Colt took Roxie back to his room.

"What in the hell?" He questioned out loud. "Do the Fates have to make things more complicated? So, before you should decide if you want to finish the mating, you need to decide if you can embrace your bear side. But, in order to embrace your bear side, we need to unbind your powers by having sex? That just feels way too forced and rushed."

Roxie stood quietly near the door. "Look. If this is too complicated and not something you want, just tell me. I am not trying to mess up your life."

"Shit, no. That's not what I meant." He hugged her. "I just… I just wish that we could actually relax and get to know one another, without the pressure. I kind of like the idea of taking things slow and courting you. Of you and I making all of the decisions ourselves. When we feel right about it. Not because we feel we have to do something just to reach the next step of a process. I can't even take you on a proper date because of this Squire's Council test."

She looked up at him. "Damn, you really are a romantic at heart, aren't you? I swear, you could be the star of one my romance books." She reached up to brush his hair away from his face. He gave her an awkward grin that showed just how right she was.

Her body was screaming at her to take him to bed. She was desperate to get them both naked. Even more so, when she learned of what it could do for her. But, she loved just how considerate and romantic Colt was.

"Alright. You want a chance to get to know each other, but we are on a countdown." She paused. "It's time to take fate by the horns and scramble it up a bit to make things more fun for us."

He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

She smiled. "Do you have any cards?"

His brows creased. "Why?"

She gave him a very wicked smile. "Ever hear of Strip Poker?"

Colt's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

Roxie nodded. "Yes, but with a twist. For each article of clothing removed, we have to share something personal, intimate about ourselves and the other one gets to ask the questions." She chewed on her lower lip.

He gave a deep, low laugh that sent shivers down her spine. "I am definitely locking the door for this."

She leaned into him and gave him a quick kiss. "Let me just find a restroom and freshen up first."

Colt showed her where the restroom was down the hall and then quickly used his powers to make a few changes in his room while she was gone.

When Roxie came back in, she was surprised to see the room filled with candles and roses. Her heart melted and her eyes watered. "Colt. This is…" She just looked around everywhere.

He looked down at his feet. "I started with real candles, but the wax was dripping. So, I hope you don't mind the electric kind."

Roxie gave him a scorching kiss. "This is more than perfect."

He looked into her beautiful dark eyes and then had to clear his throat and his head to step away. "If we stay here, we won't need the cards." She smiled and sat down at one end of the bed while he sat at the other.

"Will you show me your Sentinel marks?" She asked the bear in front of her.

He tilted his head, trying to puzzle her out.

"I want to get to know you, Colt. All of you." She said.

No one had ever made so much of an effort to get to know him before tonight. He was almost uneasy about it all, but it warmed him in ways that he had never known before. She sat with him as a bear, she wants to talk to him as a Sentinel, she wants to play games and get to know him as a man. It was all he could do, not to bury himself in her arms and just let the passion take over.

But, he wanted this more. This game. The anticipation. The romance. But, mostly the chance to finally start asking her about herself as a woman. He didn't want the only thing between them to be sex or teaching her about being a bear. He wanted something deeper. And the fact that she offered that, it stole his heart away.

He was already falling for her. He was protective. Possessive. He wanted to do anything to see her smile. He could spend eternity staring into her eyes and tasting her lips. But, still, he didn't know her yet. And that was something he desperately wanted to do.

As they played cards, they asked general things about each other. Things like favorite foods and music.

Roxie was surprised to learn that Colt had a rather eclectic taste in music. He played in a heavy metal band. But, he also liked Spanish guitar, folk rock, classic rock, classical, and even some techno. He said that he loved music, all music if it is well written and shows the proper complexities of understanding music theory. She was warmed by his sense of honest appreciation for music as a whole. It was obviously special to him.

He asked her about her books and sketches in her bag. She blushed that he had gone through her things. It was sweet that he wanted to get to know her. If it had been anyone else, she would be pissed at the invasion of privacy. But, she just couldn't bring herself to be angry at him. He was charming and sweet. And he took her breath away. So, she found herself telling him about how much she likes to read, her creative musings that seemed to bounce around whenever inspiration struck, whether it be writing, sketching, or her sculptures. And, she told him about her metalworking with Kell.

But, as the game progressed, and clothing started being removed, the questions became more personal. They asked about most embarrassing moments, deepest secrets, and greatest goals.

"Well, my greatest goal was always to be a Blood Rites Squire." Roxie said with a sigh.

