“You’re not alone anymore,” Reid said quietly.
And for the first time since the nightmares had begun, Cody believed it.
* * *
Reid moved through the ranch house with predatory grace, his eyes tracking Cody even when he was pretending to work. They couldn't go more than an hour without touching. A hand on the small of the back. Fingers brushing in the kitchen when handing each other a mug or a plate. These stolen contacts hummed through Cody like a live wire.
A few days after Reid’s big reveal, they spent the day in the kitchen with Cody attempting to teach Reid how to make pasta from scratch, but it was a disaster from the beginning. Flour exploded everywhere and somehow, they ended up with more flour in Reid’s hair than was in the bowl.
"You're a terrible cook," Cody said with a grin.
Reid shrugged. "I keep people alive. I don't need other skills."
But he was smiling. That slow, rare smile that transformed his face and Cody smiled with him, feeling lighter than he had in years. He reached up and wiped flour from Reid's cheekbone. The world narrowed to the space between them, close enough that he could feel Reid’s breath on his skin.
Reid caught his wrist and his eyes turned that beautiful shade of amber-gold. "We need to stop or I'm going to take you right here on this kitchen counter," he growled out.
"Is that a promise?"
Reid's hand tightened on Cody’s wrist, then he released it with deliberate control. He stepped back putting a little space between them. "Later. When I have the time to do it right."
“I’ll hold you to that,” Cody replied.
They ended up on the couch with Cody pressed against Reid's chest, the bond thrumming between them with a rhythm that matched their heartbeats.
"Tell me about the mate bond," Cody said. "All of it. How it works. What it means."
Reid's chin rested on the crown of Cody's head. His heartbeat was steady beneath Cody's ear—a constant pulse of presence and protection.
"A mate bond forms when two people are meant for each other," Reid said slowly. "Usually happens between shifters, but sometimes a shifter can have a human mate.
“The bond isn't magic in the way humans think of magic. It's biological I suppose you could say, chemical, and even spiritual.When I recognized you by your scent, it was in unison with my bear recognizing his mate.
“It’s like two halves of one soul that finally reconnect.”
"And the connection? That feeling I get sometimes, like I can sense your emotions?"
"That's the beginning of the bond settling into place. Once we complete the bond—the claiming—the connection becomes mutual and permanent. I'll feel everything you feel. I’ll even be able to locate you, or at least to have a vague idea of where you are. You'll have a weaker version of that, I think."
"You’ll be able to locate me?" Cody's stomach tightened. "Not that I have anything to hide, but that sounds intrusive."
Reid agreed. "I suppose I’ve never really thought about it, I just took it for granted with my parents because they were both shifters, but I have friends with human mates, so I know it’s different for them. Some mates find it invasive at first. Others crave it. The bond is what we make of it. I'll always respect your boundaries, Cody. Even through the magic of our bond."
Cody nodded, satisfied with Reid’s answer. He believed him. Not just because of the words, but because of the care Reid took in everything. He was a good man, and Cody trusted that he would be true to his word.
"How long does it take?" Cody asked. "For the bond to settle?"
"Every pairing is different. Weeks. Months. Sometimes years." Reid's hand found Cody's hair again, fingers threading through gently. "There's no rush. We have time. A lot of time."
"What if I don't want to wait?" Cody whispered.
Reid went very still beneath him. "Cody—"
"I'm not scared," Cody said, and it was true. Overwhelmed, yes. But not scared. "Not of you. Not of us."
Reid's restraint snapped like a dry branch.
One moment Cody was perched in his lap, heart hammering against his ribs; the next, he was flat on his back on the leathercouch, Reid's enormous body caging him in. The shifter's pupils had blown wide, a low rumble vibrating through his chest that Cody felt everywhere—in his teeth, in his cock, in the base of his spine.
