Change of Heart

that I was unfazed myself. I 95
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    wanted to lean into the caress, into the warmth of his hand, and tell him to do whatever he wanted to me.
    "You know that since you're a reah, there was never going to be 'normal' for you."
    My vision blurred as the wave of emotion rolled through me. The man was my mate; there could be no mistake. His scent, the sound of his voice, the heat in his eyes—it was all too much. I had always been told that when I met the semel destined to be my mate, I would know. I would feel it, the reaction visceral. Standing in front of Logan Church, feeling like a slave to the animal within me, my only thoughts primal and carnal, the overwhelming desire to beg him to mark me, take me, fuck me—I knew that I had found my mate. There was no lie in my throbbing, aching desire.
    "You knew the minute you saw me. Why fight it?"
    "You should go back to your party. You'll be missed."
    "Right now, Christophe's telling everyone that I'm claiming my mate. I won't be missed."
    "How can you? You don't even know me? You've got your whole life planned out, and—"
    "My life belongs to you, my reah."
    I swallowed hard, closing my eyes, struggling for control of a body that was slowly starting to burn. "You can't just change everything because of me."
    "I can and will. Kiss me."
    I bolted for the door instead.
    "No."
    Just the one word, a word no louder than any other, interrupted my flight. I froze where I was.
    96
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "I just found you. Why would I let you go?"
    Domin wanted me as a possession, Christophe as a companion, but Logan wanted me to be his mate. "Shit." I groaned under my breath.
    "I like you." He chuckled, pressing his hard chest against my back as he came up behind me, wrapping me in his arms.
    He buried his face in the side of my neck as he hugged me tightly but gently. "You're not at all what I expected."
    "Well, then, you should just mate your yareah and——"
    "Stop," he mumbled, cutting me off, nuzzling his face to my shoulder under the collar of my sweater. "We'll have no more talk of yareahs."
    "Don't." I tried to pull free.
    "Just gonna taste you.... Your skin smells so... good."
    I gasped as his teeth closed down on the spot where my neck joined my shoulder. My knees buckled, and I would have fallen without the arms wrapped around me, one across my chest, the other, my abdomen. It didn't hurt. His mouth was hot, the bite slow and sensual. It felt like heaven.
    "You're mine."
    It was terrifying, and yet I couldn't shake a feeling of rightness. "Lemme go," I said without any conviction whatsoever.
    There was snort of very deep, very masculine laughter.
    "Why would I do that?"
    I turned my head, trying to look over my shoulder to see his face, struggling in his arms. "You should let me go because you're about to be mated."
    97
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "Yes, I am. To you," he promised before licking a line up the side of my neck from my shoulder to behind my ear.
    "You're my reah, my mate, and I will teach you to love instead of fear your heritage."
    The certainty of his words nearly undid me.
    "You're mine." His voice sent heat all through my body.
    "Make no mistake."
    I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him that I wasn't his mate, but before I could get the words out, he whirled me around to face him.
    "I'm not your mate," I lied.
    His eyes were locked on mine. "You can feel the truth roaring through you just like I can. You belong to me, reah, and I will put my mark on you."
    He was right. I belonged to him. Everything about the man drowned me in a torrent of need. Never had I felt like this.
    "You can't mark me."
    He chuckled, and the deep, rumbling sound made my cock so hard it hurt. "The hell I can't. It's like you're calling me—
    your smell, your voice, your skin... you're mine."
    I kept my eyes on him, watching, staring up into his eyes as he ran the back of his fingers up and down my throat. It felt so good to be touched; I wondered what his hand would feel like stroking over my cock. The sound that tore out of me made him smile.
    "You say you should go, but you shiver when I touch you.
    Does that make sense?"
    Nothing made sense anymore.
    98
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "You know," he said, his eyes narrowing, "all my life I've known about reahs, but I never heard... no one ever said that they could be men. Where did you come from?"
    "You don't want me. I'll mess up everything for you."
    He grunted, smiled.