When he looked over, Aiden was staring at him mouth open. "Oh Gods, my poor baby."

"You'll just have to tell her every day for the next fifty or so years how you feel about her," Gavriel suggested.

Aiden nodded and stared ahead. "Drive faster."

Gavriel nodded. "Yes, sir."

*****

Elizabeth was sipping her tea when she heard a car door slam outside. Meryn turned to her, a look of panic on her face.

"What if he hates me because I torched his car?" she whispered.

"He won't, just talk to him Meryn. He may be a shifter, but he's still a male. Use small words, not a lot of syllables and you'll be fine," she suggested.

"Right. Small words. Got it." Meryn twisted her fingers in front of her nervously.

When they heard the front door open and close Meryn looked like she was going to be ill.

"Breathe," Elizabeth whispered. Meryn nodded.

Aiden walked into the room, Gavriel behind him. Elizabeth had always dated shifters or fae. She liked their larger frames and muscles, but seeing her mate next to the bear shifter she was suddenly breathless. She remembered the way his sculpted body of lean muscles had looked looming over her, he made the Unit Commander seem clumsy and bulky in comparison.

"Meryn," Aiden said stiffly.

"Aiden." Meryn stared down at her hands.

Elizabeth looked at her mate who shrugged. After another minute of silence, Elizabeth leaned over and whispered. "Remember what I said?"

Meryn nodded before turning back to Aiden. "Want.To.Have.Sex?"

Elizabeth was surprised at how fast Aiden moved, for such a large man he got to his mate in record time. Meryn giggled as Aiden swung her up in his arms and proceeded to kiss every exposed inch of her skin. Aiden turned and nearly sprinted out of the room.

Shaking her head she picked up her cup and took another sip. "I did tell her to use short words with few syllables."

Gavriel swaggered over and dangled a small white plastic bag in front of her. "For you, my dear."

Elizabeth licked her lips and reached for the bag.

Gavriel jerked it out of reach. "You have to pay."

Elizabeth eyed him suspiciously. "What will it cost me?"

Gavriel gently lowered the bag into her hands. "The rest of the afternoon with me, I'd like to get to know my mate much, much better."

"If you can secure us lunch from Ryuu, you have a deal. All I've had today is caffeine and sugar. It may be normal for Meryn, but I'm a shifter and need more sustenance."

Gavriel pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. "Deal. Head up and I'll see what I can put together for our lunch."

Elizabeth stood, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. She had meant to surprise him, but the trick was on her. He took the kiss over and when he was done she was panting.

"Sneaky vampire," she muttered, heading for the foyer.

"Of course, and I'm sneakier than most," he admitted.

"Hurry with the food."

"As you wish."

Elizabeth turned to stare at him. Did he just quote Princess Bride?

Gavriel looked at her, an innocent expression on his face. "What?"

She couldn't determine if he was joking or not.

"Damn vampire."

His chuckle followed her into the foyer.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Gavriel had just reached the kitchen when he heard Beth's startled gasp and then the sound of something or someone tumbling down the stairs.

Beth!

He ran to the foyer to see his mate laid out on the floor looking up. She blinked slowly then began moving each limb separately. Gavriel knelt at her side checking for any signs of head injury. Colton and Keelan came running from the media room. They looked down eyes wide.

"Shit! Elizabeth are you okay?" Keelan asked kneeling at her other side taking her hand. He spoke a spell softly and their joined hands began to glow.

"Fine, this is normal. Arms and legs are okay, but I think my ribs are cracked," she said in between shallow breaths.

Keelan nodded. "I can't 'see' the injury, but there's definitely a crack, you're lucky I don't sense a break. This spell should help you heal faster, but you'll need to rest for a while." He sat back on his heels.

Gavriel picked her up gently and held her close. Keelan stood and brushed off his pants. Gavriel was thankful that Keelan had been home to heal his mate, but what about next time? What if no one had been home? What if she had been seriously hurt? His heart continued to try and climb up his throat. He turned to Colton. "If I could beg a favor? Could you see Ryuu in the kitchen and see if he can put together a lunch for us? I want to take Beth upstairs and put her to bed to rest."

Colton looked at him. "Of course I can. You take care of Beth and I'll be up in a bit." He winked at Beth and turned to head towards the kitchen.

Keelan smiled at Beth and looked at Gavriel. "If you need me just call. I can do another healing spell in a couple hours that should knit the bones together completely." He cracked his neck. "You know, lunch sounds really good right now. I'm always hungry after doing spells and we've done a lot today." He gave a salute and followed Colton to the kitchen.

"I can walk," Beth protested, blushing.

"If I had my way you would never walk again." He turned and started up the stairs. "I'm just going to tie you to my bed where I know you'll be safe." He almost stumbled himself when her pupils dilated.