Evans, Gabrielle - From This Moment [The Moonlight Breed 7] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic Ma by Gabrielle Evans (ebook reader with highlight function .TXT) 📗

16                        Gabrielle Evans

conviction that  Zavion was his true mate, his  sienota. Apparently, the

little fox-shifter had acted on pure instinct without really  understanding why or what it meant.

“I’ve never had a mate, didn’t even know they existed until a  couple of months ago.” Zavion wrapped his arms around his  midsection and rounded his shoulders like he was trying to curl in on  himself. “I think about you all the time.” His cheeks tinted pink with  the confession. “I dream about you.” The blush darkened to a bright  red and crept up to the tips of his ears. “I think you’re gorgeous, and I  have this weird urge to rub all over you until you smell like me. I just  didn’t know what any of it meant.”

It had been a  complicated situation from the beginning, and Cian  possibly hadn’t handled it as well as he could have. Although he’d  been unsure which twin he was fated to be with, he’d always felt

more drawn to Zavion.

Unfortunately, that had proven to add to the problem rather than give him a solution. While he’d felt something  more for Zavion, he hadn’t been sure if it was from a mating bond or just general attraction. What if Zuriel ended up being his intended?  Picking one twin, only to find out he was destined to be with the other, was a recipe for disaster.

Then there was the issue of how Zavion had come to be in Haven

in the first  place—naked, scared, and nearly starved to death for both  food and affection. It had been mere luck that Cian and his brothers

had found Zavion and his friends inside that cave in Missouri.

After all the hell he’d been through, both inside that shithole lab he’d escaped from and while on the run from the men who operated it, Cian was wary to make any kind of move that might seem untoward. Maybe he should have just sat the brothers down from the start and laid it all out on the table. He couldn’t go back and change the past, but he could start building a brand new future with his mate.

“We’ll take our time, Zavion. You can ask me anything. I have nothin’ to hide.”

From This Moment                       17

“Why did you choose me? Is it just because I smell better than  Zuriel? I mean, you just said you can’t tell us apart.”

“Not true.” Reaching out to take Zavion’s hand, he tugged the  man to him once more and wrapped him up in his arms. “Oh, darlin’,  it’s not what you’re thinkin’. You are in every bloomin’ thought I  have. I love your smile and your laugh. I’m lovin’ the way those big  blue eyes are lookin’ at me right now.”

“So, it’s not just because I smell good?” There was so much  uncertainty in his tone, but he wasn’t trying to pull away again. “I  mean, if you want my brother…”

“Zuriel is right breathtakin’ . How can I not think so when you two  look so much alike? No, I don’t want your brother, but I’m hopin’ we  can be friends.” Dipping his head, Cian skimmed his nose up  Zavion’s throat, inhaling deeply. “Aye, ya do smell mouthwaterin’,  but that’s just a bonus.”

How did he explain it so that Zavion would understand? Yes, he  smelled amazing. Yes, Cian found every inch of his lithe body  gorgeous. Sure, there had been a bit of confusion in the beginning, but  the more he got to know Zavion, the more he thought about him until  it had almost become an obsession.

Yes, the twins were identical in a lot of ways, but there was just something about Zavion that made his heart beat quicker and his legs go weak when they were together. While Zuriel was very outspoken and eager to form relationships, Zavion  was a bit more reserved. That guarded reservation didn’t make him seem unapproachable, however.  In fact, Cian found it endearing as well as refreshing.

Zavion’s smile alone could clear the darkest of clouds. His heart

was as big as the wide open spaces, and he truly listened when  someone spoke as opposed to simply waiting for his turn to speak.  They hadn’t known each other long,  but  Cian felt he could tell the  man anything, and he never had to worry if it would go beyond the  two of them.

18                        Gabrielle Evans

Gods, his sweet mate was just beautiful inside and out, and there were times Cian thought he’d go mad if he couldn’t get his hands on the little fox. How did he explain all of that to Zavion? How could he make him see that it went well beyond scent and physical attraction?

In the end, he settled on the truth.

“I like your brother fine, but it’s not him I think of when I’m lyin’  in bed at night. Yes, your scents are almost as identical as your looks,  but it’s a fair bit more than that. You are the one I can’t get out of my  head.”

“Then why did you wait so long?” Zavion wasn’t going to make it  easy on him, but that was fine. Cian didn’t want a doormat for a mate, who just rolled over and accepted everything he said as truth.

“We don’t just pick our mates, Zavion. Fate guides us  to each  other.”

“I know.” His cute button nose wrinkled. “Well, I mean, I didn’t.

Boston kind of explained some of it to me, though.”

“Well, now, while I’m feelin’ all confused, not sure which of ya is my mate, I was hopin’ it would be you.” He pecked Zavion’s lips when he started to argue. “Let me finish, darlin’. I hoped it was you, but I couldn’t be sure, what with your brother always glued to your hip.  What if I’d followed my instincts, but Zuriel ended up being mine?”

The growl that rumbled up from Zavion’s chest was full of possessive rage, and Cian smiled at the sexy sound. “You are mine.”

“Aye, I am,” he confirmed. “But what if I wasn’t? Fate chooses our mates, and we can’t run from that, no matter how much we try.  Just look at Boston. He tried runnin’, but he didn’t get far, did