Page 60 of The Lunatics

“It’s as real as you or me. I had bruises on my knuckles after you broke the vampire’s ribs.”

“Fascinating. Does it persist even over long distances?”

“Yup. But it’s muted. Instead of feeling your spine crack against that brick wall, it would have been more like a dull ache.”

“So every time the vampire hit me…”

“He also hit me.”

Anger radiated out of the back seat. “I killed him too quickly.”

“That’s the bond talking,” I said. “I know Mom and Dad explained this to us, but I don’t think either of us was ready for how intense the need to protect each other has been.”

“It is proving rather inconvenient, isn’t it?” he said. “Perhaps its intensity is due to the fact that we’ve been under near constant duress since meeting.”

“Sounds like a fair assumption.”

“Hopefully tonight will provide us with a much-needed break.”

“Please don’t jinx us,” I begged.

A trickle of amusement escaped from him, but his expression remained stoic. “What’s on the docket for the evening? I only caught the tail end of your conversation with Gia before we left.”

“We thought a small bonfire at my parents’ house would be nice.”

“Who’s on the guest list?”

“You, me, Gia, Natalie, Gia’s mom, Natalie’s parents, my parents, our alpha, and a few of my closer friends from the pack. No one should bother you. I told Gia to spread the word that if anyone does, I’ll flypaper their paws.”

Another hint of amusement flared in the back of my mind. I checked the rearview. Not even the ghost of a smile brightened his expression.

“You know, I can feel you smiling on the inside. Would it kill you to actually follow through? You’re destroying my ego here.”

“I can try,” he said, his tone sincere. “This level of openness is… new to me.”

“How? You were engaged to marry someone a few days ago.”

He turned his gaze out of the window, giving me the reflection of his profile. “Marlena and I ran in similar circles. Her family is from one of the larger packs in New York, and our engagement was largely political. Early on, she and I came to an understanding of what our relationship would be.”

“And that was…?”

“That of close political allies. We had to maintain a united front, both in the face of our adversaries and our allies, chief among them our own families. To do that, we kept the relationship unencumbered by any romantic feelings.”

“Wait, you didn’t even sleep together?”

The discomfort I felt coming off him manifested in the flush of color that appeared in his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “No.”

“You’re not a virgin, are you?”

He shot me a withering look. “No.”

I grinned at him. “Just checking. You blush pretty easy every time we get close to this topic.”

He sniffed and turned to look out the window again. “My family is private about our affairs.”

“Yoursexualaffairs,” I said, just to push his buttons.

He took a deep breath before answering. He looked like he was counting to ten. “Yes. Now are you done being childish?”