Page 112 of Moon Craving

Talorc woke with his arms wrapped protectively around his mate. Not just his angel

in a flight of fancy, but his true and sacred mate. If he could believe the evidence of his

mind and senses. How was it possible?

The arguments against the probability of finding a sacred mate the way he had

were just as valid as the day before, but none of them mattered in the face of one

inescapable fact: He had heard her voice inside his head. They were capable of

mindspeak. Not all true mates were, but it was an indisputable sign that the mating was

blessed.

It also meant that until Abigail or he died, they would be physically capable of

mating with only each other. Not that he would have considered doing otherwise. The

Sinclairs, particularly the Chrechte among them, placed high importance the physical act

of sex. Most members of the clan, warriors and women alike, considered it a sacred bond,

not to be broken.

Even more important, the sacred mating bond meant that not only could Abigail

have Talorc's children, but most likely she would have them. What had seemed an

impossibility the night before now had a strong chance of happening. Talorc would send

his wolf nature into the next generation if he was blessed with Chrechte offspring rather

than human.

It was enough to make him howl in delight. However, his joy was tinged with

melancholy.

He could not tell Abigail of his full nature and risk her revealing the secrets of his

people to outsiders. Thus he could not share some of the benefits of the true mate bond

with her, like mindspeaking. Since he had accepted a while ago that he would most likely

not find his true mate, that should not bother him. But it did.

Knowing the mental intimacy they were capable of made him long to participate in

the ancient Chrechte act. Yet part of him was relieved he had a reason to avoid it. The

true bond was disconcerting enough; the deep intimacy of mindspeak was not something

he was comfortable sharing with a woman he had met only a few days before. Particularly

a human who had been born and raised in England.

He must be careful not to speak into her mind as he had done when shouting her