Trick took a swig of his beer. “I saw you and Roni the other night.”
It was obvious what Trick meant? and it rubbed Marcus the wrong way. “Really?” he drawled, his voice a little menacing.
Trick smirked slightly. “You don’t like that I know what she looks like when she comes, do you?”
“No, I don’t.” His wolf was particularly pissed about it, which was unexpected, given that his wolf liked and trusted Trick. He and Marcus had scratched each other’s itch from time to time and even shared females. But if Trick were hinting at sharing Roni, it wouldn’t happen. Possessiveness roared through him at the very idea of it, almost making his claws slice out.
Trick casually leaned against the wall. “She marked you.”
“Yep.”
“And you marked her.”
“Yep.” When Trick just looked at him, Marcus sighed. “Trick, if you’ve got something to say, say it. But if you’re about to suggest sharing her—”
“That’s not what this is about.”
“Then, what? Do you have a problem with Roni or something?”
“Not at all. I like her. Tough, shrewd, fast—just my kind of girl. But she’s not your kind of girl. She’s very different from your usual type.”
“What does that matter?”
His expression completely serious now, he asked, “Have you considered that she might be your mate?”
Okay, that wasn’t what Marcus had expected him to say.
“You like her, Marcus. I mean like her, like her. You’ve never been so hot for anyone before, never been possessive or jealous. But your wolf wants to take a swipe at me right now because I’ve seen her naked, doesn’t he?”
No, he didn’t want to take a swipe at Trick. He wanted to gut him.
“If you were anyone else, I’d let you work it out by yourself. But you’ve got more issues than Playboy—without a kick in the right direction, you could head down the wrong one. I wouldn’t like to see that happen.”
“But—”
“Just hear me out. Roni doesn’t bristle when you invade her personal space. She doesn’t seem to welcome touch, but she allows it from you. Whether she realizes it or not, she’s much more comfortable with you than she is with most people. And fuck, when you two are together, sexual energy practically pours off both of you.”
There was no denying that Trick was right about all of that. And yes, she and Marcus being mates would explain a lot—particularly his reaction to her, and her reaction to him. “It’s not her. The Seer I told you about described someone totally different.”
Trick snorted. “So?”
“What do you mean, ‘so’?”
“Seers can be wrong.”
“Yeah, well, her vision was very specific.”
Trick pursed his lips. “Okay, let’s say the Seer’s right. Let’s say Roni’s not your mate. Let’s say this other female the Seer described is the one for you, and she’s out there somewhere. That would mean Roni has a mate out there somewhere too, waiting to claim her.”
A growl of objection rumbled out of Marcus before he could stop it—it was a growl that came from both him and his wolf.
Trick grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
“Just because I don’t want to give her up yet doesn’t make her my mate.”
“All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind about it. Look at Dante and Trey—it took them both months to figure out they had their own mate right under their noses, and that’s just plain pathetic. They should have listened to their wolves, but they didn’t, because they were too wrapped up in their human issues.”
“Sometimes our animals have strong reactions to certain females and it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it does. You can at least admit it’s a possibility that she’s your mate.”
Marcus opened his mouth, but no words came out. Was it a possibility? He did feel incredibly possessive of Roni, so much so that he would happily slash the throat of any male who tried to take her from him. And he did like her, like her. She made him laugh, and she fascinated him with her complex character. She was also so damn tough it was admirable. Any dominant male would be proud to have a mate as strong as Roni. But to admit that it was a possibility would be to hope that just maybe he wasn’t destined to have the miserable fate he’d been warned of, and hope could massively backfire on him.
Trick sighed. “If you don’t want to admit it, fine, but don’t shove what I’m saying to the back of your mind so that you don’t have to process it. Don’t rule it out as a possibility simply because some Seer described a totally different female to you. Okay?”
“Okay,” replied Marcus, but he said it more to placate Trick than anything else. And his friend’s agitated expression said he knew it.
“Don’t be an ass, Marcus. Look outside the box, and you’ll see that you’ve been subconsciously building something with her.”
“What are you talking about?”
Trick rolled his eyes. “You’re not the type of guy who feels the need to run to ground any female who doesn’t respond to him. It’s never bothered you before, but it bothered you this time. You didn’t come on strong, though. You stood back, observed her closely, looked for weaknesses in her defenses—circled her like a predator circles prey. You took it slow, got to know her better, did what you could to make her feel comfortable around you, and tried to seduce her on every level. You don’t do that with someone unless you’re trying to lay a foundation for something more.
“You’ve never in your life pursued a female before, Marcus; you see women as threats.” When he went to speak, Trick quickly continued. “Don’t try and bullshit me; I know you. Women eventually want more than sex from you, and that scares you. For you, love is all mingled up with pain and rejection and anger, thanks to your upbringing. But you pursued Roni because she doesn’t make you feel threatened.”