a vivid flash from Zane’s memory that showed me kissing him with great enthusiasm on the bed. I could understand how he would have considered me a willing wife.
“Chloe …” Misty called me back to the present.
“Sorry, please, go on.”
“Male werewolves know when they’ve found their true mate. Normally, a female werewolf,” She explained. “I’ve seen just one human werewolf mating … it didn’t end well.”
“Why?” I was almost too scared to ask.
“She died in childbirth. Her body wasn’t equipped to handle the pregnancy. Some say it was because she’d never received the mark.”
“The mark?”
“Didn’t you wonder how Zane knew you were his mate? Why he rushed you off to get married?” Misty asked her voice softer.
I doubted she’d accept my true thoughts on the matter, but I shared them anyway. “I assumed he was being selfish and controlling.”
“You don’t remember what happened before your nuptials, do you?”
I closed my eyes and inhaled. “I’ve never been so intoxicated in my life. I don’t remember much.” That fact troubled me.
Something significant had happened before my interlude with Zane. I vaguely remembered a vampire at my table. Just thinking about him caused my heart rate to quicken. I’d kissed him. That I was sure of. I’d enjoyed it too.
“Let me fill you in then. You were wrapped up in the arms of a master vampire. Thankfully, he didn’t get a taste of your blood.”
A sense of foreboding slithered through me in response to her last words. I’d know if a vampire had pierced my flesh. Wouldn’t I?
“Are you okay?” Misty leaned forward, pushing her empty plate away.
“I feel like there’s a memory missing. Like it’s been erased.” I shivered in spite of the warmth.
She nodded. “Master vampires have the power to dazzle your mind. They confuse your thoughts, drug you in a sense. No wonder you were so sick. Drunk and dazzled — definitely not a good combination.”
Rather than reply, I considered my life four short days ago. I could never have predicted on Monday that by Thursday I’d be in Las Vegas, married to a werewolf, following a make-out-session with an ancient vampire, who may or may not have tasted my blood. I also realized that most of my rage toward Zane had vanished to be replaced instead by a mind-dulling numbness.
For the first time, my ability to communicate with animals seemed less important in the big scheme of things, but I knew otherwise. It was that so-called talent that had landed me in my existing predicament. Had I been a normal woman, none of this would have happened.
“Earth to Chloe …”
“Sorry. Again.” I forced myself to refocus. “Tell me how Zane knew I was the one.” This I had to know. We had experienced an abnormal attraction starting from the moment we’d met. I could attest to that.
“On his ankle, a symbol appeared. This symbol shows up within seventy-two hours of meeting a mate. By claiming you and marrying you in the traditional way, he has given you his name, and his protection.”
I leaned down and twisted my legs, looking for any anomaly. Nothing. There were no symbols on either of my ankles. “What about me? Shouldn’t I have a mark or something?”
“It’s different for females. Men don’t have a choice. You do. Should you determine in your heart that you want to be mated to Zane, and proclaim your love for him, you’ll receive the mark.”
I could tell she was leaving out something important. “And if I fail to reciprocate?”
“Zane will be alone for the remainder of his life. Werewolves can only have one mate. And once they’re marked, they are, as you humans say, ‘off the market’.”
This still didn’t explain Jazmine and Zane’s previous commitment though. “How then could Zane and Jazmine have been promised to each other as mates? He doesn’t even like her.” I remembered Zane’s explanation, but I was curious to see if Misty confirmed it.
“Should a male and female be pledged as mates, a ceremony can still take place. They forfeit the opportunity of finding their true, fated mates. This is how alliances are formed. Alliances often without love.
Parents may choose this path for their children in order to strengthen their pack. Finding your destined mate isn’t always easy. Some never do,” Misty sighed. “Had Zane already been mated to Jazmine, he wouldn’t have recognized you as his real mate.”
“Do you have a mate, Misty?”
Her expression revealed the answer before her words. “The one I wanted found his true mate. They’re very happy.” She