"I know." His smile was slow. Knowing. "Wrong place. Wrong time."
"You're doing that on purpose."
"Doing what?"
"Distracting me."
His hand slid away from my thigh. I almost whined at the loss.
"You looked like you needed it," he said. His eyes were soft now. Tender.
Before I could lean into him, my phone buzzed.
A message from Rae:My office when you have a moment. Need to discuss the ferals.
"Duty calls," I said. My voice was steadier than I felt.
Neal smiled. Leaned in. His lips brushed my temple—barely a kiss, but the bond sang at the contact.
"Go," he murmured against my skin. "We'll finish this later."
Rae was behind her desk when I arrived, papers spread out in front of her, reading glasses perched on her nose.
"There she is." Rae looked up with a smile, pulling off her glasses. "Close the door. Sit. Tell me everything."
I dropped into the chair across from her. "Everything about what?"
"About you." She leaned back, studying me the way she always did—like she could see straight through to the parts I tried to hide. "How are you holding up? And don't say fine. I can smell fine from a mile away and it's always bullshit."
I laughed despite myself. "I'm... managing."
"Managing." She nodded slowly. "That's better than fine. I'll take it."
"How's Alexandra?"
Rae's face softened the way it always did when she talked about her daughter. "She's a terror. Yesterday she informed Ash that she's going to marry a dragon when she grows up, and when he told her dragons aren't real, she bit him."
"She bit him?"
"Right on the hand. Drew blood." Rae shook her head, but she was fighting a smile. "Then she looked him dead in the eye and said, 'Dragons are real and Lulu would believe me.'"
I grinned. "She's not wrong."
"Don't encourage her. Ash and the twins are already wrapped around her finger—if she finds out you're on her side too, we'llnever regain control." Rae reached for her coffee, took a sip. "She keeps asking when Lulu is coming for dinner, by the way. I think she has a new stuffed animal she wants to introduce you to."
"Tell her soon. I miss her."
"I will." Rae's expression shifted. Warmer now, but more serious. "I miss having you around too. I know things have been... a lot."
"That's one word for it."
"How are the bonds? Really?"
I exhaled. Thought about James's hands in my hair. Stone's fractured memories bleeding through our connection. Neal's mouth brushing my temple. Cole's anguished eyes.
"Complicated," I admitted. "But I'm figuring it out."
"You always do." Rae set her coffee down. "Speaking of which—I want to go over the ferals with you. Their progress. Their challenges. You're bonded to some of them now. You should know where things stand."
