Page 73 of Pack Ruin
I grabbed my fork, nodding. “Yeah, he was the one who taught me about camouflage, and hiding in plain sight. As long as nobody could smell something interesting, he always said they probably wouldn’t look too hard.”
“You smell pretty interesting, mate. You might consider a shower when you’re done eating—ow!” I’d pinched his butt as he passed me, and he whirled around with a pained grimace. “I was only teasing. You smell fantastic.”
The scent of his lie had us all crinkling our noses. That and… “Is the silver still in the house?”
Glen answered. “Joaquin took it out. He said it made the spell harder, so he took it off and buried it somewhere just before dawn.” He yawned. “Wake me when it’s dark, Luke.”
Luke nodded, grabbing some food for himself. I sipped the coffee, then dug into the food. When I thought about this being Del’s provisions, it made my throat tighten up, but I was getting used to being in his space.
“Why does Glen call GrigorJoaquin?”
Luke smiled down at his plate. “I think it’s easier for Glen to have a magic-wielding wolf named Joaquin around than to grapple with the reality that he’s bonded to Grigor Dimitrivich.”
“Bonded,” I repeated, fascinated. “You said he was inside you. And I can feel… I felt it, when you were being pulled away. He did something to save you. Are y’all really…”
He swallowed, nodding.
“How did that happen?”
Luke stared down at the table for a long moment, then answered like he was tiptoeing around a sleeping porcupine. “I didn’t do well after you left. The pain was worse than I’d expected. It was only a week before I wasn’t able to stand for more than a few moments. I had some things with your scent on them, and they helped. I snuck back into your old dorm room, and… Well, my wolf went a little crazy there. Brand had warned me not to shift, and it took a full day to get control and shift back. By the time I was back in skin, Torran was there, and had me confined to my room for observation.”
He ate a few bites, then set down his fork. “I thought I would die. I wanted to. Not because I didn’t want to live, but because it felt like I was losing my mind. I think… someone was there, Flor. It felt like my mind was being flayed, like someone was reading all my memories, asking me questions, and all I could do was try to keep them out. Keep you safe.”
“Questions about what?”
He swallowed hard. “About you.”
I had to remind myself to breathe. Me? Why would anyone want to know about me? Unless someone knew who I was. What I was.
Luke let out a breath. “So I let go. I gave up.”
“But your wolf didn’t, did he?”
“He tried. But Grigor wouldn’t let him go. He grabbed him—by the tail? It felt like that. By the tail hairs of my wolf’s spirit, and hauled us back from…” His eyes closed for a moment. “That’s when he braided our souls together. It’s not a mate bond, but it’s something like that. Every bit as permanent. I’m stronger now, even if I have a ways to go to be worthy.”
“Worthy?”
“Of his gift. Of you. Of Glen’s sacrifice.”
I blinked. “Glen?”
“Grigor was all that was keeping me alive. But Torran kept coming into the room, cutting me with silver, trying to get me to die faster, and by the time Glen arrived, both of us were on the verge of dying. Glen gave Grigor permission to tie us all together. He gave us the strength to hold on for you. If Torran had come back…” He went quiet, and I realized I was growling.
“Sorry.” I had no idea what this Torran looked like, but if anyone pointed me in his direction, everyone was going to find out what he looked like without skin.
Luke’s lips twitched. “Don’t be. You have a cute growl.”
“Cute?” I stood, pretending to be offended. “I’m fierce and fearsome.”
“You’re five feet tall and wearing an undershirt,” he replied. “But Glen was right. You do smell a bit fearsome.”
He ducked away from me as I lunged. “Go play with Glen then.” Sticking my nose up in the air, I stomped to the bathroom. “Couple of princesses with sensitive noses.” I tried to act offended, but it was hard when I could smell myself.
I took the world’s longest shower, crying just a little as Del’s soap brought back memories of the painful past. And to my surprise, I ended up smiling as I thought of the two worthy males who were waiting outside the door for me, and the future we might have. I just needed all my males together, and safe.
And my damned steak knife back.
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