fine and hasn’t asked for me yet. He also shares that should she get anxious, he’s fairly sure he can buy us time by busting out ice cream because she’s been telling Liam about all her favorite flavors.
Then Finn gives Lucan what he wants—or needs, it seems—to hear. “Thank you,” Lucan growls into the phone. And without a goodbye, he peels the device away from his ear, thumb-stomping the screen to cut the call before he crams the phone back into his pocket. “Susan,” he says, his gaze making it to my eyes for a millisecond before being forced down to maybe the level of my nose due to his extreme nerves. “You’re my ahhnehm kahrrreh,” he declares, the last part of his announcement purred in pure Irish.
My knees go weak. “I don’t know what that is, but please say it again.”
Lucan’s lips tug up in a shy smirk. But he indulges me. “My ahhnehm kahrrreh. You are my soulmate. My other half. My ideal mate for life.” His eyes lock on mine. “I know they say humans don’t sense mates the same way as werewolves, but I know I’m yours. And that means you’re mine. You’re my soulmate, Susan.”
I squeeze my hands together and outwardly keep calm—despite his words setting off a warm pulse in my lower belly. “How do you know? How do you know for sure?”
His eyes flick down to my clenched hands. “Because werewolves don’t make mistakes when it comes to mates. At first, I thought I was crazy, because I thought you and Finn belonged together, which meant you couldn’t be for me and I would never be for you. I thought I was seeking you out because you were the closest thing I had to an alpha—but that wasn’t it. It was just you.” His thumb runs along his lower lip. It’s a mysteriously masculine maneuver, for some reason. His nostrils flare, and he drops his hand, his jaw clenching before he admits in a voice like gravel, “I’ve just wanted you.”
I smile at him goofily as my heart starts to sing. “I want you too, Lucan.” Then I frown. “About Finn. Why has he spent all this time trying to—to woo me? He’s known me for a while. He couldn’t tell we aren’t meant for each other?”
Lucan tips his head, his strong neck muscles tightening briefly with the movement, distracting me. “Shifters are different than werewolves. He may not be able to sense his anamchara.” His gaze flicks to mine before it jerks to the floor between our feet. “The point is, I will cherish you and love you and want the best for you like no one else ever has before.” He searches my collarbones with his gaze. “You’re beginning to reek of fear. Are you panicking?”
“No.”
His eyes jump to mine, hope brimming in their butterscotch depths. But then he looks back down at my hands—no longer fists but my tightly wringing hands—pointedly. “Then what are you scared of?”
“If I’m wrong,” I whisper. My eyes sting but I blink them clear with determination. “I really care about you, and you really are so perfect it’s scary, but if you screw me over…”
“I won’t.” His eyes are glued to mine. “I might hurt your feelings by accident, but I’m not Jillian.”
“Julién,” I correct, biting my lip, trying not to smile.
He notices, and his gaze warms. “Whatever,” he says. “Susan, you can believe me.” His chest expands. “You have my commitment for the rest of our lifespan.”
This man uttering ‘commitment’ in relation to me? My heart thumps faster. I didn’t think he could get any more attractive, but he’s really proving that he can.
His eyes drop. “You don’t have to be committed back. You’re not trapped.” He tips his head a little guiltily. “Should you start dating other people, your dates might develop a strong habit of disappearing though.”
Oddly enough, the way he delivers it doesn’t come across as threatening. I feel a glow happening in my middle. And in my chest, right in my heart. “They’ll start disappearing if they get near your anamchara?”
His nod is contrite. “They will mysteriously go missing if they go near my anamchara.”
I close the distance between us. “Well if there’s something I can do to prevent you from committing abductions in my honor, I guess I should do it.”
Lucan stops breathing.
I move, circling him. Enjoying the way he tenses but holds very still. I ask the strong line of his back, “What are your feelings in regards