full lips. “Why would anyone ever want to leave here?” She glanced at her uncles, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “Sorry.” She smiled and amended, “Other than for visiting family members whom you love dearly, why would you ever leave?”
“Believe me,” Malik replied, his eyes filled with the loneliness that Gabe knew was reflected in his own. “After spending several decades here, you get wanderlust—a taste for adventure.” He gestured toward Gabe. “Gable and I don’t need money. None of us in the cascade need it. There is no use for it here. However, now that our people have begun venturing out among humans, we find that we all have use for it.”
“When Malik and I set out to make a fortune for those who cannot move about humans except under certain circumstances, we never expected to be lucky enough to find our mate.”
“The jury is still out on that matter.” Carmen gave them a sideways glance as they stepped off the platform and onto a patch of thick, green grass.
“Perhaps for you, little one,” Mitch said as he followed them up the path toward town. “But a male knows his mate almost as soon as they meet.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I don’t believe you’re siding with them!” Carmen waved her arm in a wide arc. “I thought women had a choice. Here you are, telling me that they’re my mates just because they say so.”
“No, little one,” Mitch said. He took her by the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “I’m telling you that you are their mate. It is still possible that they are not yours.”
“But... but...” What if I want to belong with them?
If she refused them, would she ever find a man or a pair of men who would want her—love her? Did these two men love her? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course they don’t love you. They just met you. Their bodies might burn for you and demand release, but there is no way that they can feel more for you than any man feels for a woman they just met.
“We hoped that you might have dinner with us. Allow us to show you the cascade and to tell you of ourselves before you make your decision.” Gabe touched her arm. “It is not our way to force a female’s compliance.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s most likely one of the reasons there were so few of us before the Russian government ordered our extermination.”
“Your government turned against you?”
“In a way. They ordered the destruction of the Caspian Tiger because humans had encroached on our habitat. Some of the humans were not model citizens and when our people retaliated for a few of them breaking our laws, the government stepped in and called for the eradication of our species.”
“It has happened before and it will, no doubt, happen again,” Malik added. “Humans are never happy with what they have. They always want more and they will do anything to get it. And they are almost always violent about it.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “For example, look at how many wars have been fought in the name of religion? For the Caspians, peace is its own religion.
“We do not usurp others’ power and we do not lie to further our cause. Except when we must leave our home and walk among humans.” He grinned and waved back the way they came. “Take Maxim, for instance. He would lie to walk among humans during Halloween so that he could have a chance of finding a mate. But he would never lie to a prospective mate, nor would he lie to an enemy so that it would be easier to bring them harm. It’s not honorable, and any religion that claims their deity would justify such dishonorable tactics is not worth following. How could you trust such a dishonorable deity to give you what he promises?”
“You feel strongly about that, don’t you?” She admired them for their candor and for the fact that they would stand by honor over deception. Didn’t every woman want her man, or men, to be honorable?
“It is so deeply ingrained in us
“Believe me,” Malik replied, his eyes filled with the loneliness that Gabe knew was reflected in his own. “After spending several decades here, you get wanderlust—a taste for adventure.” He gestured toward Gabe. “Gable and I don’t need money. None of us in the cascade need it. There is no use for it here. However, now that our people have begun venturing out among humans, we find that we all have use for it.”
“When Malik and I set out to make a fortune for those who cannot move about humans except under certain circumstances, we never expected to be lucky enough to find our mate.”
“The jury is still out on that matter.” Carmen gave them a sideways glance as they stepped off the platform and onto a patch of thick, green grass.
“Perhaps for you, little one,” Mitch said as he followed them up the path toward town. “But a male knows his mate almost as soon as they meet.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I don’t believe you’re siding with them!” Carmen waved her arm in a wide arc. “I thought women had a choice. Here you are, telling me that they’re my mates just because they say so.”
“No, little one,” Mitch said. He took her by the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “I’m telling you that you are their mate. It is still possible that they are not yours.”
“But... but...” What if I want to belong with them?
If she refused them, would she ever find a man or a pair of men who would want her—love her? Did these two men love her? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course they don’t love you. They just met you. Their bodies might burn for you and demand release, but there is no way that they can feel more for you than any man feels for a woman they just met.
“We hoped that you might have dinner with us. Allow us to show you the cascade and to tell you of ourselves before you make your decision.” Gabe touched her arm. “It is not our way to force a female’s compliance.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s most likely one of the reasons there were so few of us before the Russian government ordered our extermination.”
“Your government turned against you?”
“In a way. They ordered the destruction of the Caspian Tiger because humans had encroached on our habitat. Some of the humans were not model citizens and when our people retaliated for a few of them breaking our laws, the government stepped in and called for the eradication of our species.”
“It has happened before and it will, no doubt, happen again,” Malik added. “Humans are never happy with what they have. They always want more and they will do anything to get it. And they are almost always violent about it.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “For example, look at how many wars have been fought in the name of religion? For the Caspians, peace is its own religion.
“We do not usurp others’ power and we do not lie to further our cause. Except when we must leave our home and walk among humans.” He grinned and waved back the way they came. “Take Maxim, for instance. He would lie to walk among humans during Halloween so that he could have a chance of finding a mate. But he would never lie to a prospective mate, nor would he lie to an enemy so that it would be easier to bring them harm. It’s not honorable, and any religion that claims their deity would justify such dishonorable tactics is not worth following. How could you trust such a dishonorable deity to give you what he promises?”
“You feel strongly about that, don’t you?” She admired them for their candor and for the fact that they would stand by honor over deception. Didn’t every woman want her man, or men, to be honorable?
“It is so deeply ingrained in us
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