Colt tilted his head. She was driving him mad with lust as she sat in front of him wearing nothing but her bra and panties. She had to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her auburn hair was down around her shoulders and she leaned onto her side in the black lace Victoria's Secret set.

"So, why the sigh?" He asked.

She looked down. "If I choose to finish the mating ritual with you, I won't be allowed to finish the induction to become Blood Rites."

He shook his head. "I don't understand. You already are a squire. They already knew you were a bear. So, I don't see…"

She cut him off. "It's because of my parents. Even though my mother was abandoned by her family and she completely turned her back on the whole Were community, she still got drug back into that world and it cost her her life as well as my father's. Blood Rites can't have any question of loyalty. Because I am half and half, there is already a concern. But, if I mate with you, then there will always be a question of which community I am loyal to, which one controls my life."

"I am sorry Roxie. Really, I am. I didn't mean to screw things up for you. It seems really important to you."

She nodded. "The Blood Rites Squires were founded by the Kostas family, centuries ago. The Kostas family have always been Blood Rites. But, my father was the last male member of the family. I am all that is left. It is a family legacy. Now I have to decide between my father's family legacy or my mother's."

His heart broke for her. None of this was fair to her. He started to reach for her when she looked up. And the way she looked at him made him stop. She looked at him like he was special to her.

"Ugh." She smiled as she shook her head loose from the thoughts. "We are supposed to be having fun. Not getting sad. Especially, when I am starting to realize that maybe my goals should be shifting."

Colt raised a brow at that last statement. "Shifting how?"

She chewed at her lower lip and ran a scorching gaze over his fully naked body as he stretched out across the end of the bed, pausing extra long at his erection. "I don't know, a life time of you in my bed, might just help me get over the Blood Rites thing. Maybe."

That succeeded in getting a laugh out of him. A true, joyous laugh. And seeing him laugh made Roxie's heart burst.

Then she reached behind her to unhook her bra and toss it to the floor. Colt sucked his breath in quickly. "You are so beautiful Roxanne." It wasn't until he said it that she realized that he was the first man who actually made her feel beautiful. Just the way he looked at her. The way he smiled. She felt like he was looking at her as something precious, as someone he desired.

Roxie intentionally screwed up her last hand so that the rest of her clothing would come off.

The lust and satisfaction of finally getting to truly see all of her, of being able to revel in the beauty that was Roxie, it made Colt's head spin. But, one final question remained.

"I have to ask this Roxie. Is this something that you really want? Not just because your body is screaming at you. Not just because of the powers that could be unlocked. Do you really want to be with me tonight?" He sounded nervous, as if he was waiting for her to reject him or say that he was just a tool to meet a need. It broke her heart. His hesitation showed just how much she had come to mean to him. That a simple question could carry so much weight.

She cupped his face. "Colten Theodorakopolis, if it was not for the intensely massive list of decisions that need to be made, I would be agreeing to finishing the mating ritual, right here, right now. You are strong and sweet. You are intense and comforting. You make my blood boil and you melt my heart. None of this makes a whole lot of sense. But, you have already stolen my heart. I don't want anyone in my bed, but you." Then she looked around. "Or, I guess, I should say that I don't want to be in anyone else's bed but your's."

At hearing her words, he could not hold back any more. He pulled her to him and rolled until she was under him. Then he dropped his head to kiss her like there was no tomorrow. He had been hard for her ever since he opened the door to find her in the hallway, hours before. But, now he was desperate to have her, to claim her. The bear in him wanted to possess her with a ferociousness that he had never felt before.

She reached between them to cup his swollen anatomy in her hand. And he moaned.

He broke his kiss to start kissing and nipping at her jaw and down her neck while his hands cupped her breasts and played with her nipples. She arched her back at the pleasure and practically purred, until he took one puckered nipple into his mouth and she gasped. He chuckled at the reactions that he got from her. And the vibrations of his laugh sent her writhing in pleasure.

Colt knew that he could truly go all night and day long with her. There were definite perks to being a Were, one of which is that the males can have many more orgasms in one night than human males could. And Roxie thrilled him in ways that he was more than ready for the sexcapade they were about to face. But, he did not want to forget that she needed to have the one mind blowing orgasm to help her be true to her bear half. He wanted that to be special.

Colt didn't know what experiences she had with lovers before that she had not broken the binding already, but, he was going to put in the extra effort for her.

