“It feels like it’s no big deal because it isn’t, anymore. I want you to be the one to bite me—”
“Sebastian, I—”
“Shh—” Seb covered Tim’s mouth with his hand. “—I want you to bite me. I want the change to take, and I want to be mated to you for the rest of my life. Not because there’s no other option, but because it’s theonlyoption that I want. I love you. I’m sorry it took me almost getting bitten by Cam to figure that out.”
He pulled his hand away and tried to urge Tim down for a kiss, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?”
The thinly disguised hope in his voice hurt, and Seb hated that he’d done that.
“When Cam had his teeth against my throat—” Tim’s low warning growl startled him for a second, but Seb carried on with a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. “—it felt so wrong. I want it to be your bite that changes me, your teeth that mark me up, you claiming me as your mate.” He tugged Tim forward again, and this time he came willingly. Seb placed a soft kiss on the side of his mouth, wary of the teeth still very much extended. “I—”
Tim stood abruptly, head snapping round to face the door.
“What?” Seb struggled to sit up a little. “Can you hear something? I thought these rooms were soundproof?”
“It’s faint, but I can hear.” He walked over to the door, pulled it open, and stuck his head out to talk to either Alec or Gareth, Seb presumed. Either way, the conversation was conducted in hushed whispers that Seb couldn’t make out.
He lay there, half of him still buzzing with the excitement of wanting Tim to bite him, while the other half got increasingly annoyed with the sudden turn of events. “What the hell is so important that it can’t wait?” he grumbled under his breath, more to himself than anything, but Tim immediately turned to look at him.
“They know where Kelly is.”
“What?” Seb pushed himself all the way up, but Tim was there by his side before he could get out of bed. “How?”
“The rogue shifter was very helpful, apparently.”
Seb really didn’t give a shit how they’d got the information out of him. “Is she okay?”
“They’re sending Alec’s unit out to get her. The shifter said she was unharmed and unguarded, but….”
Tim didn’t need to add anything else. Seb knew Kelly’s condition could have changed by now, especially since the rogue shifter could be lying. “Okay.” He glanced up at Tim, gaze zeroing in on his mouth again. Tim’s teeth were almost back to normal, but a hint of sharpness remained, stirring Seb’s pulse. “Where were we?”
Tim frowned and tilted his head as though confused. “What do you mean?”
Reaching for Tim’s hand, Seb smiled up at him. “We’re running out of time.” He pointed at the clock on the wall.
“But they’ve found her. You don’t need to do this anymore.”
Oh.
Tim had tried to hide it, but disappointment coloured his words.
“Tim?”
Tim sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Fuck, I’m sorry. This is great news, and I’m so happy they found her.” He met Seb’s eyes, gaze flicking down to his neck and back up. “I just….” He shrugged, as if that said it all.
Careful of his back and his ribs, Seb eased himself down against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. With his sister as good as found, did he still want to do this? Finding her had been a major factor in his initial decision, but now…? His injuries still existed. The rogue shifter was no longer a threat, but what about the rest of P-Pack or the other packs out there? Those were all reasons Seb had thought were good enough to ask for the bite.
But Tim was right. There was only one reason he should be doing this…
“Hey.” Seb reached for Tim’s hand. “Look at me.” He waited until he had Tim’s full attention. “I know I don’t need to do this for Kelly anymore.” Tim’s sad smile hurt to see, so Seb hurried to say the next bit, squeezing Tim’s fingers. “I need to do it for me. I love you, Tim. I want what Jared and Nathan have. I know there’s no guarantee the change will take, but regardless of that, we’ll be bonded, right?”
Tim stared at him, wide-eyed. “Yes. The bond will form at the full moon.”
Seb smiled big and wide, trying to show him how much he wanted this. “Then bite me.”
Chapter Eighteen
