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happy with mindlessly banging the girls who roll through the lodge, or don’t you ever want more? I want more, M.”
    Magic stood to his full height, making the bathroom seem like part of a doll house. “Then you go out and find more, but you don’t find a mate and you don’t find a family. Hell, take up canoeing or fucking needle point if you have to, but we don’t break the code .”
    Renner bent over the sink. The sick feeling in his gut hadn’t gone away since last night, but this talk with Magic was making it worse.
    “Think about it, Renner,” his tone was a touch calmer, “We aren’t cut out for the kind of relationship your human will expect.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “She’ll expect you to be faithful. They don’t understand our ways when it comes to love.”
    “That isn’t a human thing, Magic. Our females want that too. My mom did. I bet if we asked Layna she’d say the same.”
    His expression turned bewildered. Like Renner had just revealed the answer to a mystery.
    “Didn’t Mandi ever say anything—“
    “Don’t mention her,” Magic growled.
    Renner’s mouth snapped shut. He hadn’t meant to, he was just trying to make sense of things.
    Magic shook his head. “No. This is who we are. It’s our nature, and it doesn’t work for relationships. Not with our own, and especially not with humans.”
    “Maybe it’s a choice, huh? Maybe we just choose to be faithful. Maybe we make sure we belong to them as much as they belong to us and we stick to it no matter what happens. Make the commitment mean something. Maybe we do something no cats have ever done before. Maybe we become better.”
    Renner threw his tools back in his box. He’d fix the leaky faucet later.
    “Just think about it.”
    He strode past Magic before he could say anymore.

Chapter Five
    It was five o’clock and Renner had worked like fucking hell to get things knocked off his list. It kept him busy and he’d stayed away from Bethany, but he was done with that. He needed to see her and so did his panther. Needed to see if she was okay. Needed to watch her move naturally, in her smooth sensual way, instead of stilted and tense. Needed to see her lips and her eyes and maybe touch her skin again.
    Nothing could stop him.
    Layna stepped in his way, causing him to practically skid in his tracks so as not to plow into her.
    Correction. Nothing could stop him except that.
    “No.”
    “I need to see her.”
    “No. In fact, hell no.”
    “I just need to make sure she’s alright.”
    Layna nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll just add a ‘fuck no’ to that.”
    Renner grit his teeth, running a hand through his hair.
    “This is for the good of everyone. I think you know that.”
    Frustration was getting the best of him. His panther wouldn’t let him give up. “I talked to Magic. He’s fine with me spending time with her as long as it doesn’t get serious.”
    Layna’s face turned cold. “Well, I’m not. She doesn’t deserve you fucking with her heart. And besides…” Her voice became a whisper. “Do you really think you can do this without getting serious? I thought you cared about Bethy.”
    He shrugged but he had to really work to make it look careless. “I don’t know who she is anymore. Maybe she won’t matter like she used to.” Fat fucking chance, but his sister didn’t have to know that.
    Layna narrowed her gaze, and Renner geared up to make his case more convincing when the door behind them swung open and out stepped Bethany. She was like a punch to his gut. All the air left him. She wore the same uniform she did every day, and her hair was done up and out of her face like it always was but today… he wanted to fall at her feet and worship.
    Her eyes fluttered away as she spotted him. With a deep breath, she approached, her hips swaying as she walked. It wasn’t on purpose. It was just the way she moved. Made him want to grab those hips and pull her close and feel his body against hers. Bury his face