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I nodded my head in agreement—exactly.Even if I was new to the pack, I knew what I was getting into when Cam bonded me in, and when Marlowe and I bonded a few nights ago.

Fuck, did I miss her. Being apart, especially after I’d bonded with her, was causing my anxiety to spike to crazy levels, higher than I’d ever felt. It was way worse than when that alpha gang back in Montana had tried to force me into their pack a few years ago

And we couldn’t even feel her through her bonds, so we had no clue what was happening to her or what we were going to face once we crossed through the fae realm.

The vampyr leaned forward in his seat. “That’s because we have to be careful—there are no female vampyrs, which means we need to develop a trustworthy relationship with a human woman before we can reveal our true nature. We don’t have a community of willing females who understand our needs and culture like you do. Most of us aren’t in the business of tricking women, but you can’t exactly spring that you’re a vampyr to a human on the first date. I mean, how many human females have you dated or slept with before Marlowe? How many would you trust to know what you are without running away or trying to hurt you?”

My lip snarled and I readied a snide remark, but then his words sunk in and I gave it all another thought. I hated to admit it, but it made a bit of sense. I’ve never had to hide myself with a female shifter before. Even Cam finally gave up trying to antagonize him, turning around to face forward.

“What are you going to do about blood?” I asked. “What if we find a portal and go through today? We could be gone for a long time. You’re going to need to feed, right?”

He pursed his lips and sighed. “I fed before I left. As long as I don’t suffer any severe injuries or prolonged periods of starvation, I should be fine for a while.”

“And if you do?” I pressed. “What then?”

“Then I’ll have to find someone,” he admitted with half a shrug.

“Well, you aren’t sucking my neck,” Cam called from his seat.

Kian pretended to gag. “Don’t worry, I think I’d rather die.”

“Hey!” I yelled. “You wouldbeso lucky to have alphablood…”

Archer’s eyes perked up. “Kian, have you ever fed from a shifter before?”

His face contorted in disgust. “Um, no, and I don’t particularly want to, either. If it was an emergency then of course, beggars can’t be choosers, but, no offense—you all smell a bit like wet dog and it makes me lose my appetite.”

Elias chuffed. “Your nose is fucked, then. Marlowe says I smell like bergamot.”

“Aw, like her favorite tea?” Nolan asked. “That’s cute.”

Wait, what did she think I smelled like? I’d never asked her, but she obviously liked it. You can’t fake that kind of chemistry like we had with a bad scent match.

“Anyway,” Archer interrupted, taking back control of the conversation. “I wonder if there would be any benefits—the protein you require is present in our blood as well as in humans. Could we possibly share our strengths if we…”

“Archer, if you put your teeth anywhere near that vamp and accidentally bond him into our pack, I will fucking kill you,” Cam growled. “But if you want to offer yourself up as a shifter juice box, that’s your business.”

Kian rolled his eyes at Cam and then turned to Archer. “I hadn’t considered that, but it’s an interesting idea. If the need arises, and you’re willing, I could feed from you and let you know if I feel any side effects.”

I shuddered at the thought of a vamp’s teeth on my neck.

A little bite from Marlowe would be nice, though. Like the one she’d given Cam, the one he took every opportunity to show off.

We pulled off the highway around thirty miles south of Eau Claire. Elias stepped out of the car, knocking on the window. “Kian, get your fanged ass out here.”

He scratched his cheek and sighed, climbing through the middle row to exit and join Elias outside.

“Well? Elias asked.

Kian looked over his shoulder to make sure there weren’t any other cars nearby, then leapt up close to twenty feet to land on the branch of an oak tree. He faced north, sniffed the air, then turned south and repeated the process.

“You’re right,” he yelled down. “I can smell something strange. It doesn’t feel… natural.”

He easily jumped back down, his feet barely making an impactin the snow. “Do you want to start from here?”

Elias began to undress. “Might as well. I don’t think the portal can be that far from Maiingan Hollow since Ezra traveled there by wolf and by foot often enough.”

The rest of us filed out, taking off our clothes.