Page 8 of Grace of a Wolf 2
"Ghosts? No, of course not."
Lyre's laugh rings through the room, light and musical, yet with an edge. The hair on my arms stands up.
"Oh, Grace. You might want to open your worldview a little more. There's so much more than just humans and shifters out there." She gestures vaguely to the space around us, as if invisible creatures lurk in the corners of the hospital room.
"I know that," I say uncomfortably, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. Everyone knows there are other supernaturals. Witches. Vampires. But I haven't met any of them.
Lyre chuckles. "Do you? Well, I suppose that's a conversation for another time." She leans forward, her inhuman eyes studying me. "Do you remember stabilizing Caine?"
I shake my head immediately, frowning at the unfamiliar term. "Stabilizing? What do you mean?"
Lyre scratches at her cheek again, hesitating for a split second before her expression shifts to blunt curiosity. "Well, the two of you fucked, right?"
A cough rips through my throat, and I cover my burning face with both hands. "We didn't—" My voice drops to a whisper. "We didn't go all the way."
"Close enough." Lyre waves her hand dismissively. "The more intimate the contact, the more transference is going to occur."
My hands drop to my lap. "What are you talking about?" The question comes out weak, pathetic. I try desperately not to think about what happened in the camper after Lyre left us alone—Caine's hands rough with need, my body arching against his, the way he growled against my ear, the shocking intensity of release that crashed through me…
Not thinking about it is clearly going well.
My face heats further.
"Energetic transference." Lyre's voice shakes me from my thoughts. "Look, I don't need the details of what you did. I'm just trying to explain what happened when you did it."
My fingers clench the thin hospital blanket. The mortified part of me wants to derail this conversation entirely, but obviously this isn't an option. "I get that, but I'm not understanding what you're saying."
Lyre frowns. "Has anyone ever explained what happens with a mate bond?"
Chapter four
Grace: Transference (II)
"Oh—he didn't… I'm not…" My hand jumps to the side of my neck awkwardly. "We aren't mated or anything."
She rubs her forehead. "That's not what I was asking. Do you know what happens to two shifters when they complete a mating bond? The marking scars are just the physical expression. The real bonding happens on an energetic level. When a shifter claims their mate, there's an exchange of energy. Usually, it's balanced. A give and take."
A cold feeling settles in my stomach. "Okay…"
"It isn't much, and there are levels of sensitivity to a bond. Some pairs can feel each others' emotions, for example. There's almost always a mental link between pairs. And they can share in each others' pain and healing to a small extent."
I nod.
"And then there's you."
Now she's just getting ominous. "I'm listening."
Lyre's expression softens with something that might be pity. "Caine... took. A lot. Though I don't think he meant to. To be fair, you're a bit of a special case, yourself."
I squint at her. "Um. Lyre? Not to sound repetitive, but Caine wasn't trying to mark me."
She runs her hands through her hair with a groan. "Grace, you need to work on your relationship aversion. I know he wasn't trying to mark you, but are you really trying to say you still haven't figured out you two are fated mates?"
Time stops. My mouth hangs open. The twinkling lights grow dim in my vision as I process her words.
Lyre arches one eyebrow, waiting for my response. The silence between us stretches uncomfortably long.
My heart jumps at the thought, but then I crush the hope ruthlessly in a mental fist. No. Stop daydreaming.
