10. Kiera

TEN

KIERA

I sat up on my elbow, my gaze fixed on Neo. He was the perfect male specimen, and just like I'd thought, his mouth was a damn legend. There was something more to him, though. Not only was he an attentive lover, but he was also tender-hearted. It was evident in the way he looked back at me from the opposite side of his bed. As I studied his expression, I noticed a flicker of uncertainty pass through his eyes.

Was he regretting what we'd done? He'd said I was his, but had he meant it, or was that something he said to all the women he took to his bed?

My stomach hardened at the thought of him being with anyone else, and I couldn't figure out why I cared so much. After all, I was leaving tomorrow, wasn't I?

Pushing aside my insecurities, I sat up in bed. With my back straight, I met Neo's gaze. A flicker of uncertainty lingered in his eyes, but it only fueled my need to understand where we stood.

We were both adults; we could be candid about this.

"So," I began, my voice steady despite the chaos raging inside me. "What now?"

"You know what you are to me," he said, a sharpness in his tone. "The decision on where we go from here is entirely up to you."

I blinked, confused. "What I am to you?"

Neo's face fell, but he composed himself. He shifted on the bed, sitting up, and locked eyes with me. "You're my mate," he replied, and the weight of his words lingered in the air between us.

Mate .

My heart skipped a beat, the word hitting me like a bolt of lightning. A mixture of excitement, fear, and an undeniable sense of belonging powered through me while my mind reeled as I processed the implications of what it meant to be his mate.

You're mine, Kiera, his previous words floated through my head again.

"So, what you said—that I'm yours—wasn't something you say to all the women you sleep with?" It was a dumb question. I knew it the second the words fell from my lips, because there was so much more to those words, especially in that moment.

I'd felt it. It was why I had replied with always.

Neo's expression softened, and he reached out to cup my cheek in his hand. His touch sent tingles down my spine and electricity sparked beneath my skin. "No. I don't say those words lightly," he admitted, his voice filled with sincerity. "When I said you were mine, I meant it with every fiber of my being. You're not just another conquest to me, Kiera. You're different. You're my mate."

I leaned into his touch, the warmth of his palm against my cheek soothing my mind.

"I've always known it was a possibility that I could find my mate, but honestly, I never thought it would happen. My tribe doesn't mate for love; they mate for survival," he said, his thumb brushing against my cheek. "But now I can see how wrong they all were."

Raw emotion swirled through his eyes, and I leaned in, brushing my lips against his in a featherlight kiss. When I moved to pull back, his other hand lifted to cup my face, and he swept his thumbs along my jawline as he deepened the kiss. His tongue slid against the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, and I allowed it. Every stroke of his tongue against mine electrified my senses, igniting a fire within me.

I wanted him— again .

However, the shrill sound of a cell phone ringing in the main part of the camper sounded, vying for my attention, but Neo continued to kiss me like the world depended on it. I ran my fingers through his hair and tried my best to ignore his phone. It stopped ringing, only to start up again half a second later.

"Ignore it," Neo demanded, his mouth skimming along the side of my neck.

I fell back against the mattress, my heart thumping wildly. "I am," I breathed as he hovered above me.

His hand skimmed along my thigh at the same time a motorcycle engine began purring in the distance. Neo paused in his second exploration of my body and released a groan. The sound of the motorcycle grew closer until I could hear it pulling up outside the camper. My eyes flicked to the tiny window above the bed.

"Sounds like someone really wants to talk to you," I said, disappointment crashing through me.

Neo sat up and grabbed his boxer briefs off the floor. "It's going to be hard to ignore them now," he said, standing.

This man was mouthwatering, but I couldn't think of that now. If he was getting dressed, then so should I. The last thing I wanted was for any of those in his tribe to see me in my birthday suit. Before I could get my panties on, there was a knock at the front door.

"Yeah?" Neo shouted, pulling on his jeans. He buttoned them and then made his way to the door.

I pulled my panties on and then quickly gathered the rest of my clothes and stepped to the edge of the bed, where the folding door was just wide enough to hide me while I dressed. Nudity might be okay for shifters, but it wasn't something I was comfortable with, especially not when it involved strangers.

