Page 34 of Wolf Bitten

“You’re one of us now.” She beamed. “That’s what we do for each other.”

Aldric scowled at our interaction, but he looked more concerned than upset about it. I’d take that, especially since I was a human with powers … an arcane-born.

“On that note, I’m taking mymateback to bed.” Raffe snagged my hand, tugging me back to him. “She needs rest to heal, and we have an early start tomorrow.” His displeasure festered in my chest uncomfortably. He led me toward my room, and I didn’t fight him.

Raffe wasn’t hiding what we were to each other anymore. Besides that, I was exhausted.

“Yeah, you need your rest too, with how you’ve been going nonstop.” Adam yawned. “I’m not far behind. It’s been a long night.”

That was when it hit me, and I paused. “Oh, do I need to feed Keith?”

“Aw.” Keith placed a hand on his chest. “She’s worried about me.”

Oh shit. I’d forgotten that Keith hadn’t learned about Cat-Keith.

Lucy beamed. “Not you, friend. Her cat. She’s adorable.”

Keith’s expression froze, and his gaze darted around the living room, searching for the animal. “You got a female cat and named itKeith?”

“Oh my gods.” Adam leaned over, his tan complexion turning red from laughter. “That’s perfect.”

I quickly filled them in, telling the story of the animal shelter owner naming her and why, along with how she’d wound up here.

Keith’s face twisted in disgust. “We need to change its name immediately.”

“Not happening,” Lucy singsonged. “It fits her so well.”

Raffe karate-chopped the air. “We can talk about this later. Everyone else, out of here.”

“Yeah, let’s see how you’d react if a cat was named for you.” Keith pouted, but everyone headed out the door.

I mashed my lips together, trying not to laugh.

Raffe led me into the bedroom and shut and locked my door. The two of us cuddled on the bed. Though I enjoyed his touch, I eventually opened my mouth to talk to him about how I’d hurt his feelings.

But his breathing had steadied, and he was snoring softly.

He was out.

I closed my eyes and tried not to think about how badly I’d fucked up. Finally, I fell into a restless sleep.

A loud,piercing noise attacked my ears. I startled awake, sitting straight up and surveying the area for the threat.

Raffe groaned, his arm tight around my waist. He mumbled, “Turn that damn thing off.”

It was his phone alarm.

I reached over and hit the off button, wondering why the noise sounded so different. Then, something else registered. “Shit. My phone. I need to call my parents.” My stomach tensed. What did they think had happened to me?

“Lucy has it.” Raffe tugged me back against his chest. “We’ll get it from her before we leave. She’s been texting them, pretending she was you.”

Oh. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but at least they weren’t worried.

I kissed his lips, knowing we needed to go. “We’ve got to meet Aldric.”

“Fine.” He groaned, kissing me back. “Let’s get it over with.”

The two of us dressed, and I went into the bathroom to apply some makeup and brush my hair, hoping like hell I didn’t look like death. The vampire bites barely showed anymore.

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