The next week was filled with team activities – practices, workouts, games, and public appearances. The team felt strongly about giving back, especially when it benefited women and girls.
Cassie and Alexei were always around, ever watchful, and if my teammates suspected they weren’t who they said they were, no one said anything. Every single person on the team had seen the way Cassie protected us while Alexei and Coach Cora caught the bad guy. They might not totally understand what happened or why the bodyguards were there, but they definitely appreciated their ongoing presence.
Meanwhile, Cassie and I had fallen into a routine that was surprisingly easy. Other than her regular security sweeps of my condo and the way she was always on alert when we were out of the house, it was easy to forget that she was bodyguard. It felt very domestic. We’d awaken every morning, if not snuggled up together then at least touching, and have breakfast together. I’d gotten used to the idea of her drinking blood with her morning coffee, and as long as I didn’t have to see it up close, I was okay.
At night after we were both done with work for the day we made dinner together, cooking side by side, then we’d hang out and enjoy each other’s company. We would read, watch TV, or just talk while Cassie worked on knitting the scarf she’d started on our trip to Portland. I’d never lived with a romantic partner before, but living with Cassie was surprisingly easy. For the firsttime in my life I was starting to imagine the future with someone else in it.
There was only one thing bothering me. After our first discussion of becoming mates, Cassie never brought it up again. She often called me ‘Mate’, especially in the throes of passion, and we’d professed our love for each other. But for some reason, she seemed hesitant to seal the deal. I could feel the mate bond between us growing stronger every day, but Cassie made no effort to bite me and make things official even though I knew her vampire was pushing her to do it.
Finally I decided to call in an expert. I hung back in the locker room with Eleanor after practice one day, the only chance we had to talk without Alexei or Cassie nearby.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Eleanor straddled the bench that ran along the front of our lockers. “Pull up a bench.”
“How did you and Alexei know it was time to become mates? Officially I mean? I know you were having sex before you made a commitment.”
The whole hotel in Portland knew that. The two shifters hadn’t exactly been quiet. Then again, the same could be said for me and Cassie.
Eleanor gave me a long look before replying. “The first time we had sex, I was pretty adamant about Alexei not biting me. Ididn’t want him to rush me, because even though my wolf was certain he was my mate, I needed to get there emotionally too, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“Because he’s a good guy and he wanted to respect my wishes, Alexei held himself back, even though his bear was riding him hard to claim me. I could see the struggle in his eyes whenever we were fooling around. But in the end, it was my wolf who made the decision. She took over and marked him before I knew what she was doing. Then Alexei marked me back.”
I was silent for a few seconds, mulling over her words. Eleanor reached out and squeezed my hand.
“If you’re ready to make a commitment, you need to tell her. She’s a vampire, not a mind reader.”
Cassie
“You want me to do what?”
“Be my date for the Seattle Sports Association’s annual awards gala,” I repeated. “My father bought a table and I promised to attend. I thought we could go together. There’ll be athletes there from all over the country, including several of my teammates from the International Games.”
“I hate athletes.” My voice was sour. “The last thing I want to do is spend time with them.”
“You hate athletes? Since when?” Ruby shot back.
“Since always.”
Surely I’d mentioned this a time or two?
“Are you saying that you hate me?” She blinked at me.
“No, you’re the only athlete I can stand,” I amended.
“What about Eleanor?”
I sighed deeply. “Okay, I hate male athletes, is that better?”
“I guess? Would you prefer I go to the gala with someone else? Maybe one of the other bodyguards will be my date.”
I growled. “You’re not going with anyone else.”
Ruby’s expression was smug. “Great, then let’s get all dolled up and have a night out on the town. We’re double dating with Alexei and Eleanor. The event is cocktail attire.”
It was easy to think of our time together as dating. The stalker had gone radio silent for three weeks now, with no incidents happening anywhere in the league. The wolf we caught in Centralia was just a lackey, and I had no doubt the person who was behind all this was just laying low until they were ready for whatever they were planning. But the longer we went without an incident, the more on edge I became.
