He shook his head sharply. “I can’t make you my bondmate until the next full moon and unless we both consent.”

Her heart pounded erratically as she tried to comprehend what he was telling her. “I don’t understand. You bit me, so . . .” So what the heck did it mean?

“There’s not a science to it, but since I bit you in that position while I was inside you, it does something to our bodies. At least temporarily. I . . . should have asked you first.”

Okay, so his strong scent wasn’t her imagination and it wasn’t just about sex. She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure how she felt and still a little unsure what he was telling her. “So, we’re mates?”

He nodded jerkily, the action so out of character that it stunned her.

“But we can walk away from each other anytime we want?” That thought depressed the hell out of her.

Another nod.

“So this doesn’t mean anything, then?” A dark weight settled on her chest, spreading out with burning tendrils to all her nerves. She wondered why he’d even told her.

“It means something.” The words were a guttural sound, more animal than human, and his eyes had turned to storm clouds, swirling gray energy.

It does? Some of those tendrils retracted, easing the ache inside her.

Before she could formulate anything that remotely approached coherent words, he continued. “I want to say I’m sorry. Hell, I know I should be, but I’m not. I don’t want anyone else to touch you or even think about touching you. I’m glad everyone can scent me on you, and if I could go back and ask you first, I don’t know that I would.”

She swallowed hard. He’d already told her that he loved her, something she was still having a hard time coming to terms with, especially after his lies. “When I was human, why did you lie to me about the bonding process? Why did you tell me there was a one percent chance I’d survive the transition from a shifter’s bite?” Technically it was true, but not if he’d taken her as his bondmate instead. There was a hundred percent crossover rate in those instances. Mother Nature was kind that way. But Jayce had withheld that information, letting her believe his lies. When she’d found out the truth, she’d been heartbroken. Hell, part of her still was. It didn’t matter that he’d told her he loved her—she still felt like she hadn’t been good enough for him then. But now that she was a shifter, he loved her? The knowledge was bittersweet.

Jayce was silent for so long she wondered if he was going to answer. Finally he crossed the rest of the short distance between them and placed both his palms on the door next to her head, caging her in. She didn’t mind. His warmth and strength had a soothing effect and she took comfort in it as she braced herself for his answer. He could shred her heart to ribbons in the next few seconds.

“I’ve made a lot of enemies over the past few centuries, Kat. Enemies who would love to see me suffer. It’s damn hard to kill me, but if I’d taken you as a bondmate everyone would have known what you meant to me. How important you were—are. By keeping you as a woman I was sleeping with, you weren’t a target.”

She snorted softly. “Except to the APL.”

“I wasn’t thinking about them at the time, just my supernatural enemies. No one who was non-human would have messed with you while you were simply a bed partner.”

The burning tendrils of pain that had been lapping across her chest completely retreated, to be replaced by a jolt of anger. “So you lied to protect me? You didn’t think I could handle making a decision about my life?”

Sighing, he pressed his forehead to hers. “This is why I didn’t tell you.”

“Because you know I’m right. You had no right to make a decision about our future like that. What was the point in staying with me if you never planned to turn me?” She couldn’t keep the building anger out of her voice.

He slightly grimaced. “I thought I’d eventually tire of you. I thought maybe if we slept together enough, I’d get you out of my system.”

She let out a growl and shoved at his chest.

Jayce was completely immovable, but he did lift his head. “Sorry. I’m being honest. No more lies between us.”

“So why’d you mark me now? Is it because I’m a shifter?”

He shook his head. “Are you listening to a word I’ve said? I marked you because I couldn’t not do it. My need for you grows every day and I wanted my scent on you for everyone to know you belong to me. My animal side doesn’t give a shit about my enemies—it only wants you. There’s a full moon in four days and I want to take you as my bondmate then. You’ll walk around with a permanent bull’s-eye on you once my enemies get wind of it, but it’s worth the constant worry. I love and need you more than anyone, Kat. I’m not walking away from you again. I fucking can’t do it.”

