Except his mate leaned against Xav Escobar, Xav’s arms around her, Misty’s head on his shoulder. While Graham stood there for a stunned second, Xav stroked one hand through Misty’s hair.

Graham was across the room, his Collar sparking, a roar leaving his mouth. He wrapped his hand around Xav’s throat, and kept moving, heaving Xav up against the far wall before anyone could say a word.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It took Misty a few heartbeats to realize the whirlwind who’d rushed by her was Graham. Graham enraged, his Collar throwing off arcs of electricity. His eyes were white with fury, his hands turning to claws that gripped Xav’s neck.

Xavier, face red, brought out a black device. “I’ll tase you, McNeil. Tasers and Collars, not a pretty combination.” He had to force out the words.

Misty rushed to Graham and tried to pull his hands from Xav, but Graham’s arms were like steel bars. “Stop it, Graham. It’s not what you think.”

“You touched my mate,” Graham said savagely to Xav. “You want me to kill you now? Or do you want to Challenge me, and I’ll kill you later?”

“Fuck you,” Xav said. He brought up the Taser, electricity crackling.

“No!” Misty cried. “Graham, let him go! I was talking to him as a friend. He was comforting me, as a friend. Three guesses as to who he was comforting me about.”

Graham wasn’t listening. “You never, ever touch a Shifter’s mate. You’ll be dead before you hit the ground.” Graham’s Collar was still sparking, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Let him go,” Misty shouted at him. “I haven’t agreed to be your mate.”

Graham swung his head around, pinning Misty with his white gray stare. “I mate-claimed you. You didn’t refuse. You had all that sex with me; you made me think—” He broke off, pain momentarily flickering through his eyes. “You are my mate.”

The DX Security man who’d been fixing the door had come in, his Taser also at the ready. Misty held up her hand to stop him but looked Graham in the eye.

“You are insufferable. Because we had sex, now I belong to you? I don’t even know what to say to that.” Misty didn’t know much what to do either. She settled for making an exasperated noise and storming out into the yard.

Behind her she heard Xav coughing. “Welcome to women in the twenty-first century,” Xav said, and laughed. Hoarsely.

Misty’s backyard usually comforted her. She’d planted it so something would be in bloom every season, whether they were in the hottest triple-digit temps of the summer or the forties in the winter. Moonlight now shone on four-o’clocks that bloomed in darkness and the ghostly white blossoms of the oleanders.

Misty hadn’t stood more than five seconds trying to find calm, before Graham barreled out the door after her. She hoped he hadn’t broken that one too.

Graham had always been gentle with Misty, pulling back his strength for her. Now he grabbed her by the shoulders, hands biting down hard, and yanked her around to face him. The silver white glow of his eyes was even more pronounced in the moonlight, the anger in them plain.

“Let go of me,” Misty snapped. “And stop trying to kill my friends. You don’t own me.”

Graham didn’t release her. “I scent-marked you. I mate-claimed you. Yes, I do.”

“You know, every time I realize I love you, you start to be an ass**le. You break my house, you threaten people, you even get hurt yourself. What is wrong with you?”

Graham’s grip on her arm abruptly softened. His Collar had stopped sparking, but Misty saw the dark marks it had left on his neck.

“What do you mean, every time you realize you love me?” he demanded.

“I mean, whenever I acknowledge I care about you, you do something that makes me wonder why I do.”

“No.” Graham let her go. “You said love.”

“I know I did.” Misty rubbed her arms. “And don’t give me any crap about Shifters not loving like humans do, or me not understanding what I feel, or—”

“Goddess. Misty.” Graham’s eyes filled with wells of pain that matched his rage. He stared at her for a long moment, moonlight playing on his hard face, the flame tattoos, the dark buzz of his hair. “I want you with every breath.”

His eyes had darkened to their normal gray, which still held a hint of silver. He reached for her again, his hands landing on her shoulders, this time without the hard pressure. Graham caressed her, thumbs moving on her bare skin under her tank top.

“I need you,” he said. “Now more than ever.”

His voice was thick, gravelly, with dryness and emotion. He stepped against her, the tall warmth of him covering her, before he leaned down and kissed her.

The kiss was slow, almost tender, but it held Graham’s strength. His lips were shaking, as though he wanted to take everything but stopped himself.

When he eased back, his grip tightened on her shoulders. He looked down at her but shook his head, as though he debated something inside himself.

“Aw, screw it,” he whispered.

Misty’s heart fluttered as Graham turned her around and transferred his grip to her arm. He walked her ahead of him, across her yard and over the little bridge, lifting her in both hands as they got to the other side. He set her on her feet on the grass beyond, where they’d done the spell, and turned her to him, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her, again with tenderness. Then he slid his hands down her shirt and skimmed it up and off over her head.

Misty automatically tried to cover herself, but Graham pulled her arms apart and gazed down on her.

“Moon kissed,” he said. “Touched by the Goddess. Beautiful.”

Graham gently tugged her ni**les between his fingers, kissing her again, his tongue a slow caress in her mouth. Misty moved her hands to Graham’s waist, popped open the button of his jeans, and slid her hand inside.

She found Graham’s cock, hard and tight, hot against her hand. She squeezed, and Graham made a noise of pleasure in the kiss. He let go of Misty to unzip the jeans and drop them all the way, letting the denim pool around his ankles.

“You are the sweetest thing,” he said.

She slid her hand along his cock, his tip firm against her palm. Misty loved looking at him like this, a strong man bared for her, his head going back as he enjoyed her touch.