Page 81 of Moon Awakening

"When a shape-changer and a human mate, if they are true or sacred mates, they can sometimes hear each others' voices in their heads and the union will result in children."

They could hear voices in their heads? She had heard of magicians claiming such a thing, but Sybil had always dismissed them as charlatans. Though Emily supposed the ability to hear someone's voice in her head was no more incredible than the idea that humans really could turn into wolves. "What about werewolves?"

"If a werewolf and a femwolf mate when she is in heat, there is almost always a pregnancy. In fact, I've never heard of a time that did not happen. The problem is that femwolves do not go into heat very often and we are independent by nature. Before joining the clans, Chrechte females would sometimes go their whole lives without mating."

That was interesting. No wonder the Chrechte had found it so hard to survive. "But werewolves do not have to be true-mated to make babies?"

"No, but they can be and if they are, they can mind-speak, too. They also suffer the other consequence of a true-mating."

"What is that?"

"When the Chrechte find their true mate, they are incapable of mating with anyone else until the death of that mate."

"Incapable?"

"Yes, you know…" Cait bit her lip and then continued in almost a whisper, "The males cannot achieve erection with anyone but their true mate and a femwolf's body will not accept penetration from anyone else either."

"What about the human in a true-mating?"

"They are human. They can mindspeak, but as for the other, I don't think they are so limited, but I cannot be entirely sure. I never asked my mother when she explained about the bond between true mates."

"I don't believe this." But even as she said the words, she realized they weren't entirely true. Cait's claims were becoming more and more plausible by the minute.

"Mindspeak is strange," Cait said as if that were the only element of this conversation that was even slightly odd. "I've never experienced it myself. My parents were not true-mated either. I have heard of family members that could hear each other, too, but I cannot hear Talorc and he cannot hear me. I couldn't even smell his scent until he unmasked it briefly at the loch. He was giving me a message."

"That he is here to save you?"

"Not me. He respects the laws of mating too much to dismiss Drustan's claim on me, but he could be scouting for war, though his actions do not suggest that at least. I think he wants my bairn. Another Chrechte warrior for his clan."

"But that is barbaric. He cannot take your baby away from you."

"Not until it is born, no."

"Even then."

"I do not know what will happen then. I cannot bear to give up the babe. I love it already, but he may well go to war over the child even if he does not over our kidnapping."

"What if it is a girl, will he be less insistent on her return to the Sinclairs?"

"No, women are prized for their ability to have more Chrechte warriors and men for their ability to fight."

"It's the same with humans." Goodness, was she really ready to accept this fantastic tale?

Cait seemed so serious, so very certain of her facts. If she wasn't telling the truth, she was doing an admirable job of acting sane and honest.

"To an extent, yes," Cait agreed sadly.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but I don't want either laird killed."

"Do you think Talorc was there earlier this morning?" The thought that the Sinclair laird had seen her naked with Lachlan sent waves of revulsion and mortification rolling over Emily.

"He may have been. He would have waited to challenge Lachlan until he knew where I was and what had happened to me."

"Now he knows."

"Yes."