Bane presses his lips into a flat line before stealing my hand, running his fingers over my arm with a featherlight touch. “Now that you mention it, you don’t seem as pale as usual, and it should be even more pronounced after last night. But you seem to have more of that golden tone you did when we found you before it faded.”
Furrowing my brow, I twist my arm in his grasp, not noticing it before he brought it up. “I guess you’re right.” A sly grin overtakes my face as I look up at him, waggling my eyebrows suggestively. “Guess orgasms are good for the complexion, so I get something out of the deal, too. I’m not seeing a downside here, so lighten up, okay?”
He steals the empty cup from me, throwing it in the grocery bag at our feet that we’re using for trash. “We still shouldn’t feed from you unless it’s absolutely necessary, or there’s a decent gap in between. Things might be okay right now, but we don’t know what would happen if we did it too frequently, because,” he trails off awkwardly.
It isn’t hard to fill in the blanks. “Because you’ve never seen a defective shifter before and don’t know the long term consequences. I get it, not suggesting that you ravish me for breakfast to cut down on the coffee bill or anything, Bane. I’m just saying you don’t need to act like I’m some martyr that you guys exploited. But please, feel free to continue showering me in praise for amazing sex.”
He snorts, kissing my cheek. “I like confident Risa.”
I shrug. “Me too. It’s weird, though, truth be told. I’ve spent my entire life programmed to be as invisible as possible, trying not to be a burden as I saw how taxing my existence was on everyone around me. But I’m feeling genuinelygoodfor the first time in ages.”
Stryker pipes up from the front, turning off of the highway. “Told you the sex would be so good you’d want to marry me.”
Genuine laughter shakes my chest, and I don’t miss the soft look Mason gives me in the visor mirror in front of him. Memories of last night crop back up, and I strum my fingers on the seat beside me, nervous to bring it up, but knowing I need to.
“Did you mean what you said last night, or was that a heat of the moment thing?
His bright blue eyes don’t darken in the slightest, still supernaturally bright after the energy influx. He pivots in his seat to face me, honing in on my fidgeting. “Every word. I will never lie to you, Risa, and especially not about anything as serious as that.” His stern look morphs into a teasing smile. “So consider this officially the worst honeymoon in history.”
Bane barks out a laugh beside me as Stryker defends, “We need somewhere to go until the insurance money is deposited! Hotels are great and all, but they’re expensive and not a good long term solution. It’s silly to blow that much money when we need to not only buy a new house, but everything to furnish it. Sure, we could pull from Bane’s inheritance, but my gods, have you seen the fees they tack on going over the monthly payouts? It’d be pissing money away unnecessarily.”
Grinning, I lean forward, kissing his shoulder before Bane pulls me back, tightening my seatbelt with a scowl on his face. “I’m looking forward to meeting your great-grandma, don’t listen to Mason. You sure she won’t mind us staying there for a little while?”
As we reach a stoplight, he quickly looks at me, visibly softening. “She will be over the moon to meet you and jump at the chance to keep you there as long as possible just to interrogate you and get caught up on all of the gossip. I wouldn’t be surprised if she already has a room set up on the off chance we ever stop by.” His face falls, looking ten times guiltier than he has all morning. “I don’t visit nearly as often as I should. So thank you for being so upbeat about this.”
Leaning into Bane’s side as the sugar crash starts to hit me, I yawn, knowing we have at least another hour before we get there, so I have time to doze off. “My pleasure. My grandparents died before I was born, and my parents were only children, so I’ve never had the extended family experience. It’ll be nice to steal yours now that we’re apparently married, or whatever shifters call it. Mated?”
Bane’s fingers play over the side of my neck as I use his shoulder for a pillow, exhaustion slamming into me hard all of a sudden, taking the wind out of my sails after my tirade. “Either phrase works.”
“Do you guys not have to do paperwork to make this sort of thing official?”
Three scoffs surround me as Stryker answers, “I don’t need a piece of paper to know you’re mine.”
I chuckle, eyes closing. “Then what’s to stop someone else from deciding the same thing? Some random badger could show up and claim I’m his mate, too.”
There aren’t any complaints or growls, just silence so absolute you could hear a pin drop. Uneasily, I open my eyes to find Stryker white-knuckling the wheel.
“No.” Is all that Mason says, like that resolves everything.
I raise an eyebrow. “No, what?”
He turns, eyes glacial. “No one would be that stupid. Can you imagine walking into a den of wolves, deciding their mate was yours now, and walking out of there alive?” He shakes his head. “That’s just not how it works among shifters. Now, if you’d claimed you were being held against your will, that’s another matter entirely, and likely several packs would join forces to help put down the offending party, but simply stating that you accept our claim as truth is enough.”
They’re all still worked up, so rather than point out what nonsense half of their systems are, I just nestle into Bane’s side again, ready for a nap. “So, Stryker, do you have any more family besides Great-Grandma Rosalie?”
More tense silence surrounds me before he flippantly states, “Nope. Not many people can survive that woman’s wrath, after all. Now get some sleep, Risa. Trust me, you’re going to need it.”
