Monsters Under Mistletoe

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

T he sky was gray. Not like it was about to rain, just that dreary gray cast that reminded everyone that the bright months of summer were a long way off and Holly was going to have to deal with the rest of the holiday cheer for far longer than she wanted to.

Didn’t help that her heart was hurting, too.

It had been an immediate decision, standing there in Thorne’s beautiful bathroom looking at the display of products he owned. It was a lot—not in the sense that he hoarded, but proof that he was a man of indulgence, that he took his pleasures seriously. Luxurious in a way she didn’t know how to deal with, so far from her normal body wash and hair care.

Everything about Thorne had been that way. And it only bared the stark truth she hadn’t wanted to face: she didn’t belong in his life.

Holly was a simple woman. She worked with her hands, she ran as a wolf, she did her job and she went home and she lived her life. Nothing extravagant, nothing in excess, just a simple, quiet life for a simple, quiet shifter.

Even her nickname had been evidence of that, the ‘Bear’ of the pack that came out when she needed to but was content hibernating on her own.

Someone like Thorne was a flame, a beautiful, inviting being who made her feel like maybe she could indulge. Maybe she could enjoy those bits of flare. But no way would he want her. He was an incubus . He attracted people effortlessly.

And the last thing she was going to do was hang on like an unwanted weed until he finally pulled her off and threw her away.

No, better to feel the hurt now, cut it off before he got the chance. At least this one was on her terms and her last memory of him was a good one. And who knew, maybe in a month or two when her heart healed, she could finally have that cup of coffee with him. Finally explore his coffee shop and get to know a little more about the man who’d taken care of her during her heat.

Fuck. Her heats were going to suck now.

Not that she’d ever particularly looked forward to them, but no one was going to live up to that experience. Thorne had learned her inside and out, making sure to take care of her even outside the sex. He’d ordered food, made sure she drank enough water, had washed her in the shower more than a couple times before carrying her back to bed.

And he’d matched her appetite perfectly.

Her fangs pressed against her gums, her mouth too full. It had started a week ago, a dull ache in them that came and went until finally, it came and stayed. She couldn’t pull them back, no matter how hard she tried, an overwhelming urge to turn around and bury them in Thorne’s neck.

And wouldn’t that be a fucking joke. Poor man simply offered to help her through her heat and she wanted to thank him by permanently binding their lives together.

It didn’t make any sense. Wolves didn’t mate this way, and almost never during a heat. They were too particular, the courting something they looked forward to almost as much as the actual mating. Why she was filled with this need almost as if she had to finish—

Holly hit the brake on her car, pulling over onto the shoulder of the near-empty highway. She flicked on her hazard lights before she grabbed her phone, a question gnawing at the back of her mind. Thorne wasn’t the first incubus she’d ever met, but she barely knew anything about them.

The first three searches came up dead. Too much information about all the wrong things until Holly saw a link that caught her eye: Rosemary’s Guide to Etiquette for Mating Outside the Cubus Family .

What on earth was that?

Tapping it open, Holly found an old blog. Definitely a relic from the early-Internet days, but it seemed to be preserved in an odd way. Scanning over the list of categories, she found something that might have been what she was looking for— The Mating Ways of Incubi (and how you shouldn’t surprise your mate).

Surprise?

Her teeth pulsed as she dove into the article. The first part was about how other races mated. Shifters as a whole chose their mates, their courting rituals dependent on their pack or upbringing. There were a few species that had instantaneous mates, the person’s being recognizing their mate through various methods.

Finally, she got to the paragraph she needed:

Incubi largely will recognize their mate on sight. The first feeling of their pleasure or displeasure is all you will need for your bond to snap into place. From there, it is your duty to learn how they mate and—if needed—convince your mate to accept and return the bond.

Her heart beat in her teeth as she read over the text, the ache intensifying in a way that was impossible to ignore.

Should you need to convince your mate to choose you, don’t take too much time. The need to bond will increase with each day, especially if distance is added between you. For instance, a cat shifter will be unable to control their fangs, the need to bite growing until they’re unable to think about anything else. It is your responsibility to educate and explain to prevent your mate from feeling unease.

Saliva pooled on her tongue, dripping off her fangs as her mouth readied for something she couldn’t give it yet.

Thorne had…mated her?

She didn’t have his number. She could find the shop’s number, but if this was true…

Holly put her car in drive as she called Marcus, hunting down the next exit that would let her turn around.

“I was wondering when I’d hear from you,” he said over the car speakers. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to be home for a bit.”

She could hear him thinking as she took the exit. “Did something happen?”

“Well, I think so. But I need to talk to him first.”

He laughed, an easy sound. “I take it this ‘him’ is the one who owns that coffee shop you were parked at?”

Damn the man, she thought with a smile. Marcus was nothing if not an efficient alpha. “Perhaps.”

“Let me know when you bring him to meet the pack. We’ll have a welcoming party.”

“I’ll keep you updated, Marcus.”

“Merry Christmas, Holly. I’ll see you after the New Year.”