order?"
"No, Pandora. But so long as we are mates, what is mine is yours."
"You're being strangely accommodating for a selfish panther Romeo said held no interest in a mate."
Dante paused at that. It was true. He'd never wanted to be bound by anything, especially not a mate. Yet for some reason, he didn't mind Pandora in the least.
"The Fates didn't ask me who or what I wanted for my own." He held her marked palm up for both of them to see. "But they have chosen you as mine and I take care of what belongs to me."
"And if I don't want to belong to you?"
"I can't force you to mate with me, Pandora, you know that. You are free to leave my protection at any time and go wherever you want."
Pandora swallowed at the thought. Yes, she could. But where would she go? The journey to Atlanta had been scary and fraught with the fear of having a pack find her and abuse her or the humans learning that she was a Were-Panther and locking her up.
Many ordinary things had baffled her.
How to buy a bus ticket. How to order food. Those things were all different in her time period. Everything there was done with universal credits. There was no money in her world. No fuel-burning vehicles.
The transports in her century were more akin to monorails and you paid your way with your palm print. Everything at home was automated and clinical.
She didn't know how to survive in the current human world. Didn't know how to use her powers.
It was terrifying here.
Except for Dante. He offered her more than anyone ever had. Protection and education.
He was her safety.
And he was her designated mate. Mating with a male was a physical act. It was the bonding ceremony that was emotional. She could easily mate and then have his protection.
Her heart would still belong solely to herself.
But if she refused to mate with Dante, he would have no reason to protect or educate her. And why would he? Her refusal would leave him impotent. Something she was sure wouldn't endear her to him.
"You will give me total freedom without any limitations on it?" she asked.
"I know no other way."
In that moment, she realized that she could learn to love this panther standing in front of her. He didn't have to give her anything. He could theoretically take anything from her that he wanted. The other panthers did.
If a woman wasn't mated to one of the Katagaria pack, they kept her anyway and used her as a whore for all of them.
But Dante offered her the world and asked for nothing in return. Nothing except a few words that would unite their physical bodies.
"And our children?" she asked him.
"We have a large nursery for them in Minnesota."
She cocked her head. "You realize they'll most likely be human and not cubs."
He looked perplexed by that. "Then I'll read Mr. Spock."
Pandora laughed. "He's the character from Star Trek not the child expert. No wonder you're here."
He brushed the hair back from her face and gave her a sincere, heated look that melted her. "I will do whatever I have to to take care of them. I promise you. Human or cub, they will be protected as my offspring and they will have whatever they need to grow strong and healthy."
She pressed her marked palm against his. "Then I will mate with you, Dante Pontis."
Dante couldn't breathe as he stared down at her and those blessed words rang in his ears. He should be running for the door. But if he did that, he'd never have sex again.
Sex with only one woman. He was really paying the piper for all the years he'd been tormenting Romeo about being mated.
And yet he couldn't quite muster up true fear. Some hidden part of him liked the idea of Pandora being his.
Lacing his fingers with hers, he walked backward toward the bed, pulling her with him.
He used his powers to turn down the bed and strip their clothes from them before he lay on his back and pulled her over him.
The mating ritual was older than time. It was instinctive to their species and it would bind them for the rest of their lives. The
"No, Pandora. But so long as we are mates, what is mine is yours."
"You're being strangely accommodating for a selfish panther Romeo said held no interest in a mate."
Dante paused at that. It was true. He'd never wanted to be bound by anything, especially not a mate. Yet for some reason, he didn't mind Pandora in the least.
"The Fates didn't ask me who or what I wanted for my own." He held her marked palm up for both of them to see. "But they have chosen you as mine and I take care of what belongs to me."
"And if I don't want to belong to you?"
"I can't force you to mate with me, Pandora, you know that. You are free to leave my protection at any time and go wherever you want."
Pandora swallowed at the thought. Yes, she could. But where would she go? The journey to Atlanta had been scary and fraught with the fear of having a pack find her and abuse her or the humans learning that she was a Were-Panther and locking her up.
Many ordinary things had baffled her.
How to buy a bus ticket. How to order food. Those things were all different in her time period. Everything there was done with universal credits. There was no money in her world. No fuel-burning vehicles.
The transports in her century were more akin to monorails and you paid your way with your palm print. Everything at home was automated and clinical.
She didn't know how to survive in the current human world. Didn't know how to use her powers.
It was terrifying here.
Except for Dante. He offered her more than anyone ever had. Protection and education.
He was her safety.
And he was her designated mate. Mating with a male was a physical act. It was the bonding ceremony that was emotional. She could easily mate and then have his protection.
Her heart would still belong solely to herself.
But if she refused to mate with Dante, he would have no reason to protect or educate her. And why would he? Her refusal would leave him impotent. Something she was sure wouldn't endear her to him.
"You will give me total freedom without any limitations on it?" she asked.
"I know no other way."
In that moment, she realized that she could learn to love this panther standing in front of her. He didn't have to give her anything. He could theoretically take anything from her that he wanted. The other panthers did.
If a woman wasn't mated to one of the Katagaria pack, they kept her anyway and used her as a whore for all of them.
But Dante offered her the world and asked for nothing in return. Nothing except a few words that would unite their physical bodies.
"And our children?" she asked him.
"We have a large nursery for them in Minnesota."
She cocked her head. "You realize they'll most likely be human and not cubs."
He looked perplexed by that. "Then I'll read Mr. Spock."
Pandora laughed. "He's the character from Star Trek not the child expert. No wonder you're here."
He brushed the hair back from her face and gave her a sincere, heated look that melted her. "I will do whatever I have to to take care of them. I promise you. Human or cub, they will be protected as my offspring and they will have whatever they need to grow strong and healthy."
She pressed her marked palm against his. "Then I will mate with you, Dante Pontis."
Dante couldn't breathe as he stared down at her and those blessed words rang in his ears. He should be running for the door. But if he did that, he'd never have sex again.
Sex with only one woman. He was really paying the piper for all the years he'd been tormenting Romeo about being mated.
And yet he couldn't quite muster up true fear. Some hidden part of him liked the idea of Pandora being his.
Lacing his fingers with hers, he walked backward toward the bed, pulling her with him.
He used his powers to turn down the bed and strip their clothes from them before he lay on his back and pulled her over him.
The mating ritual was older than time. It was instinctive to their species and it would bind them for the rest of their lives. The
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