“Your period, baby.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re always emotional three days before.”
I stared up at him.
“What.”
“You heard me.”
“How do you… know that.”
He frowned faintly, as if confused by the question. “Because I pay attention?”
“That’s not…” My brain scrambled. “Three days?”
He nodded, matter-of-fact. “Sometimes two, if you’re stressed. You’re right on schedule now.”
The more he talked, the more unhinged the world felt.
“That is not normal, for you to know this.”
“It is. For Crows.”
I pushed off his chest enough to look at him properly. “Explain.”
“You really didn’t know I track your cycles?”
I made a strangled noise. “No, Vincent, I did not know that you track my cycles.”
“Huh.” He looked genuinely puzzled. “Thought you’d figured it out.”
My jaw dropped.
“Why would I have figured that out.”
“You didn’t notice the change in underwear I picked the days before and during? The cut, less tight?”
“Why would I notice that!” I covered my face. “Why! Why do you need to know this much information?”
“Because it influences everything I do. How I plan your check-ins. When I push you harder. When I back off. What food I order. When I send you to bed instead of letting you read until two. The spa appointments. What massages you get. You really didn’t see the pattern?”
“Vince. You are not seriously telling me you have my menstrual cycle charted.”
He just looked at me.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Do you?”
He hesitated for half a second, like he was deciding how much to admit. “Yeah.”
I pulled away entirely, sitting up on my knees facing him. “That is not normal.”
He followed me up, hands resting lightly on my thighs like he was ready to pull me back down if I bolted. “It should be.”
“It absolutely should not.”
“For Crows, it is.” He looked almost offended on behalf of his dynasty. “Every Crow husband tracks his wife’s cycle. They built an app for it.”
“There’s—” I blinked. “There’s an app.”
“Yeah. Dynasty-locked. Husband access only.” He shrugged. “It does more than cycles—sleep, stress responses, meds, blood markers. It’s essential for caring for her properly. I don’t get access to that yet.”
