The Mating Project by Sam Crescent

speed.
    Mine.
    Her
cougar's possessive growl matched her own thought processes, and she grinned.
Despite the shit-load of trouble this mating would land her in, she was
deliriously happy. The faint buzzing coming from her handbag made her frown.
She'd forgotten she'd turned her phone to silent. The message from her sister-in-law,
attaching the most adorable picture of the triplets made her grin. A smile that evaporated fast, when she listened to her voice mail
messages.
    There
was one from Cole Jackson himself, asking her to get in touch with him, once
she'd spoken to Professor Deacon, and even over the phone the bear shifter's
deep growl sent a shiver down her spine. There was no mistaking the aura of
authority the man exuded.
    You
simply did not argue with Jackson. As one of the rare originals sitting on the
council he was akin to royalty in their circles. The fact that he, too, had
chosen to mate with a human, gave Maria hope that things would work out okay
for her. Mind you, she was a mere pure blood and a female to boot.
    She
pushed the disturbing thoughts away, only for the message from her mother to
turn those thoughts into a vise sitting on her chest.
    Maria,
where are you? I've been trying to ring you for ages. I've come up with the
perfect plan to celebrate the birth of the triplets. We'll have a shifter
gathering. Your dad is all for the idea, and Anton has given it the council's
blessings. You'll be there, of course, and I expect Anton has something to say
to you. It really is time this mating thing was settled.
    Maria's
beast growled, and she fought the shivers taking over her body and switched the
phone off. She really didn’t want to speak to anyone. For the first time in a
long time she was happy, damn it, truly happy, and no one was going to take
that away from her.
    Silas
would be back soon and he'd told her to run a bath, so that was exactly what
she was going to do. The bathroom was easy enough to find at the bottom of the
long hallway, just like Silas had said. There were two more doors leading off
the passage way, and she smiled when she stuck her head round one and saw his
bedroom. His scent was everywhere, calming her agitated beast, and she had to
giggle at the organized chaos that was her Professor's private domain.
    Just
like in his office, and the living room, books were everywhere. The bookcases
in the living room were crammed full, and even here there was a large bookcase
taking up one entire wall. More piles of books and magazines were stacked in
neat order in front of it, together with tons of hand written notes in Silas's
big, bold writing.
    The
large bed held satin sheets, which made her grin deepen. Silas liked his creature comforts, it seemed, and the little luxuries
in life.
    A
stack of weights in one corner next to the window completed the bachelor pad
look.
    The
door opposite to his called her. Unlike the other doors this was one was shut,
and she got the oddest sensation when she put her hand on the handle. Her
cougar's fur rose, and Maria hastily pulled her hand away. Really, what was she
doing?
    He
might be her mate, but that didn't give her the right to snoop around behind
shut doors. Still, that room called her, and she rubbed the gooseflesh off her
bare arms. What she needed was a hot bath, and the old fashioned claw footed
bath tub she spotted in Silas's bathroom called to her, too.
    His
bathroom was simply delightful. The bath took center place with its big chrome
taps and an equally big shower attachment. A dolphin shower curtain surrounded
the bathtub, and Maria had to smile at the mental image of Silas cocooned
behind that blue concoction. A collection of seashells sat on the window ledge,
and big fluffy towels warmed on the towel rail.
    She
whistled through her teeth at the myriad of bath salts and bubble baths, and
having played e eenie , miney , moe eventually settled
on a mineral one that promised rejuvenation.
    Minutes
later she sank into the fragrant bubbles with a mewl