“I do want one.” Kim threw him an exasperated look. “I like kids. But not right now.”

“And not with a Shifter.”

“If I decided to pick a Shifter, it would be you.” Kim smiled her beautiful smile. “Maybe later, when I have a solid career, and if you’re still available…”

Liam moved across the floor and had her in his arms before she could turn away. “Understand me, Kim. We are mated. That means I go to no other female unless I lose you to death, and even then it will feel like betrayal. I protect you, I take care of you, I bind myself to you, and you alone.”

Her face lost color. “That’s your custom?”

“It’s not custom. It’s Shifter law. It’s magic that runs deep inside us. This mating brings you into my pride. Even Fergus can’t touch you without going through me. That was the point of me claiming you.”

Kim squirmed away, and Liam let her go.

“It was necessary,” he explained. “If I hadn’t made the Challenge, Fergus would have taken you as mate whether you liked it or not.”

“How could he?” Kim asked. “I’m not bound by Shifter law.”

“He could because we’re animals. We look like humans and you

put Collars on us, but we’re born animals and only learn to become human later. The leader of the clan can claim whatever unmated female he wants, and we have to step back and let him unless we want to Challenge. It’s his right. But Fergus is hellaciously strong, and most in the clan don’t want to fight him, so he takes the mates he wants.”

“But I’m not Shifter…”

“Do you think Fergus gives a damn about that? He wants to control you, needs to control what you tell the humans about us.”

“Wait a minute.” A look of horror moved over Kim’s face. “Are you telling me that if I hadn’t agreed to do this mating thing with you, Fergus might have taken me off and raped me?”

“Very likely.”

“But he’d go down for that. A human court would crucify him.”

“Would they? Or would they say it was your own fault for hanging out with Shifters? You just said that having a child with me would ruin your career, that you think Michelle died for associating with a Shifter. Shifterwhore is the term.”

Her face went white, and she sat down hard on the edge of the tub. “Shit.”

Liam came to her, crouched in front of her. “Don’t be afraid, love. I’ll never let Fergus hurt you. Ever. The mate claim overrides clan hierarchy. He can beat up on me, but never you. Even if he kills me, you’ll still be protected by my family, my pride.”

“But why would Fergus still want to kill you?” Kim asked in confusion. “He seemed to back off all of a sudden, like he didn’t care about the mate thing anymore.”

“Because he knew he’d won. He got me to promise to control you, for the good of all Shifters. If he’d pursued it further, for nothing but self-satisfaction, the clan wouldn’t have approved, and even though he’s leader, he can’t afford to lose the clan’s respect. Besides, Dad was there. Fergus has never been one hundred percent certain he’s dominant to Dad, and he didn’t want to put that to the test, especially not in front of the whole clan.”

“So why doesn’t your dad fight him, then? It’s obvious none of you like him.”

“To tell you the truth, love, I’m not sure,” Liam said, troubled. “Dad won’t talk about it. Maybe he knows he isn’t dominant to Fergus, and if Dad were killed, he couldn’t protect the rest of us from him. But I don’t know. He’s never said and gets pissed off when anyone brings it up.”

Kim frowned, rubbing her arms. “But when Fergus came at me with the whip and you almost attacked him, Dylan stopped you, said it wasn’t your ‘right.’ What did he mean? I thought you were supposed to fight.”

Liam remembered the surge of adrenaline rising white hot, searing him like a brand on flesh, when he’d seen Fergus focus on Kim. Only Dylan’s harsh voice had stopped him from making a fatal move, or this day would have ended differently.

“Because at that moment, I wanted to kill him. The Fae-cat in me wanted to go after Fergus in a clan dominance fight, to take him down for good. The mate Challenge isn’t to the death—at least, not anymore—but fighting for clan leadership usually is, unless the clan leader surrenders before the fight. Dad stopped me from making it a clan dominance issue, thank the Goddess.”

“Why? It seems like you could have saved him a step.” She let out her breath. “Not that I want to see you in a fight to the death. I’m happy he stopped you too.”

“Shifter politics.” Liam tried to sound offhand, but something subtle had changed during the moot today, and he wasn’t yet certain what. “Only Dad, as pride leader, has the right to fight for clan dominance. If I want to take out Fergus, I first have to take out Dad, and I won’t be doing that anytime soon.”

Kim gave him a faint smile. “Because you know he could kick your ass?”

Liam laughed. “No, because he’s my dad, and I love him.” Another laugh. “And yeah, he could probably kick my ass.”

Kim hugged her chest. “I thought I researched Shifter law down to the last degree. I don’t remember any of this.”

“Because it’s not written law. It’s passed down through the generations, and it’s based on instinct and what you call custom.” Liam laid his hands on her shoulders. “It’s complicated even for us. I’m going to protect you, Kim. Believe that.”