"Are you all right?" someone shouted back as I heard the front door open.

It sounded like Daxton, but I couldn't be sure.

"Fine, why?" Neo insisted, annoyance heavy in his tone.

"Because there are crazy tire tracks out front, a random car with its driver door wide open, and you didn't meet us at Last Drop," the guy I was almost certain was Daxton said. "Wait. Who's here?"

I stumbled from the bedroom and gave Daxton a small wave. "Hi."

His eyes widened, and then a smile broke out on his face. "Oh, I see."

"What?" Miranda asked from behind him.

Lorenzo stuck his head into the camper and inhaled. "Smells like sex in here." He arched his brow and shifted his gaze from me to Neo. "Nice."

Apparently, there had been more than one motorcycle. Now the whole tribe was here.

"She's the one, isn't she?" Daxton asked, and I swore there was hope swirling through his eyes.

Neo folded his arms across his chest, his gaze shifting to me. "Yeah, she's the one."

Every part of me warmed up.

"Holy shit, this calls for a celebration," Lorenzo shouted. "Our alpha is mated!"

Lorenzo's excitement was infectious, causing a wide smile to stretch across my face. While I knew how mates worked in the shifter world, I'd never imagined it would feel this good. It was almost as though I could feel everyone's excitement at the news flowing through my veins, warming me even more.

I was part of their world now, part of their tribe, but only if I accepted Neo as my mate. My gaze shifted to him, and I wondered how I could not. This man was everything I'd ever wanted—tall, toned, protective, and handsome. He had that dangerous, sexy vibe that was my weakness when it came to men, but there was a softer side to him that I enjoyed dredging out of him. He was the total package.

"Everyone to the picnic table," Lorenzo shouted. "I'm bringing the bar to us. We're about to get lit!"

Neo motioned for me to step outside first. When I did, Miranda looped her arm through mine.

"I'm glad it was you," she whispered, warming my heart. "I thought there was something between you two. I saw a spark when he woke up."

"There was," I admitted, stealing a glance back in Neo's direction again.

He stepped out of his camper, and Daxton was quick to pull him in for a hug. I couldn't hear what the two of them were saying to each other, but I hoped it was something good.

When Miranda and I reached the picnic table, Lorenzo was already exiting his camper with bottles of liquor and shot glasses in hand. A wide, goofy grin was plastered across his face as he made his way to us.

"All right," Lorenzo said, setting everything in his arms out onto the table. "We're all taking a shot. We're celebrating Neo and Kiera's mating, and Neo kicking whoever's ass he did back there. Have you seen the size of that puddle of blood over there?"

My stomach flipped. How could I have forgotten about Lucius so quickly?

"Actually, the smell of blood in the air was what had me panicking most when we first pulled up," Daxton admitted. "Then I think I got sidetracked by the whole finding your mate thing."

"Because it's huge news," Miranda chimed in, picking up one of the shots Lorenzo had poured. "I mean, I think I can count on one hand how many mated pairs I've seen in my entire life inside the tribe. It's rare for us."

"Leave it to this lucky S.O.B. to be one of them," Lorenzo said, slapping Neo on the back before passing him a shot.

"So, who was it?" Daxton asked, worry creasing the area between his brows. "Who did you fight?"

My chest tightened. Talking about Lucius would kill their celebratory mood. Heck, it might even make them rethink being so excited about me turning out to be Neo's mate.

"An asshole who was after Kiera," Neo insisted.

Everyone's eyes darted to me. I could feel all their questions directed at me forming in their heads. It caused me to squirm a little.

"His name is Lucius," I said, figuring that was a good place to start. "I was hired back home to bind his ability to control a shifter's mind so someone's loved one who was stuck under his thumb could get free. He didn't like that and came looking for me."

"Oh, shit," Lorenzo balked. "Sounds like a bad dude."

"He is," I agreed. "And because Neo intervened, that puts him and all of you on his shit list, too."

"Which we can handle," Neo insisted, his arms folding over his solid chest as murder reflected in his eyes. "He won't be a threat for long."

