Page 76 of Grace of a Wolf 2
The words come without conscious thought or consideration of consequences. Not angry, not defensive—just a simple statement of fact. Like saying the sky is blue or water is wet.
She's mine now. I'll put my life on the line to make sure she's safe. I know it from the hair on my head down to my tiniest toenails. This child has wrapped herself around my heart. Learning she has no parents had the decision cemented before I ever consciously thought about it.
Bun snuffles against my shirt, her little fingers curling. It feelsrightto have her weight and warmth in my lap, like she's always been meant to be here. Children were never a priority for me. It wasn't as if I didn't want to be a mother—of course I do, someday—but it was an abstract future for a much older Grace.
Tiny puffs of warm breath hit my collarbone as she falls back into deeper sleep.
Caine's eyes narrow. "Then we'll make arrangements when we return to my territory."
There it is.
The assumption.
We. Us. Together. A package deal.
My hand continues its gentle circles on sweet little Bun's back while I choose my next words carefully. This isn't about picking a fight—it's about establishing truth.
"No 'we' yet. I said she's with me. Not us."
His jaw tightens. In the dim lighting, the shadows of his face are more pronounced, making him seem more angry than he sounds. "You don't seem to understand how this works."
This. He must be talking about the bond. Our fated tether and the reason everything's so wonk.
"Maybe I don't," I acknowledge, keeping my voice soft for Bun's sake. "But I do understand I'm not property. And neither is she."
"I never said—"
"You didn't have to." I shift the girl, tucking her more securely against me even as I wiggle into a different position. Now my right cheek wants to go numb. "Look, Caine. I know there's something between us. We're fated mates, right?"
He nods. Just one little dip of his head to acknowledge my words, even as his eyes burn into me.
"I feel it, too. But it doesn't mean I'm going to hand over my life, my choices, and my future." I take a breath. "Or hers."
Caine leans forward, forearms on his knees, every line of his body tense. For a moment, he says nothing, just watches Bun's sleeping form so intensely I hold her a little closer.
"You're expecting me to court you." Like the concept is completely foreign. He's not angry or anything as far as I can tell, just... bewildered.
A startled laugh almost escapes me, but I catch it to avoid waking the baby. "No, not really." I mean, we're already fated to be together, right? It seems silly to deny it at this point. "I'm just saying we need to get to know each other. I don't know what I'm getting into, and you don't even know what my favorite color is. It's not conducive to a healthy relationship for us to jump in just because of our bodies…"
My voice falters a little as his eyes gleam in the darkness.
"Because of our bodies?" he asks, sounding way too innocent for the predatory look on his face.
"You know…meshing."
"Are you talking about when I—"
"There are children here," I hiss, swiping at his face with one hand. I miss gagging him by about six inches. "Watch what you say."
"—talked to you privately?" he finishes smoothly, as if he wasn't about to say anything about the dirty, naughty things his mouth and hands had done.
"Yes. That."
He nods. "Then I agree. Our bodiesmeshquite well."
Of course, there's the wholeif-he-touches-me-I-might-diething, but it seems the great Lycan King isn't willing to talk aboutthatlittle detail.
"Anyway," I continue, with a little more emphasis than necessary, "I don't believe in throwing away who I am just because some metaphysical divine being decided we're soulmates."
