Page 70 of Wolf Blood

I changed my clothes—the leggings were annoyingly comfortable—and attempted to make myself a little more presentable. I would've needed some makeup and a hair tool of some kind to really succeed, but I did look and smell better when I stepped out of the bathroom.

Rhone was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for me, when I stepped out.

All he had on was a pair of shorts.It didn't look like he'd changed at all.

"You're staying half-naked?" I asked without thinking.

"You saw Zane. This pack doesn't live like humans. There's no phone service or wi-fi, and the only TVs play physical copies of DVDs and VCRs."

"Do they grow their own food?"

"Some of it. There's a small town nearby where they pick up what they can't get or make themselves fairly easily."

"Wow."

"It's a simpler way to live," Rhone said.

"It sounds like it would suit you."

"In some ways. I get really fucking annoyed by the posturing. Always have. The hierarchy in a pack like this is a lot different than what we have in ours. You'll see it pretty fast. There's a lot more growling. A lot more fighting. A lot more claiming, too. If anyone manages to get past me long enough to bite you, don't bite them back."

I lifted my eyebrows. "You think they're going to try to bite me?"

"Probably."

"Why?"

"I claimed you without a bite. They want a turned vampire. They want to undermine our pack. They're fucking bored because they don't own video game consoles, and live out in the wilderness. They're all horny."

I blinked, suddenly a little warmer. "You think they'll want to fuck me?"

Rhone narrowed his eyes at me. "You're mine, Harper. If you want sex, I'm your only option."

"What if I meet someone I like?"

"I won't let that happen."

"Long-term, turned vampires don't survive without a mate,"I pointed out.

It was Rhone's turn to blink.

"The only two who have been stable for more than a few months are Oren and that woman no one talks about, who's in hiding. They're both mated."

He blinked again.

"What if taking a mate could fix me?" I asked.

"Taking a mate isn't going to fix you. You're not broken."

I gave him a smile that held no humor at all. "I wish you were right about that."

"I'm right."

"All I'm saying is that if I meet someone here who catches my interest and is interested in me, I should consider them."

Rhone was on his feet in a heartbeat. His hands found my hips. He walked me back one step.

Then two.