Page 24 of Blood & Bond (The Bouchers #2)

“It felt really far.”

“Would you really walk away?” I asked. The question felt like pulling the pin on a hand grenade, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

Lucy was silent for a long moment.

“I’m not sure I physically could,” she confessed.

That didn’t reassure me.

“Would you really want to?”

“No,” she breathed, dropping her head until our foreheads touched. “No, I don’t think so.”

Finally, some fucking progress.

“What’s your favorite memory?” I asked her, running my fingers through her hair. It was so silky that it slid easily through my fingers, even as the waves wrapped around them.

“My favorite memory?” she asked, frowning. “Why?”

“Because we don’t know enough about each other.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Um…” She looked up at the ceiling.

“Maybe when Charlie got his first bike, and he was so excited because he climbed on it and just took off. He didn’t need my dad to teach him or anything.

He just pushed off with his feet and figured out the pedals on the fly. It was so cool.”

“Yeah?”

“Or maybe the first time he trained with me. He was so proud of how hard he’d hit the bag that he turned to make sure I was looking, and the bag swung back and knocked him onto his face.” She chuckled. “Pride goeth before the fall—literally. What’s yours?”

It was very telling that Lucy’s favorite memories were of Charlie.

“The last time my brothers and I were here together,” I said after a moment. “We sat out back half the night talking around the fire. That’s a good memory.”

“I thought you’d say something cheesy, like the moment you saw me,” she joked, the tension at the sides of her eyes relaxing a little.

“That’s in the top ten.”

“Oh no. You can’t backpedal now.”

“Top ten is good,” I argued. “I’ve lived a long time, you know.”

“I’m aware of that, yes.”

“Top five, even,” I joked, staring into her warm brown eyes. “I’ll never forget it.”

“ This is my mate?” she said, deepening her voice in mock disgust. “Well, all right. I supposed she’ll do.”

I laughed at the absurdity of it. “More like, holy Gods, there she is.”

“Oh, I’m so sure.”

“And then it was, I wonder how long before she’ll let me see her naked.”

“Not long, apparently.”

“And then I thought, I’ll never be alone again, and my mate is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Now I know you’re full of shit.”

“Why?”

“I’m far from the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen,” she scoffed. “I mean, yeah, I’m all right, but I’d never win a beauty contest.”

“Why the fuck do you say that?”

“It’s just the truth.”

“It isn’t,” I insisted. How the hell had she made it to her age without realizing what a knockout she was? “I’m not exaggerating. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. There isn’t a single thing I don’t like.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess,” she replied lightly.

“I’m not complaining. Actually, you know what?

You’re right. I am the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.

Worship me.” She jokingly arched her back and stretched her arms out at her sides, making her breasts strain against the lacy bra she was wearing.

“I plan on it,” I assured her, dropping a kiss between her breasts.

“Shit, that feels good.” She sighed, reaching for my head so she could hold me in place. “More.”

I traced my tongue along the outline of her bra, reveling in the salty taste of her skin. I wanted to consume her. I wished we had hours to play, not minutes, but eventually I lifted my head.

“We have to go back downstairs, don’t we?” she asked.

“They’ve given us enough time.”

Lucy nodded and got to her feet. “The heat isn’t as bad as it was, but it still hurts.”

“I know.” It felt manageable for the moment, but just barely. I didn’t know how we could maintain the distance between us for any length of time. I knew she was hoping that things would take a more human course, slow and steady, but I didn’t think either of us would be able to hold out.

“It’s like an empty feeling,” Lucy said as she walked over to put her shirt back on. “Is it like that for you too?”

“Not exactly.” I’d left my shirt on the stairs and had to get a clean one out of the dresser.

Shit, my hands were still grimy from when I’d been outside.

I went in to wash them, and Lucy followed me to the bathroom door.

“It’s more like pressure in my chest,” I explained, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Hot pressure.”

Lucy pressed her lips together and nodded thoughtfully. “We’re delaying the inevitable, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “But there’s nothing wrong with that. We have time.”

“Except we don’t,” she argued as I took her hand, and we headed for the main part of the house. “Because even if you find that guy’s mate, it won’t be the end, right?”

“Probably not.”

“And you’re half useless while you’re dealing with the mating bond.”

“The symptoms won’t just magically disappear once we cement it,” I explained as we moved down the stairs. “I’m not sure if it matters whether we have or not, I’ll still be distracted.”

“You know that’s not true,” Alice argued from the couch in the living room. I’d known she was there from the sound of her knitting needles clicking together before I’d even seen her. “Without the mating cemented, you’re not truly immortal.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Lucy asked, glancing between us.

“He’s hard to kill now,” Alice said, looking up from her project. “Not impossible.”

“It wouldn’t be impossible to kill me even after my immortality begins,” I argued. “Someone could take my head.”

“Take your—” Lucy’s mouth snapped shut as she went a little green. Then the blood drained from her face. “Zeke.”

“Vampires can survive a lot of abuse,” Alice said, setting down her needles and yarn. “But before they’re mated, they can still be killed by any number of things.”

Lucy’s hand tightened around mine until her nails dug into my skin.

“That’s enough,” I ordered Alice.

“Keeping her in the dark won’t do you any favors,” she shot back as she walked away.

“How does this work?” Lucy asked, shaking her head. “I think I missed something.”

“When mates cement the bond, both become immortal. Before that, the same things that would kill humans could kill Vampires if the injury was severe enough.”

“But I thought…” Her words trailed off. “I guess I didn’t really think.”

“It’s a discussion for another day,” I told her, lifting her hand to my lips. “Let’s go find the boys.”

We found my father and brothers sitting around the table with Charlie and Uncle Sven. Finau was missing.

“Did you tame the beast?” Chance joked as we entered the room.

“Fuck off and die, Chance,” Lucy said easily. “Charlie, can we talk for a minute?”

Charles stood and followed her outside. I watched through the glass doors as she led him across the yard and stopped beneath the old oak tree out back.

“Have you finalized anything?” I asked, staying on my feet. Where the hell was Finau?

“I’ll take Charlie to Goodman’s tonight after dinner,” my dad began. “That puts us a few hours behind schedule, which is a problem, but it can’t be helped if we want you with us. Lucy needs more time to settle if the medicine is going to work.”

I nodded.

“You’re sure that you don’t want to stay back?”

“If I can make it, I’m going,” I confirmed.

“My mate already placed Charlie’s tracker under his collarbone,” Sven noted. “I’ll monitor it from here while I keep watch over the women.”

“You won’t be the only one here.” It was half order, half question.

My father shook his head. “We’ve got six on the perimeter. When we leave, two will move closer to the house.”

“The four of us and Finau will monitor the situation from the ground,” Danny announced. “We’ll stay on Charlie for as long as we can, keep in close contact with Sven, and use his tracker if they slip past us.”

“We don’t move in until they get him to wherever they’re staged,” Chance said firmly. “Or the whole mission goes to shit.”

“We all agreed on that?” Beau asked, looking around to meet each of our gazes. “Because things may get messy before that.”

My lower stomach twisted with worry, but I nodded. “As long as it doesn’t look like Charlie’s about to lose his head.”

“He says he can take it,” Danny said doubtfully. “I don’t like this.”

“It’s the best we have in the limited time we were given,” my father reminded us.

“Matthias and Josiah will be there to take care of Dad so we can follow Charlie,” Beau added.

“You think that’ll be needed?” I asked my dad.

“They’ll bring in enough to overpower me. We’ll need to make them believe they have.”

“Don’t—”

“I won’t let anyone near my neck,” he assured me drolly. “I’m coming home to my mate tonight.”