Kat sucked in a jagged breath that made her lungs burn. Holy shit. Jayce hadn’t lied to her because she hadn’t been good enough. However misguided, he’d lied to her out of a need to protect her. He’d given up a chance at his own happiness because he’d wanted to keep her safe. Hot tears stung her eyes and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Jayce, I—”

His muscular body pressed up against hers and he laid a finger over her lips. “Think long and hard about what you plan to say next. Once you cross that line, there’s no going back. I’m not walking away from you again. Ever.”

She swallowed hard again, understanding what he was saying. If she admitted that she loved him, told him how much she needed him, that was it for them. They’d be bonded and that would be that. She’d be saddled with all his baggage, which translated to countless enemies. Not that she was worried about that. The thought of not being able to spend her life with Jayce was worse than the possible threat of future problems. She opened her mouth again to tell him just that, but he shook his head before covering her mouth with his.

They had a few hours before they would set their plan in motion and she knew exactly how they were going to spend them when he practically ripped her jeans from her body and lifted her up against the front door. As she wrapped her legs around his waist and he entered her in one hard thrust, she couldn’t think of a better way to occupy her time.

* * *

Kat tried to casually adjust her cleavage against the corset-style top she wore. She’d opted for an intricate leather design because it was easier to secrete the listening device Ryan had picked out to weave into her clothing. The dark color and the cut of the top guaranteed that no one was going to be looking any lower than her breasts anyway.

Jayce might hate this plan, but at least he was nearby, ready to jump into the fray if necessary. She just hoped he didn’t act too soon. They needed to show the world what the APL was like, and if Jayce couldn’t keep his territorial urges under control, they were screwed. At least they had Parker and some of his Fed contacts that he’d decided to involve all pumped up and ready to bring down this APL group along with them. Involving Parker was the part of her plan that hadn’t gone over well at all. Even though Connor had listened to her, he’d been pretty unhappy. At least he hadn’t been as crazy as Jayce. She tried to understand where they were coming from. They’d lived the majority of their very long lives hiding their identities from humans. To be working with them now must feel incredibly foreign. Luckily it turned out that the Feds were just as concerned with the growing APL movement and wanted to bring these guys down just as badly as the Armstrong-Cordona pack did.

As part of the deal, Connor and Jayce had stipulated that they get their own recording devices, some leeway in their actions, and complete immunity from anything that might transpire short of Kat or Jayce actually killing someone—except in self-defense. The Feds had not been happy, but considering they had no inside men in the APL and they couldn’t have stopped Kat or the Armstrong pack from doing what they wanted to, they’d gone along with her Alpha’s stipulations.

So here she was, about to throw herself into a hornet’s nest—with a ton of very capable backup, to be sure, but she was still nervous. Internal pep talks could help only so much. Tango’s, the place Fletcher Monroe had told them about, was in full swing tonight. Not a biker bar like the one before, but a bowling alley/bar that had five-dollar pitchers and was open late on weekdays. Kat guessed the reason the cop had chosen this place had to do with the location, which was in the middle of town, and the late hours. The drunker people were, the easier it would be for Fletcher to subdue and kill them. And the location would freak people out once they learned the victims had all been chosen from Tango’s.

Unfortunately for the cop, but luckily for the victims, there would be no bloodshed here tonight. Not if things went the way they were supposed to.

She opened the tinted glass door, stepped inside, and inhaled the various scents. Stale cigarettes, beer, greasy food, some nasty chemicals, wax, and of course, body odor. After tonight she was going to take her time soaking in a tub.

Veering to the left, she didn’t bother with the bowling alley part of the establishment but headed straight for the door in the corner that was labeled BAR in bright red letters. Before she’d stepped inside she scented Fletcher already there. Good.

She spotted him at the bar sitting next to the same cop she’d seen at the station earlier. The two of them might be sitting side by side, but they were pretending they didn’t know each other. Scoping out the place.

Somehow she managed to avoid looking at the cop and giving herself away as she sidled up to Fletcher, scooting a seat closer to his. “Buy a shifter a drink?” she murmured, but loud enough for the cop to hear.

Not that she worried he wouldn’t recognize her. She just wanted it clear that she was hitting on Fletcher because of what he was.

Fletcher didn’t miss a beat. “Beer okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

The green-eyed beta motioned to the bartender for two more beers, then turned to her. “Why are you out without your pack members?” he asked, just like they’d rehearsed.