He reached for me, and a shock traveled up my arm as our fingers touched. Both of us knew what it meant, but neither of us acted on it. "Timothy Lords," he said softly. "You are the mantled one." I could see the confusion in his face; he didn't expect to find a mate tonight, much less one of equal power. "At least you had the decency to clean your whore's slut sauce off your dick before you met your mate," I said as I started to squeeze his hand.

He looked in panic at Traci, who was staring in shock at him. "She's...."

"I'll save you the trouble. Timothy,...