The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

But the were-jaguar had moved back to allow her space to park, his mouth shut, obviously not going to answer her question.

Grimacing, Miera parked but remained in her car. Two could play this game.

After a moment, the guard approached. “Is something wrong?”

“I want to know your name. I want to know his name.” She pointed to the other guard who was closing the gate. “I want to know why you haven’t asked for my name.”

“As a sign of respect.” He bowed. “I’m sorry, Miera. I did not want to be overbearing.” His cheeks were bright pink. “I, ah…”

“What if I’m not Miera?” She climbed out of her car, arms crossed, and stalked toward him, shoving a finger toward his chest. “What if I’m really a Brutal Claw posing as this Miera?”

The gate closed with a clang, and the other guard approached. Not a hint of fear flashed in his eyes, no doubt either. “I know you’re Miera. Your brother showed me your picture.”

She appraised him. Tall, thick-chested, solid arms, he walked with grace of a cat, the poise of a hunter, and the arrogance that could only come from being heir.

“I take it you’re Beric then.” She crossed her arms again and tapped the fingers of her right hand on her left arm.

“Yes. I thought I would give you the courtesy of seeing me immediately.”

Her eyes narrowed. Was that a dig because her brother had come to see him, to essentially propose for her?

Beric gazed at the other guard, who immediately returned to his post at the gate. “Would you like a tour?” he asked, holding out his hand.

“Would you like me to drop to one knee?” she countered.

His lips quirked and settled into a lopsided smile. “Only if you want to. I don’t have a ring for you.”

“I don’t have one for you either.” She tossed her red hair over her shoulder.

Beric’s laugh was deep and warming, and she found herself laughing too.

“No ring, but I do have this.” Beric reached into his pants pocket—the slacks hung low on his hips she realized—and removed a silver chain. On it was a charm, a white rose. “Not red like blood, but I saw it yesterday, and it made me think of you.”

“You don’t even know me.” She touched the charm but didn’t take the necklace. Did he think he could buy her with gifts? But she had come to him, not the other way around.

Could he want more from her than just a means to protect his pack? The thought terrified her. She hadn’t thought through what exactly it meant to marry Beric, what it meant she would be giving up, but now she was beginning to think about what it could have been like to marry someone she loved.

“You don’t know me either, but you’re willing to marry me so that our packs might have a chance against the Brutal Claws. So, yeah, I don’t know you, but I do know you care about your people, and that means enough to me.” He held up the necklace. “May I?”

A moment passed before she turned around and lifted her hair. After he clasped the necklace on, his hands rested on her shoulders for a moment, his fingers touching bare skin. Her tank top allowed for the skin-to-skin contact, and her shoulders felt aflame from his touch. It wasn’t a caress, and it was over almost as soon as it started, and she found herself wishing he had touched her longer.

Miera swallowed hard before turning around. His eyes were yellow with flecks of gold, his lines hard but not too severe, his nose carved as if from stone. Beric was a rather handsome man, made even more so by the slight scar near his left eye. Without thinking first, she reached up and touched it. “How did that happen?”

“A battle.” He shrugged. “A long time ago. I have a few other scars, too.”

She lifted her tank top to show a two-inch line near her belly button. “My skin’s far from perfect too.”

Maybe that was being a little forward, but the man was engaged to her. He’d see her naked soon enough. She hadn’t thought about s*x when she had put forward the idea of wedding the heir of the Teal Warriors, but now the prospect of having heirs with this hunk of a were-jaguar wasn’t something she’d object to. At least he was good looking. If she couldn’t marry for love, maybe it would be easier to settle marrying for lust.

“If I point out all of mine, we’ll be here all day.” He moved closer to her.

Her breathing grew ragged. She was tall, but he towered over her. Miera looked up into his eyes and licked her lips. Was he going to kiss her? She wanted him to. Wanted to feel if his muscles were as hard as they looked, wanted to feel if his hair was as soft as it looked, wanted to feel—

But he only reached for her hand. “A tour?”

“Where does it end?” she asked boldly.

Beric stared down at her. “Wherever you like.” His eyes… she could gaze into them and be lost.

Unnerved by how much her body wanted him, she turned away, subtly—hopefully—increasing the space between them but still holding his hand. “Lead the way.”

He pointed out various buildings—their cafeteria, their school, the church, the houses, a warehouse, the barracks.

“Barracks?” she questioned.

“Once we reach ten years old, we start training. We know various forms of martial arts and how to use firearms. We also learn survival tactics as well.”

“A slash at the right spot or a bite will do the same thing.”

“Yes.” He grinned. “But it’s always better to be prepared.”

Definitely. “Especially now.”

Beric nodded. “Do you know how to use a gun?”

“Yes.” As did most of the Blood Roses. “But I don’t prefer to use one.”

“I wouldn’t think you would.” The look he was giving her was far too intense.

She had to look away and pointed to the houses to detract attention away from herself. Although similar in designs, each house had slight differences, from the door color or the shutters or the lawn decorations. “Which one is yours?”

“This way.” Beric led her past the center of the compound. “The alpha lives there.” He pointed to the building beside it. “I and the other higher members of the pack live here.”