Page 65 of Vampire Pack

"How are you feeling?” I asked, as we buckled our seatbelts in my car.

I wasn't sure if she was seeing what I was seeing. As professional athletes, we were overly aware of our limits. But we were also very good at ignoring pain, and pushing through it.

"Off,” she admitted. "Heat has to be coming.”

At least I wasn’t going to have to convince her of that.

"How long have you felt that way?” I asked.

"I woke up covered in sweat around 3 AM. I should still be fine to play in the game tomorrow night. There’s probably going to be a few hours between the game and the actual start of heat.”

I didn’t disagree, even though there was no chance in hell that she’d be playing right before she went into heat. Her condition would get worse as she approached it, and she’d be damn near delirious in the hours before it began.

"We’ll see how you’re feeling in the morning,” I said. "If you’re not in the right headspace, we’ll stay home."

"The team needs us, and I want to play,” she protested.

"The team will get by. You matter a hell of a lot more than a game."

"I'll be fine." She leaned forward, adjusting the car's air vents and putting the air conditioning on full blast.

"I want you to be a hell of a lot more than fine." I turned my vents toward her too.

Carmen shot me a reluctant but grateful look. "Sorry."

"I'll take a thank you."

The words earned me a grudging smile. "Thank you. But I'm still playing, if I can. You know I can't just accept a mate bond if my mate is trying to keep me from hockey. Hockey is my life, and I'm really fucking good at it."

"I would never try to stop you from playing. You know that. The only thing I've ever tried to stop is the assholes who hurt you."

She nodded, only slightly reluctant. "So you're not going to force me to sit out if I'm just super sweaty?"

"I fucking love it when you're sweaty, Yorkie. I wouldn't force you to sit out. If you're not in your right mind, we'll decide together that neither of us are going anywhere near the ice."

She shot me a look. "You're not skipping a game, even if I'm going a little crazy."

I captured her hand, lifting it to my lips. Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, I waited for her to turn toward me before I replied.

Finally, she met my gaze.

I said simply, "I'm not leaving your side for anything when you're going into or out of heat. We're a packaged deal, now. This shit is permanent. Suck it up."

She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head and looking away. "Alright, fine. It's not like I can make you play, anyway."

"I'd have fun watching you try."

Her stomach growled loudly, and she pressed a hand to it. "Ugh. I shouldn't be starving already."

"It's because of heat." I released her hand, putting my car into reverse and backing out of the parking lot. My palm went to her thigh after I put the car in drive, and she absentmindedly placed her hand on top, lacing her fingers through mine.

"My family finally texted me about the mate bond last night," she admitted.

"What did they say?"

"Holy fuck, mostly. I got a few congrats. My mom asked if I'm pregnant yet—I told her she'll have to wait a century for that. A couple of them are going to drive in next week. They all want to meet you."

I'd met most of her brothers in the past, and we got along well enough. I hoped it would go well with the rest of her family, too.