He had been born with the ritual words of binding imprinted on his brain as had every other male of his kind. It had been a shock to discover not only that a human woman could become his lifemate, but that she could be successfully turned to his species. More than the complete amazement of all of that was the overwhelming love and hunger he felt for her, that it grew stronger with every moment they shared together. Looking at her could steal the breath from his body.

«You always smell so good.»

Raven reached back to circle his neck with her arm, dragging his head closer so she could kiss him. The moment his lips touched hers, fire exploded in his gut and spread low, racing through his system until his blood thickened and his pulse pounded. He pressed his body closer so she could feel the evidence of his desire.

She laughed softly. «You always make me forget what I'm doing. I'm supposed to be cooking the turkey. It's been a very long time and I have to make certain I don't make any mistakes. We've invited the Ostojics and any guests staying at the inn. Even though we can't eat it, we need human food for them and since it was my idea, I couldn't very well pass on the most important item on our dinner menu.»

«Yes, you could.» Mikhail's voice suddenly turned sly.

Raven whirled around to study her lifemate's all too innocent expression. «What are you up to, Mikhail?»

«I'm passing on the duty of being jolly old St. Nick.»

Raven put both hands on her hips and tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. «You're up to something very, very bad. I can feel your laughter. What is so amusing?»