“So he whipped you and your father instead.”

“Any member of a pride has the right to take a punishment for any other, but it has to be voluntary. Dad and I could take the lash; Connor never has. And I wasn’t wrong about Fergus wanting to punish me instead. Connor gave him the excuse.”

“This is one of those Shifter things I don’t understand, isn’t it?”

Liam let himself grin. “You’ll get used to it. You’ll get used to all things Shifter.”

“No, I won’t.” Kim pulled her knees to her chin, shaping her body into delectable curves and shadows. “We can’t date right now, Liam. Not until after the case is over and Brian is free. Then, I won’t lie, I wouldn’t mind getting to know you—much better. What we did today will have to be a one-off.”

Liam laced his fingers through hers. “We’re not dating, love. We’re bonded for life.”

Kim gently disengaged her fingers and scooted a few inches away. Liam let her go; this was new to her, and he had to ease her in a bit at a time. “That’s what it means for Shifters to be mated.”

“That’s not the human way,” she said. “I’d only be bound to you if I married you. Signed a piece of paper saying so.”

“Shifters aren’t allowed to get marriage licenses. Not under the current laws.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Fergus pronounced us mated, in the Shifter way, under the light of the sun. In a few days, my dad will pronounce it so under the light of the full moon. Then it’s you and me together forever. Because you’re human, I’ll seek a Fae to bond us as well, increasing your lifespan to match mine.” He grinned at her. “Think of how many cases you can defend that way.”

“The Fae can increase lifespan?” Kim’s eyes widened. “Why isn’t everyone out to find a Fae and stay youthful?”

“Because the Fae are bloody elusive to humans, and it only works if the human is bonded to a Shifter. That happens rarely, for obvious reasons, and only the Shifter can seek out the Fae. The Fae have certain obligations to Shifters, as much as they hate it, and this is one favor they grant us if we ask for it. Your natural lifespan will lengthen to match mine. When I grow old and die, so will you.”

“Great, what if you get hit by a bus?”

“I said natural lifespan. It would be like a human relationship but longer.”

Kim half smiled, shaking her head as though she thought he was talking nonsense. “That’s not how it works.”

She still didn’t understand. She would in time, though; Kim wasn’t stupid. And then—she’d kill him.

“It is working, love. Anyway, you’ve taken my seed. What will you say to the wee one that comes if you haven’t bound yourself to me? It’ll be embarrassed.”

“Wee one? Oh, you mean if I have a baby. Don’t worry about that. I take contraceptives.”

“Contraceptives?”

“You know, birth control. I don’t know if Shifters have that.”

“I know what it is, Kim.” Humans bred like rabbits, and they were always looking for ways to keep babies from coming. So few Shifter babies were conceived and so few survived that Shifters wouldn’t dream of preventing them. Shifter women knew how dangerous it was to give birth, and yet they sought it with everything they had.

“I was taking it because I was going out with Abel,” Kim said in reasonable tones. “It would look bad if he and I had a child together. No, let’s be honest—it would be a hell of a complication if we’d had a child together.”

“And if you had one with me?”

“You’re a Shifter.”

Liam lay back on his elbows, eyes narrowing. “This makes a difference?”

“Please don’t be offended. If I had a half-Shifter baby, that would be the end of my career. I researched this when I took up Brian’s case, because he was dating a human. There haven’t been many hybrids since you took the Collar, but the woman in question gets shunned by human society every time. In fact, my theory about Michelle’s death is that her ex-boyfriend killed her because she’d betrayed him with Brian, a Shifter. I imagine that made him crazy.” Kim sighed. “Proving it is a bitch, though.”

Liam heaved himself to his feet and stalked to the medicine cabinet over her pristine pedestal sink. He opened it and started pulling out bottles.

“What are you doing?” Kim asked.

“Looking for your birth control pills. I want to flush them.”

“I don’t take pills. I get injections from my doctor.”

“Then stop.”

“Excuse me?” Kim stood and planted her hands on her naked hips. “How is this your business?”

“Everything you do is my business.”

“Liam, if you want someone to breed little Shifters with you, you have plenty of Shifter women drooling over you. I saw the waitress at the bar—what’s her name?—Annie. She’d have gone to bed with you in a heartbeat.”

“And she has.”

“Oh.” Did Liam dare hope that was jealousy in her eyes? “Did you throw away her contraceptives?”

“She’s Lupine. I told you that the chances of conception in those cases are low, remember?”

“How lucky for you.”

“You say lucky like you’d never want a child.”