Page 24 of Moon Claimed

“Yeah. Vampires rule Bluff City. Big war there for a long time. Apparently, it just came to an end.”

So casual. “Any other creatures I should know about?”

“Like, locally? Demons to the north, some say. There were rumours of a witch’s coven out south at one point.”

My ears rang. “What else exists?”

“I wouldn’t rule out anything in books. I mean, you’ve seen what the Luthers can do. Best to just throw the rules out the window. On to more interesting things.”

“I find this subject pretty interesting.”

“When were you going to tell me that Sascha Greyson was the one to leave the record player in your room?”

My ears buzzed. “He didn’t.”

“You’re a liar. And he did. Which is scary for a whole lot of reasons. Chiefly, that he snuck into the manor undetected. Wait, did he build the pillow wall between us?” he gasped. “Hedid.”

I stood. “Wade.”

“Scandal sandals. How long have you known and—”

“Wade,”I snapped.

The six-foot-five male squeaked and plonked in the chair.

I rounded the desk and perched there as I contemplated him.Mothershitter.Basilia Le Spyre just gave me a taste of what it would be like to unburden myself. Wade knew too much already, and I could lie. Icouldlie to him like everyone else.

I was so deathly sick of the lies.

Sick of falling for them. Sick of treating others that way.

Maybe this would help.

Wade’s face was serious. “As someone who told this very isolated and old-fashioned population that he was bisexual, you can be certain I’ll never,everjudge you.”

The last of my fear fled.

I pulled the other chair closer and grabbed his hands. “I’ve kept this a secret for so long. I didn’t know what was happening at first, and then I thought everyone would misunderstand.”

I closed my eyes. “Sascha Greyson believes I’m his mate.”

I stole a peek.

Wade’s jaw dropped, but my throat was uncorked. There was no stemming the verbal tide.

“He’s driven to complete a series of interactions with me that he callsmeets.The end result is that I either choose or don’t choose him as a mate. For breeding purposes. For all time.”

Wade blinked once.Twice.“What’s a mate?”

“A one and only kind of arrangement. Like JacobTwilightshit.”

“Right. That’s… permanent. Why the record player?”

I clenched my teeth. “He had to stalk me for the last meet. Learn everything about me. And then capture me.”

He dragged in a shaking breath. “Have you… Has anything happened between you?”

“Nothing much, and that was before I knew werewolves existed.” My cheeks burned and Wade searched my gaze.