It wasn't a warning. It was a promise. I could feel the power behind his words rippling through the air, and all it took was one look at everyone else to know they felt it, too.

"What is he?" Daxton asked, his eyes on me. "If he can get into a shifter's mind and control it, what is he?"

"A python shifter," Neo answered before I could.

"His ability is still bound, but it'll wear off soon. He doesn't know that, though. He thinks it's permanent," I said.

"Sounds like fun." Lorenzo grinned before lifting his shot glass. "To Neo and Kiera, may their mate bond make us fucking stronger than ever before, and to us taking down a python in the near future."

We all lifted our shot glasses to his toast and then tipped them back. I should have asked, or paid attention to, what Lorenzo had poured into our glasses but hadn't.

"Holy balls, that's awful," I said, falling into a coughing fit. "What is that?"

"My homemade watermelon moonshine," he answered with a smile.

I wanted to wash my tongue and my throat.

"There's no watermelon flavor in there at all, sorry," Daxton insisted, making a face that looked like he thought it was the worst, too.

"Absolutely not," Miranda agreed. "That tasted like rotten fire."

I laughed at that one and then noticed Neo moving closer to me. He perched himself on the picnic table and set his empty shot glass beside him, his eyes on me. They were intense and calculating as he studied me.

"So, what now?" he asked, and it wasn't lost on me that he was throwing my previous words from earlier in the night back in my face.

I cracked a grin. "You know what you are to me," I said, holding his stare. "The decision on where we go from here is entirely up to you."

"Is it?" he asked, dipping his face to nip at my bottom lip. "Because if that were true, I'd haul you back to my camper and bury my face between those legs of yours again."

I laced my fingers through the hair at the back of his head, and brushed my lips against his mouth, teasing him like he had me. "And I would be willing."

A low purr sounded in my ears as his eyes flashed with his panther. "Then what are we still doing sitting here?" He took my hand in his and interlaced our fingers before standing and pulling me up from the picnic table, a dangerously seductive glint to his eyes. "Let's see how long it takes you to beg for more."

I knew it wouldn't take long. This man was skilled in the bedroom department. He'd have me panting his name in mere minutes while feeling like a goddess.

A crooked grin that was sexy as hell tugged at the corners of his mouth as we started walking toward the camper and butterflies rushed through my lower stomach.

Was this what my life here would look like—mind blowing sex, a protective man who cared deeply for me, friends, and a sense of belonging that rippled through me always?

A smile formed on my face, because I could see it being exactly like that every single day.

"What is it?" Neo asked, his voice low as he cocked his head to look at me while we walked. "What's making you smile like that?"

I glanced at him, my gaze locking with his. "I love this. Being here. This land, this small town, your tribe— you ."

His steps faltered, and he blinked. "You love me?"

"I love you," I said without hesitation, because it was the truth.

Even though we'd only met a short while ago, I loved this man with every fiber of my being. While his panther might have chosen me as his mate—and I knew enough about shifters to know that they only ever chose once—I chose him back.

Neo was mine.

He always had been, and I'd just been too blind to see the instantaneous attraction to him for what it was. I'd been too distracted with fears of Lucius finding me. Neo hadn't been afraid of Lucius, though. Even though I knew he would come after us again, fear didn't grip me because I knew Neo would protect me.

He would protect this tribe.

"I love you, too," he whispered, his hand cradling my face as he leaned down to kiss me. "You saved me.

His lips brushed mine in a featherlight kiss that I felt all the way to my toes.

"I didn't save you," I breathed, pulling away slightly. "I woke you."

"Same thing," he countered, his lips crushing mine again.

A loud whistle broke out behind us.

"Where are you two love birds going?" Lorenzo called. "We're about to pour another shot. This time, we're trying my peach moonshine."

"Which probably tastes like puke. Hard pass," Neo called to him before focusing his full attention on me again. Hunger flashed through his eyes, sending a quiver dancing through my lower stomach. "I have something much sweeter to taste."

Oh, this man. I'd known he would be trouble, but what I hadn't realized was that it would be the best kind imaginable.

I'd hit the fated mate jackpot.