“I’m okay.” I stifle a yawn, not fooling anyone.
“You’re newly bonded, which zaps your body’s energy,” Ren informs me. “You need to catch up on rest. Did you know you burn calories at double your usual rate during the post-bond adjustment period?”
“That explains why Damon didn’t share his pizza,” Laz complains.
“If you wanted pizza, you should have ordered it.” Damon glares at him. “I didn’t share with you out of principle.”
“But I only wanted one teeny tiny slice,” Laz pouts. “I didn’t want to eat a whole one all to myself.”
“That’s not my problem.” Damon huffs out a breath.
“You could have had some of my pizza, Laz,” Ren utters.
“But yours had mushrooms on it.” Laz looks like he sucked on a lemon. “And the fact that Damon doesn’t share only makes his taste all the sweeter. I thought after sharing Faye with me, he’d be more generous?—”
Damon growls.
“Come on.” Cole points at a cab, which thankfully diffuses the situation. “Let’s get Faye warmed up.”
After dropping a soft kiss to my lips, Damon reluctantly lets me go and heads to his bike. Cole ushers me into the back seat, banishing Laz to the front as punishment for his teasing.
“Thank you,” I say to them once we’re all inside. “For tonight.”
“We loved it.” Cole rests his hand on my knee. “It was nice to learn more about you and where you came from.”
“Gram will hold you to your offer, though,” I chuckle. “She’s wanted to renovate the shop for ages.”
“We meant what we said,” Cole replies.
Ren nods. “We’d love to help.”
I lean on Cole’s shoulder. Between his warm body, Ren’s calming scent, and the gentle lull of the car, my eyes drift closed.
Today has been an emotional rollercoaster, but it couldn’t have ended more perfectly.
How lucky am I?
FORTY-TWO
Faye
“I can’t believe I slept for fourteen hours. You should have woken me.”
I wake up with Damon’s arm draped over me. Everyone else is already up and dressed, Laz hurrying forward to offer me a tray laden with buttery toast and jam.
“It’s to be expected after bonding,” Cole assures me. “I called our pack doctor?—”
“You called the doctor because I overslept?”
He shuffles his feet, looking a bit bashful. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Sleeping more is a good sign.” Ren adds, perched on the edge of the sofa. “It means your bond is becoming part of you. How does your connection to Damon feel today?”
“I feel…” Before, being close to Damon felt like a gnawing need at the forefront of my mind. That persistent longing has lessened. “Let me try something.”
I shuffle out from under Damon. He grumbles in objection then rolls over again, still not fully awake.
I pad across the living room, creating distance from him. Our connection no longer feels like it’s strained, like a rubber band that’ll snap when pulled.
