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“You don’t need to come and find me. You’ll know if I’ve really gone.”

“How?”

“You won’t sense me in your head.”

“That would be a blessing.”

She waited but he didn’t reply, and she gradually relaxed again. She might not have come to terms with him, or anything in her life yet, but she was glad he was there.

In her head.

In her heart?

With a groan, she rolled over and went to sleep.

* * *

“Coffee?”

Vadim held up the half-empty pot as Ella came out of the bathroom. She stared at him as if he were speaking Russian and briefly closed her eyes. Her blond hair was standing on end as if she’d stuck her finger in an electrical outlet. He wouldn’t put it past her. Concealing a smile, he found one of the mugs he’d just rewashed, filled it with coffee and put it on the countertop next to her.

“Do you want me to toast you a bagel?”

She clambered up onto the kitchen stool and nodded, both hands wrapped around her mug of coffee as she inhaled the rising steam. He sliced the bagel, put it in the toaster and went to the refrigerator to get the cream cheese.

“I went out for a run earlier, so I got some supplies.”

She sipped at her coffee, and her shoulders slowly came down from around her ears. It had been a stressful couple of days. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned away and studied the newspaper until the bagel was toasted. “Did you sleep well?”

“I think so. I don’t remember dreaming or anything.”

“That’s good.” He’d had enough nightmares for both of them. He was surprised he hadn’t woken her. “I’m not planning on going into the office today. How about you?”

“Hold it. Stop with the casual small talk.” She pointed her knife at him. “Why aren’t you on that plane going back to Russia with Alexei?”

“Because the SBLE decided I should stay here.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“They don’t know about…us, do they?”

“I should imagine they’ll work it out fairly quickly when you don’t start going insane on your birthday.”

“Oh, damn. I’d forgotten about that. Maybe I could pretend to go nuts?”

“And lose the job you love so much?” Ignoring her impression of sticking her fingers down her throat, he stuck another bagel in the toaster. “And remember, they won’t necessarily know towhomyou’re mated, just that you are mated.”

“But won’t everyone wonder why you’re still here?”

“The last I heard, everyone was hoping I’d stay because I’m the only partner you’ve ever worked with that you respect.”

She stuck out her tongue at him. He handed her another bagel.

“So you’re planning on staying, then?”