So, Colt carefully avoided giving her too much pleasure. Enough to tease her. Enough to get her body ready for him. But, not enough to tip her over the edge. He wanted the pleasure to build.

When he finished laving at her breasts, he moved back up to look in her eyes before he gave her one more scorching kiss. Then he rolled her over to her side with one arm wrapped under her to reach up to cup her breast. He used his other arm to separate her legs and pull one over his hips while he slid himself in from behind her.

She moaned as he entered her. He paused while he nipped at her neck. "This is how bears mate, it's something special. You are something special to me Roxanne." His voice caressed her. And her chest tightened at the intimacy he was sharing with her.

This position had her completely exposed in front while he caressed her entire body from behind. Her head was spinning. He licked and kissed at her neck and shoulder. But, it was his teeth and whiskers from his chin that sent her into spasms of pleasure. Not an orgasm, just radiating twitches across her skin that pulled at her most sensitive areas. She was drowning in the sensations of such an intimate experience.

As he built up speed and pressure, thrusting himself into her body, she screamed out with each pounding thrust. Roxie tried to reach behind her head to bury her fingers in his hair. But, as he quickened his pace, he sunk his fingers into the folds of skin where her thighs meet, and he sent her splintering apart in the most intense orgasm that she had ever experienced. And on the next stroke, he joined her in the ecstasy of it.

But, it was more than just an orgasm. Her body exploded in power. She trembled as the binding was released. And she had no control. Her senses were flooded. Her mind scattered. All she could do was ride the wave after wave of sizzling energy that took control.

Colt held her tight. His arms and his body heat helped her to focus as her mind spun. It took her several minutes before she was able to even contemplate what had just happened to her. Her body was raw, still trembling, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. Still, she felt Colt sooth her. One arm wrapped protectively around her. The other running his hand over her skin, warm and comforting. He kissed at her neck. "It's alright Roxie. You are safe." He said as he nuzzled her.

"Oh shit." She said breathlessly.

"Are you alright?" Colt shifted to allow her to roll over to her back and look at him.

Roxie took a deep breath. "That was intense. And, I still feel, feel… I don't know how to describe it." She creased her brows.

Colt smiled at her. "Sex always charges up our powers. It leaves you feeling stronger. And the air around you sizzles and pops with the energy of it."

She nodded. "Yeah. It's weird."

Her phone started going off. She moved to check on it. "Shit, it's Kell… Uh, hi there big guy." She grimaced as Colt could hear his voice nearly shouting over the phone asking where she was and if she was alright. Colt loved that she had a father figure that was so protective of her. OK, maybe loved, is a strong word at this stage. After all, the man seemed like he wanted to kill Colt for touching his daughter. But…

"Kell, I am alright. I promise." She said. "No. I am sorry, I lost track of time. You go back to Kyrian's. I will stay here." She pulled the phone away from her ear as he shouted louder.

"Now you listen here Kell. Don't you go playing yo-yo man on me. I get that you want to protect me. But, you started this mess and I have to live through it. The adult parts and all. I did what you asked, and I opened myself up to my bear side. And that is taking some unexpected turns with this whole mating mark and bound powers crap. But, I am still working my way through the labyrinth and Colt has been more than sweet and supportive through it all. So, don't you dare think of hurting him for any of it."

Colt smiled as she defended him. He ran his fingers over her skin and started to play with her nipple between his thumb and fore finger. Her eyes were wide as she tried not to moan over the phone. Then, he moved lower down until he spread her legs and took her body into his mouth. Roxie bit down on her knuckles.

"Yeah, Kell. I am staying here. If I need to leave, I can take a cab. I don't have sunlight issues like you do. If you need me, you can call me. OK, bye." She dropped the phone. "Oh gods. You are wicked and suicidal! If Kell heard me, you would be so dead."

Colt laughed. "That is what makes it so much more fun." Then he returned to using his mouth in other ways.

Roxie noticed that he was already hard again. "You are seriously ready again?"

He looked up at her. "Bears don't have the same limitations that human men have. We are ready again faster and can climax many more times."

Her eyes lit up and she bit into her knuckle again as she moaned. "Yes, definitely don't need a cab then."

"I had no intentions of letting you stop until you were passed out asleep in my arms." Colt gave Roxie the most devastatingly intense look as he slid a finger into her body while he sucked at her tenderest body part. It did not take long before she was shaking in another orgasm.

The two of them spent several more hours exploring each other.