Unleashed by the Defender (Brides of the Kindred #25) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,35

head. “It’s kind of complicated. You—or rather, your feral side—thought I had come to Claim you. And I kind of went along with it to get you to calm down.”

He frowned.

“So you only told me you had come to Claim me to make me calm during the court appearance?”

“I’m sorry,” Imani said. “I guess I still don’t fully understand the, er, implications of ‘Claiming’ someone. I haven’t been working for the Kindred for very long,” she added, apologetically.

“It’s all right.” J’are shook his head. “I should have known it was too good to be true when I woke up with you in my arms. So beautiful and curvy.” His eyes roved over her body and Imani was suddenly acutely conscious that she was still only wearing the thin white nightgown that showed the points of her nipples clearly. “I should have known a goddess like you wasn’t for the likes of me,” he murmured.

“J’are, I…I don’t know what to say.” Imani’s heart was thumping. “I’m so sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“It’s my fault—it’s the feral side of me that’s to blame.” He shrugged. “When you washed me, I must have thought we were doing the bathing part of the Claiming period.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, I seem to have memories of Scenting and Holding too. Or is that another dream?”

“No, uh…that really happened.” Imani was feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable again. “Tell me about this ‘Claiming period,’” she said, hoping he wouldn’t remember everything they’d done the night before. “You talked about it last night but I found it kind of confusing.”

J’are frowned. “I thought you said you worked with the Kindred.”

“I do but I’ve been with them less than a month,” Imani said. “So I’m still learning—especially about your kind of Kindred—about the Nightwalkers.”

“There aren’t many of us,” J’are said grimly. “And we Claim differently from other kinds of Kindred. With us, the female Claims the male instead of the other way around.”

“Doesn’t the male have any choice in the matter?” Imani asked curiously.

He shook his head.

“Not a conscious choice, since the Claiming is done at night when the male’s feral side is dominant. But there’s always an attraction—a kind of magnetism between two who are right for each other. A feral male Nightwalker won’t come to the call of his name if the female who is calling him isn’t one he wants to belong to.”

“Oh,” Imani said softly. She couldn’t help remembering how J’are had calmed down almost at once when she had called his name and told him she was Claiming him. As for the attraction, well, that was there as well, she had to admit. At least, she certainly felt attracted to the big Kindred and from the way he was looking at her, the feeling was mutual.

But of course, she had to ignore the sexual sizzle between them because he was her client, she reminded herself firmly.

J’are cleared his throat.

“So the Claiming itself is different, but I believe we do the Claiming period itself about like the other Kindred.”

“Claiming period?” Imani frowned.

“Oh, you don’t know that either? They really should have briefed you better,” he remarked. “Essentially, once the male has been Claimed, he has the right to do certain things at certain times with his female. With the other branches of the Kindred, they do a Holding week, where the warrior can hold his bride, a Bathing week, where he gets to bathe her…” He gave Imani a significant look. “Or where she bathes him, in some cases.”

“Cases like when he’s covered in black paint?” she asked, smiling a little.

“Exactly.” J’are grinned. “Anyway, after that is the Tasting week, where the warrior is allowed to taste his bride.”

Imani felt the smile fall off her face as her breath caught in her throat.

“Taste her…”

“Between her legs. Lap her soft little pussy.” J’are’s voice had dropped to a soft growl. “Though of course, we Nightwalker Kindred do the Scenting time before the Tasting.”

“Ah yes, scenting.” Imani swore her face was so hot her hair was about to catch on fire. She couldn’t forget the way he’d marked her the night before with his own scent, rubbing the long, thick length of his shaft against her open pussy until she came…came so hard…

“Speaking of Scenting…” J’are leaned over and inhaled deeply. “It seems that I scent marked you last night, Councilor. I can smell myself all over you and damn does it smell good.” His eyes were half-lidded and his voice had