She gives me a look. “You healed a very prominent wolf council member. It’s going to be a very big deal, Ro. So is you being Cade’s mate.” She tilts her head. “How’s that going since you’ve been back?”
Heat creeps up my neck. My smile betrays me before I can stop it. “Perfectly.”
Liz hums, unconvinced, and leans closer, peeking pointedly at my throat. “Doesn’t seem like it.”
I blink. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She arches a brow. “Are you not ready to commit because he’s bad in bed?”
That has me choking and sitting back up. “Umm, no. We haven’t had sex.”
Her eyes widen. “You’ve spent two nights in a bed withthatspecimen of a man beast, and you haven’t…” She shakes her head slowly. “With the bond and the way he looks at you, I figured you were already a goner.”
I groan and fall back again. “It’s not like that.”
“But,” she adds, softer now, “there’s nothing wrong with waiting. If that’s what you want.”
And that’s the problem.
“I don’t know what I want,” I admit quietly. “I mean, I do. I just?—”
She gasps suddenly. Loud and dramatic. “Oh my gods. Are you a virgin?”
I laugh, real and unguarded. “No. Thankfully.” I stare at the ceiling, the humor fading into something more fragile. “It’s just different with him. Things finally feel easy. What if it complicates them again?”
Liz studies me for a moment, then shrugs. “I wish I could say I know what that’s like, but vampires don’t mate for life.” A smirk tugs at her lips. “We mate for power.”
That makes me frown, but she doesn’t let the mood sink.
“So,” she presses, nudging me again. “You’re afraid of the commitment? The emotional overload? The wholeone soul, one fatething?” Her eyes narrow as she really looks at me now. “Come on. There’s something holding you back.”
And she’s right.
I just don’t know how to say it out loud yet.
She clicks her fangs together as her expression softens. She leans back on her palms, legs stretched out in front of her, and studies the ceiling like the answer might be written there before glancing at me again.
“I got it,” she says with a raised finger. “You’re stuck on the bite.”
I grimace. “Am I that obvious?”
“No, but biting is kind of my thing,” she replies smugly. “Or it was before I switched to blood bags. More convenient and cleaner. Anyway, that’s it. Human-you thinks it’s probably the most savage, disgusting, painfulthing to exist. But don’t feel bad. I would feel the same way.”
I sit up again, hugging a pillow to my chest. “It’s not the pain. I’ve had enough of that not to worry. It’s just…” I trail off, searching for the right words. “Weird. I know that sounds stupid, especially after all I’ve done since arriving here, but seriously.I’msupposed to bite into hisflesh?!”
That sends Liz into a full-on spiral of laughter. “I’m sorry, my friend. I swear, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… You’re right. Wolves are odd creatures, but the bite isn’t some violent claiming, Rowan. It’s not about the physical act of it. It’s about alignment.”
That makes me pause.
She continues, gentler now. “I’m assuming another man has nibbled on you at some point, right?” I nod with a shrug. “And that felt good?” Another nod because again, not wrong. “This is the same thing except there will be a slight blood exchange, but since you heal so quickly as a shifter… It won’t even feel like that big of a deal.”
I pick at a loose thread on the pillowcase. “You’re making a lot of sense, but how do you know all of this?”
She’s making me wish I’d come to her right after I learned about the bite.
“I’ve been alive for a while, Ro,” she says with a wink. “Most things between supernaturals aren’t secret, and working in NightShade, it’s good for me to know about our guests. So, try not to worry. It’s fine if you wait, but you shouldn’t be scared either. Cade isn’t some feral idiot who’s going to rip your throat open or lose his mind because he didn’t get to sink his teeth into you fast enough.”
I snort despite myself.
