Page 118 of Beasts of Mine

“That tends to be more affectionate.” Luca tucked a loose strand of his own hair behind one ear while considering the best way to explain it. “How intimate it is depends on who’s doing it and where the relationship is.”

My eyes slid toward Tavian. He immediately knew why.

“I smelled your hair. I didn’t groom you.” Tavian defended himself before I could say anything, pointing between us as though the distinction should clear his name completely.

“You were unusually interested in my hair for a leopard.” I reminded Tavian while pulling my braid over the opposite shoulder.

“You smelled good.” Tavian shrugged, apparently deciding honesty was easier than defending himself any further. Luca turned his face aside, but not quickly enough to hide his smile.

“Anything else I should know before I find out I’ve accidentally participated in an entire shifter relationship?” I asked Luca, only half joking now as I settled my camera strap more comfortably against my shoulder.

“No, because you haven’t.” Luca’s amusement disappeared immediately, and he straightened when he caught the concern beneath my joke. “A gesture has meaning because of what we intend when we offer it. Accepting the gesture isn’t the same thing as accepting a relationship.”

I glanced toward the pocket holding Tavian’s feather.

“So all the fruit, gifts, following me around, sleeping near the camp…” I let the unfinished sentence hang while looking between them, trying to decide exactly how much of the last several days had looked different from their side.

“Were things we wanted to do for you.” Luca finished gently, giving me time to absorb the distinction. “You accepting them meant you accepted fruit, gifts, help, and company. Nothing more.”

“Eating something I bring you doesn’t accidentally make you mine.” Tavian added from beside us, the humor leaving him long enough to make sure I understood he wasn’t joking about that part.

“Good, because that would make grocery shopping extremely dangerous.” I told Tavian as some of the tension eased from my stomach. Tavian laughed, and the sound broke the seriousness just enough that the conversation stopped feeling like I was negotiating a contract beside a stream.

“Courtship is different because you know what we’re asking now.” Malek stepped a little closer but stopped well outside my space, his eyes steady on mine. “If you agree, then we can offer those things knowing you understand the intention behind them.”

“And I can still say no to any of them.” I said it as a statement rather than a question, watching Malek carefully while the water moved over rocks beside us.

“Yes. Any of them.” Malek gave a small nod, answering without hesitation. I thought about yesterday’s camera-bag incident and Luca explaining afterward that skin, especially near the glands, was more intimate. I didn’t need him to teach me the same thing again.

“I already know the difference between scenting my belongings and getting anywhere near my glands, thanks to someone and his inability to adjust a strap with his hands.” I gave Malek a pointed look, catching the corner of his mouth twitch before I continued. “If I agree to court you, does that give any of you permission to scent me whenever you feel like it?”

“No.” Luca answered from beside me, all amusement disappearing as he met my eyes directly. “You still decide when we touch you.”

“Every time?” I asked Luca, wanting that part completely clear before I agreed to anything.

“Every time.” Luca confirmed with a firm nod while Malek and Tavian remained quiet beside him, neither showing the slightest disagreement.

The certainty of the answer eased something in me.

“Some things usually come later anyway.” Luca continued after a moment, adjusting his footing on the damp ground. “Sharing clothing, more personal grooming, offering things for your nest. Courtship doesn’t mean everything happens at once.”

That caught my attention.

“Wait. Offering something for my nest is part of courtship?” I asked Luca, because nesting itself wasn’t remotely unfamiliar to me. The idea that the things an Alpha gave me for one carried a separate meaning in shifter culture was the unfamiliar thing.

“It can be.” Luca nodded as his green-gold eyes settled on me. “Especially once the relationship becomes more serious.”

“So if one of you gives me a blanket or a shirt for my nest, you’re not just helping me make it comfortable.” I touched the edge of my camera strap while fitting that piece beside everything else they had explained.

“Not usually.” Luca answered with a small smile, shifting one shoulder against the tree beside him. “It can be a way of asking to have something of ours included in a space that’s yours.”

“And probably getting your scent all over it first.” I glanced between the three men, already fairly certain I knew the answer.

“Definitely getting our scent all over it first.” Tavian confirmed with entirely too much satisfaction, his grin returning as he leaned one shoulder against the nearby tree.

“Of course.” I muttered to Tavian, though the thought of a blanket carrying their mixed scents affected me more than I wanted to admit. The word home surfaced before I could stop it. A nest wasn’t automatically a home—I knew that better than anyone—but imagining one with pieces of all three of them tucked into it made the thought come far too easily. I kept that particular realization to myself.

“And mating bites are still completely separate from all of this.” I touched the side of my neck briefly before lowering my hand, wanting the distinction spoken aloud even if I already understood it.