“Yeah, the bond’s the bond. I love you on top of that.”
Uh. Kind of easy, when put that way. “They are not the same thing.”
“I wouldn’t say they are, exactly. The bond is about our souls. Love is about, well, everything else. I also thought it was obvious. Was wrong, apparently. But yes, Zoe.” He gathered her into his arms, crooked shirt and all. “I love you. I think I have since you kicked my tail at the restaurant that first night. Not many people have the guts to do it so thoroughly.”
“I love you,” she said, almost in awe of how true, and easy, and right it was.
“I know.” He chuckled when she made a face. “I feel it. Here,” he said, touching his chest. “And here.” He touched his temple. “Don’t cry, Moonbeam.”
“I’m not–oh, I am. Oh. It’s just that this is so... beautiful. All of this. And I was so worried, and I still have no idea what to do because of the pack and all and–”
He stopped the rant by putting his mouth on hers. “It’ll be alright,” he said. “I—we—want nothing else than learning with you.”
She took a long breath in and rested her head on his chest, where his heart was beating strong and steady. “Do you think Lachlan will curse us if we, um, take more than a few minutes?” she asked.
And was answered by none other than the Mayor himself. “I just might, lass.”
Rex chuckled, kissed the tip of her nose. “Let’s go.”
“You’re back, good.” Lachlan’s voice was gentler despite the distinct possibility of a curse. “Here’s what I propose.”
He turned back to the map, all business again—which was very, very good for her system. “Give me a few days. Melisandreand I will pull the wards down. All of them, every piece of active magic running through the town’s system. A full suspension.” He looked at Zoe. “How quickly do ye think the plants would respond?”
She pulled herself back to the problem. Eighty percent of her, anyway. But numbers, compounds, and guesses, she could do with only part of her brain. “The drop was fast—days, not weeks. If you remove the draw entirely, I’d expect some recovery within a similar timeframe. A week should give us a readable change, one way or the other.”
Lachlan nodded. “Another collection run in a week, then.” He looked at Rex. “Can you manage it?”
Rex nodded. “Yes.”
“Then we have a plan.” Lachlan got to his feet and dusted off his knees. And looked at them both for just a moment—long enough that it meant something, not long enough to make it a thing. “I’ll be in touch. And Rex?” He paused at the door. “Fix yer shirt before ye go outside. Ye represent the bloody park service.”
The door swung shut behind him on a chuckle.
Chapter 11
The eastern side of the Cascades had strong feelings about summer and, as they had reached July,was starting to shout them out. The air was already warm by seven, the sky was drenched in that summer blue that had no patience for clouds, and the pines outside held that bark smell she’d loved since she was small enough to press her nose against them.
And back she was in the forest, getting ready for the second plant-run with the pack. One car only this time. No more reason to play it like this was amaybe. This wasitin all its glory.
She prepared the back of his truck the way she prepared her own shop: a place for everything, everything in its place. And a lot of stuff lately seemed to have found a new place. Her field kit was in his truck. So was her spare jacket, her second-best thermos, a book she’d been meaning to finish, and she was fairly certain he had her good pen. His things were at her place in the same casually inevitable way. Boots by the door, a flannel that was definitely not hers on the hook, his coffee cup next to hers in the sink.
They were making a decision by not making a decision, which she recognized as a decision. They never talked about it—they didn’t need to, really. Which was either very healthy or a complete failure of communication, and she hadn’t decided which.
She was thinking about asking him to move in with her. He didn’t have any special attachment to his house, while being in hers allowed her to feel closer to her grandfather. So she was thinking about it—a lot, actually, and keeping it very carefullyaway from the bond, which was difficult because he absolutely could feel there was something she kind of hid.
She sighed as the object of her thoughts came to her. “They are coming,” he said.
She threw out an absentminded, “Yeah, I know,” then stopped and turned to him. “Weird. So so weird.”
The way he smiled—beamed, really—was distracting enough that she closed her eyes for a moment because this was a thing and she needed to be not dumb for a second. “It’s like... I don’t know. A sixth sense? I can’t say it’s clear, only, like, a built-in awareness? Is it like that for you?”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. “A little more intense and clear, but yeah. The built-in awareness is a pretty good way of putting it.”
“What am I supposed to do, Rex? I pushed the thought aside because all this was so big and new, but now.... What am I supposed to be? To do? I mean, practically. Besides today.”
“You’re my half,” he said simply.
“No, I get that—also, I still get a little dizzy when you say it, but regardless. What does it mean? I get the Alpha—you protect them, and I don’t see anything good coming from expecting me to physically do the same. The smallest member of the pack could throw me on the other side of the mountain at any moment.”
