Totally Boxed

Chapter 4

4

Like a vampire bat?

Every instinct shouted to rip off my blindfold, go to her, and claim her as mine, but I couldn't. Removing the fabric would bring the lion guards in, and I didn't want them anywhere near our mate. I chided myself for not saying anything back to her. The only way I could claim her was to win her over.

"Hi." Damn, I was a f*****g i***t. She was my fated mate and all I could say to her was that? I took a step before I stopped my beast from getting closer. I didn't want to scare or intimidate her.

"Right, you can't see. Let me help you." At first I balked, but then I realized she'd have to touch me.

I heard a chair scoot, then she made a squeaking noise. Worried she was falling, I reached out to grab her, but felt nothing. The smacking sound told me I'd missed, and she'd fallen on the floor. Anger and frustration burned through me. I'd let my mate get hurt because of this damn blindfold, but I couldn't remove it. The unfairness of the situation burned through me. I'd find a way to make it up to her.

"Are you okay?" Sliding my feet forward, I let them drag across the floor so I wouldn't step on her.

A long groan was her response. I moved closer until my toe bumped something. "I'm okay." Her voice wasn't enough to reassure me. "I just wasn't paying enough attention and, and this room is too dark. I told Sharla it wasn't a good idea, but no. She insisted it would match the Halloween theme."

I squatted down, trying to reach out for her, needing to ensure she was okay. Pain exploded in my nose as something hard crashed into it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Her hands roamed over my face and nose, instantly making me forget about the pain. Her fingers ignited something deeper in me, leaving my inner beast demanding I claim her right here and now. I shoved him down and turned my attention back to my mate.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I had to know if she was injured.

"I may have broken your nose and you're still asking about me first?"

"Of course. You know what I am and how quickly we heal. It's you I'm more concerned about."

She was quiet for a moment. "I think I twisted my ankle. It's pretty sore and I can't put weight on it to get up. Can you help?"

I reached out for her arm, but my hand grasped something soft and warm. Gently, I tensed my fingers around it, and I heard her soft gasp. It filled my entire hand and then some. Realization crashed into me. s**t, I was holding her breast. I immediately let go, hoping she wouldn't shout for the lions to save her from my idiocy. She was my mate, and I'd fight anyone who tried to get between us. Mine.

"How about I grab your hands this time and we go from there?" Her soft voice didn't have an ounce of blame or anger.

"Sounds good to me." Her hands grabbed mine, then I slid them up to her arms. Standing with her, I supported her weight until it felt like she was at the right height. When she felt steady, I loosened my grip. When she hissed and started to drop, I swept her up into my arms. "How about we try this?"

I felt every muscle tense in her body as I held her close to my chest. "You're blindfolded, you can't see where anything is."

Then take it off. My beast begged, but I knew better than to say that out loud. It wasn't the only thing I wanted to take off either. My c**k was rock hard from having her this close. Her scent was even stronger, and I couldn't wait to taste her sweet nectar. Every atom in my body wanted me to tell her she was my mate, instead I said, "you can be my eyes while I'll be your feet."

After a bit of direction, she guided us over to a loveseat on the other side of the room. I didn't want to let go of her yet, so I sat on the couch with her still in my arms. My grip loosened until she could easily move away from me, but she didn't budge.

"Earlier, you said I knew what you were, but that's not exactly true. I know you're a shifter, but not what your animal form is." She settled into my lap with her head resting on my shoulder. My fingers played in her long silky smooth hair that went halfway down her back.

I paused before answering her. Never in my life had I felt bad about my other half. My beast was part of me as he'd always been, but she had the chance to pick anyone here. Even if they weren't her fated mate, she could still pick them. Fated mates had a special bond that gave the couple a level of intimacy other mates could never have. It also came with a much higher level of fertility. That was enough for most males to keep hunting for the one, but not all.

"I'm a flying fox." There, I'd said it. Wishing I could see her facial expression, anxiety drove me to insanity.

"A… what?"

"It's a type of bat."

"Oh, like a vampire bat?"

"What? No. We're fruit bats." I'd known bats weren't the most common shifter animal, but didn't realize humans didn't know that much about them.

"So you don't suck blood?"

"Nope. The only thing I suck is sweet nectar out of flowers." She made a strangled noise, then shifted in my lap. Her hip brushed against my rock hard c**k, and I barely held back the moan.

"So you're telling me I went on a blind date with a bat shifter, and it just so happens to be Halloween?"

"It appears so."

There was a long silence before she spoke again. "I uh, work as a late night radio DJ." From the way she blurted it out, I knew she'd had the same response I did. She wanted me, felt the draw of the mating bond calling to her. "What do you do for work?"

"I research and develop classified technology for the Army." Her scent lured me closer to her. Since she was no longer leaning against me, I inched closer. On instinct, I nuzzled her neck. I needed to mark her with my own scent so other males knew she was my mate. Her fingers trailed up my chest until they played in my beard. My lips left little butterfly kisses along her jaw. Just when I brushed her lips, the door opened.

My beast roared in anger. She hadn't claimed me yet, not in a way the lions would recognize. A deep rumble started in my chest. I couldn't lose her. Not after how Arric's death had almost destroyed me. Pain paralyzed me as images of his lifeless eyes flashed through my mind. I hadn't been able to save him.

"No!" I felt her spin in my lap until she was straddling my waist. My blindfold was ripped off before I could react to the lion entering the room. "I claim him as my mate!"