My belly flipped with nervous excitement. I could feel the tension between us, the unspoken words hanging in the air. I knew that things had changed between us since our soul bond had formed. There was a familiarity and closeness that hadn't been there before, and it was both comforting and confusing.
"Thane," I said quietly, placing a hand on his arm. "Can we talk?"
Without a word, Thane followed me to the living room, where we sat down on the couch. I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to say.
"I know what it means to have a soul bond," I admitted. "It freaks me out but excites me, too... I’m sorry, I'm not explaining this right."
Thane looked at me, his expression softening. "I'm new to this, too," he admitted. "I've never had a soul bond. I never thought it would happen to someone like me. But I do know that I feel a connection to you that I can't quite explain. It's like we're intertwined. I can feel your presence even when you're not here. It's bloody overwhelming, but in a good way."
I nodded, feeling the same overwhelming sense of connection. "I feel it, too," I said, taking a deep breath. "But...I also feel something else. Something that I don't quite understand."
Thane raised an eyebrow, urging me to continue.
"It's like I can feel yourdesires," I said, blushing slightly. "Your needs, if that makes any sense."
Thane's eyes darkened, his expression turning almost predatory. "Is that so?" he murmured, leaning closer to me.
My pulse quickened, my body responding instinctivelyto his proximity. "Yes," I whispered, my breath catching in my throat.
Thane didn't say anything else, but his actions spoke volumes. He leaned in and captured my lips with his, his hands tangling in my hair as he deepened the kiss.
I felt the fire between us ignite, and I knew that this was different. This wasn't the gentle kiss between War and me earlier. This was something rough and primal, something that had been building between us for weeks.
Thane pulled back for a moment, his eyes hooded with desire. "I think we have an audience," he said, his voice thick.
We glanced at the kitchen table where Gareth and War sat, both staring at us. I felt a blush creep up my neck, and I quickly pulled away from Thane, feeling embarrassed and exposed.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact with both Gareth and War.
“Don’t be sorry,” Thane whispered, his hand reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “We all feel the same way. And it’s okay to act on it. I watched you fuck my brother, and I'm still here.”
Gareth cleared his throat loudly, causing us to jump. He looked between the two of us, his expression carefully neutral. “Are we done with tea time?” he asked, tossing the list of names onto the table. “Because we have work to do.”
I nodded, feeling a sense of relief at the change of subject but feeling slightly worried about the bite in Gareth's words.
Thane squeezed my hand reassuringly before standing up.
“Right,” he said, picking up his own mug of tea. “Let’s get to it then.”
We spent the rest of the night poring over the lists ofnames and trying to come up with a plan to track down Estelle’s contacts. It was slow going, and it seemed like for every lead we found, we hit a dead end. But we didn’t give up. We were determined to bring her to justice, no matter what it took.
As the night wore on, I found myself stealing glances at Thane every chance I got. The kiss we shared earlier had changed something between us, and I didn't know how to process it. Our connection was stronger than ever, and I could feel his presence even when he was across the room.
But as the hours ticked by and exhaustion set in, we all knew that we needed rest. We decided to take shifts keeping watch, and Thane offered to take the first watch.
I settled into the bed, burying myself under the thick quilt and sheets, trying to relax my mind and let sleep take over. But a nagging feeling at the back of my mind kept me awake.
I couldn't stop thinking about Thane and the damn soul bond. Was it a mistake? Did it mean something more than just physical desire? Was it another mating bond?
As I lay there, lost in thought, I heard a soft rustling sound. I sat up, straining my ears to hear better. Then I heard it again. It was coming from the direction of the back door.
I quietly got out of bed and made my way toward the door, stepping out onto the back porch. "Thane," I called out softly, not wanting to startle him, "is everything okay?"
But there was no answer. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw Thane in the distance, sitting in hisborrowed, ahem, stolencar.
I approached the car and knocked on the passenger-side window. He unlocked it, and I slipped inside, music blaring and the heater on full blast.
Thane turned down the music as I closed the door, trapping us both inside.
