Marcus called room service and ordered everything on the late night menu.
“Do you have any questions?” Marcus asked while they waited. Ameera took a moment, thinking.
“Can I shift?” Her tone was hopeful, and it left a heaviness in Marcus’ heart. He reached his hand out to her and this time she took it.
“No little one, I’m afraid you cannot. You can bear our children, but very few females can shift. Your bloodline is so muddled that it would seem unlikely that you could perform such a feat.
She didn’t try to hide the disappointment in her eyes. “But my children-our children- can? Shift, I mean.”
“If they are male, yes. It would take several generations of successful mating before we could have a female in our line that could shift.”
She nodded, understanding. Ameera ran her hand across the large scar that covered her left shoulder. When she was four, one of the neighbor’s dogs got loose and attacked her. It had been a bloody mess, but less than three days later she had completely healed.
“I heal fast. Very fast. Is that because I’m like you?”
Marcus nodded, pulling a bandage away from his arm. “See? Almost healed. The more shifter blood you have in you, the faster you heal.”
“Can we change people? Like if you bit me would I transform into a full shifter?”
William chuckled. “We are not werewolves, my dear. Simply shifters. You are born this way or you are not. Those are the only options.”
“So werewolves exist then?”
Both men looked at each other shrugged.
“No one is absolutely sure,” Marcus stated.
“But there have been rumors that a small clan exists in Europe, traveling as gypsies,” William chipped in.
Ameera took a moment to absorb it all in. She was a shifter that couldn’t shift. Marcus was the king of his pride. And just thirty minutes ago three tiger shifters tried to kidnap her because she could bear shifter children. This had turned into one hell of a night.
“So. The only reason that you want me is because I can help continue your bloodline?” The question weighed heavy on her heart, and she still wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it if her suspicions were confirmed.
Marcus jumped off the bed, grabbing her and pulling her to him. “No! You must believe me. When I first found your information, yes, that was a big part of it. But once I read your file and began talking to you, I knew you weren’t just a woman. You were my mate.”
She took in the words, still unsure if she believed them or not.
He pushed forward. “I tried to get you here as safely as possible, and I failed. Now that Raja knows you are here, we have to move you. We can stay here tonight, but tomorrow we must take you into the jungle. My men and I can protect you there.”
CHAPTER 6
Ameera yawned, still trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. They had been travelling for several hours now, but she was still trying to fight off slumber. Last night she barely got more than a couple hours. With the excitement and new information, she had found it difficult to slip away. Marcus had tried to sleep next to her, but she pushed him away, still not sure of how she felt. Respecting her wishes, he went to the floor.
Marcus didn’t sleep either. He had stayed awake all night, listening to every breath Ameera took, every rustle of the covers she made. He