liked her there. “Running Shiftertown?” she suggested.

“Let Cassidy do it. And Jace. I’m busy.”

“And Graham will keep fussing about the houses.”

“He can kiss my ass.” Eric growled. “I’m with my mate.”

“And those poor Shifters who were abducted.”

Eric’s humor evaporated. “Yeah, we’ll have to deal with that.”

Iona pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat, a feather touch. “Kellerman was lying when he said he didn’t know anything about it.”

“I know. I’ll get the truth out of him.”

“At least the cubs are all right,” Iona said. “Aren’t they?”

“They are. Thank the Goddess.”

Iona touched his Collar. “I’ll have to wear one of these eventually, won’t I?”

Eric gently lifted her hand from his Collar, then he brushed his fingertips across her bare neck. “Maybe not.”

“You’ll have me keep passing as human? The other Shifters know now, and you said they might say something…”

Eric stilled her words. “A different solution. Collars that look like Collars but aren’t.”

“Fake Collars? How can that work? Won’t that be obvious?”

“I don’t know how they work, but they do. Some of the Shifters already have them, but that’s not common knowledge. The Shifters in Austin, the Morrisseys, they’ve figured out how to make these Collars, and they’ve offered to share.”

Iona frowned. “Let me see if I understand. You’ll have me wear a Collar that doesn’t work, and you’ll have the databases or whatever changed to make it look like I’ve lived in your Shiftertown all my life.”

“That’s it.”

“Won’t my friends and family notice? And the people I’ve worked with for years?”

“I guess you’ll have to learn who you can trust. The records will show the humans that you’ve always been Shifter, no matter what anyone says.”

“No blowback on my sister or mother?”

Eric covered her hands with his. “I’ll do my damnedest to prevent that. You have my word.”

“It’s my whole life, Eric.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He looked into her eyes, which were blue and anguished. “Spend that life with me.”

“Do I have a choice?”

Eric swallowed, his throat tight. “You do. You don’t have to pick me. You don’t have to pick anyone. Live in Shiftertown, and I’ll keep you safe, like I do the rest of my Shifters. It’ll be tough for me to keep all those males off you, but I’ll do it. You’ll be under my protection. It’s your choice, Iona.”

She watched him with a stunned look. She’d expected him, he knew, to throw her over his shoulder and drag her home, to sex her until she admitted she was his true mate.