And god help him, he couldn’t find the strength of will to care. Not even a little. He hadn’t felt this aroused, this alive…forever. In such a short time she was his everything. His perfect mate. Dear lord, she was perfection. Not just because of her incomparable physical beauty, but her inner beauty too. Like a candle burning on the darkest night, her caring and compassion shone from within. But she wasn’t a pushover. She was fiery, independent. Even a little defiant. She was shatterproof glass wrapped around a diamond-hard skeleton. And yet, empathy softened her warrior’s heart. He’d seen that firsthand with the little boy at the market. Despite the fact she was a shifter who was young and—surely incapable of shielding her true self from humans?—he couldn’t give her up. Not for anything or anyone. Not even for his kingdom. Gods. Seems I’m just like my dear old dad, after all. Yet the truth of his feelings that washed over him left behind no regrets. Something joyous and glad surged through his veins as he dropped his weapons and robe to the ground.
