War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 41 - Animkii

Turning to face him, she cocked an eyebrow as they paused on the edge of the dance floor. "Really? You wouldn't have been able to hide your feelings for me?"

Leaning in, he held her hand in one of his and put his other on her lower back. "Believe it or not, your presence and your scent—even before you turned eighteen—affected me, and I was unable to hide it. Your father figured it out, and so did Mik. Both of them gave me a stern talk."

"What?" She stared at him as he straightened back up and began to sway to the music.

"That's why I told you I couldn't be near you." He leaned close again and whispered over the music into her ear. "I've waited a long time. And now, I'm staking my claim on you here and now."

She pulled away with a scowl. "And what about my mate?"

"What about him? He's not here. How long will you wait for him? How hard will you search for him?"

He stared intently into her eyes and she met his challenge with a raising of her chin. "I don't know. But it's too soon for me to give up on him."

"That may be true, but I've given him a chance and he's not here. Now, it's my chance. I won't give up on you easily."

"You just want me because we're second-chance mates."

"That's a lie and you know it. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we are second-chance mates and everything to do with the fact that I want you and I've wanted you for a long time."

He liked the feel of her, the sway of her body near his. He'd prefer to be closer, their bodies pressed against each other's but he didn't want to push her too far. She was upset about her true mate not being present, and he understood that. She needed time to come to terms with the fact that she had to wait another year for a chance to find him while Animkii was making his intentions known.

And he was going to pursue her. He wasn't going to back down.

He could feel her struggling with her emotions. She wanted to fight against him but didn't know how. This was a battle she wasn't trained in. As skilled as she was for her age as a warrior, she wasn't prepared for this kind of fight.

Heaving a sigh, he raised her arms and placed them around his neck. He put his own around her waist and closed the gap between them. "Relax," he whispered. "I love you, and I'm not going to do anything you're not comfortable with."

She crumpled a little. The fight leaving her as she eased herself into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. Her scent enveloped him, full of anxiety, but he still loved it.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted after a minute of silence, swaying back and forth gently to the music.

He nuzzled the side of her head with his nose. "I would love to be cliché and tell you to follow your heart, but I know it's not that easy for our kind. Falling in love with someone who isn't your soulmate is frowned upon. Discouraged. Because we know the damage it can cause to us and our future when we find our mates later."

"But not everyone finds their mates," Chloe murmured.

"Exactly. It's heartbreaking no matter what happens. But second-chance mates... They're different."

"I know."

The anxiety in her scent lifted a little as she swayed slowly in his arms to the dance. He inhaled her scent, taking in as much as he could greedily and praying to the Goddess that Chloe become his.

"Do you really love me?" she asked, her voice but a breathy whisper in his ear.

His heart constricted. It felt bittersweet to him because he knew the truth and he withheld it from her for so long.

"Yes," his voice cracked as he struggled to swallow, burdened with emotion that climbed up his throat to choke his airways. "So much."

Raising her head, she looked into his eyes, searching them for lies. A shine grew on the surface and gathered along the lids and corners, glistening in the dimmed ballroom lights.

Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, releasing a shaky breath. "I don't know how much longer I can keep holding myself back."

She shivered and it drew forth a rumble of need from his chest. She was so close. So close he could hear her heart thundering over the music.

With the percussion vibrating up his throat and out from his chest, her scent sweetened a little like a fragrant flower opening its petals wide to the sun, dripping with fresh nectar. A pure and naturally alluring aroma to any male, but especially to him. How he yearned to steal a taste of her...

"Chloe." Her name was heavy on his tongue as he reached up to cradle the corner of her jaw and brush his thumb over her cheek.

Her heart drummed faster along with his as a faint whimper of desire slip out from her. He met her whimper with a rumbled growl of his own as he dipped his head lower and captured her lips.

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Copyright Jo Lee Hunt ( Joflower ) 2020