Tate blinked and tears fell, sliding down her cheeks as she swiped at them. Her eyes found mine. “I need a minute, okay?”
I nodded as she got up and hurried across the room, through the joined bathroom. The door closed on her side a moment later.
Lulu looked stricken. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” I assured her quickly. “Tate’s just had a lot going on. I think this was news she needed to hear, but it’s also hard. Her dad just died, and … what you said would have made him really happy. He loved both of her boyfriends.”
Her head dipped. “Shit. Talk about an emotional atomic bomb.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything.” Lulu’s honesty was refreshing.
“Does a female always bond to a male? Or multiple men?” I asked, thinking of Katy and Maren. Of the women Long Mesa had forced into hetero relationships.
“No,” she replied swiftly. “Women are capable of bonding with other women, and men can bond to another man, or men. It’s not about gender; it’s about the soul connection.”
“Wow,” I whispered. American packs had completely screwed everything up. No wonder our packs were struggling to thrive.
We had it all wrong.
24
Skye
“Warm and tingly?” I said, trying not to crack up again as Lulu explained what it was like when she tapped into her magic.
“Yes!” she insisted with a giggle, still on the couch in the same spot since Tate had left almost an hour earlier. “It’s … God, think of like your most intense orgasm. It’s like that. When everything detonates from the inside out and you’re left hanging in this suspended place of sheer bliss.”
My brain had zero trouble recalling that memory. I could feel the heat radiating off my cheeks as Lulu started to cackle again at my embarrassment.
Tate hadn’t come back, but Lulu had stayed to keep me company, telling me about her family, which had turned into talking about her magical abilities. When I asked how it felt, she scrambled to describe it.
“Oh, you’ve got it bad,” she teased, wagging a finger at me. “How long have you guys been together?”
I groaned. “That’s a complicated question.”
“Okay,” she drawled. “Explain it.”
“Remy and I met in the fall of last year. We bonded the first time our wolves saw each other. So, like, three weeks after I met him.” I rolled my eyes. It had been a whirlwind for sure.
“You second gens have it so easy,” Lulu proclaimed. “First time you see each other and wham! Instant bond.”
“Right, super easy to bond with someone you barely know,” I replied, sarcasm thick in my tone.
“Better than a lot of first gens. Sometimes it takes decades for them to bond. It’s so painful to watch sometimes.” She screwed her eyes shut and shuddered. “And it’s totally better than third gens.”
“Wait, they have those?” I asked, gaping at her.
“We’ve only had one pair on record that both mates were third gens,” she told me. “But that was freaky as shit. They bonded in human form as kids. Seriously, they were like seven years old.”
“How does that even work?” I demanded.
Lulu shrugged. “It was years ago, before I was born. My mama was a kid when it happened. It was actually really sad because the little girl died when she was twelve. Some freak accident when she was traveling with her parents and their train derailed in the ice. The boy was back in the village when it happened, but his heart stopped at the same minute hers did.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah.” Lulu shook her head. “Like I said, freaky shit. Everyone assumed it was because of their bond, but still. Weird as hell.”
“There are no other third gens?” I asked slowly. If Remy and I had kids, it would be a third generation.
“None that have bonded with another third gen,” she replied. “If you had been pregnant? Your kid would be a third gen, but likely would bond with a second gen or first gen. Their bond would be like the one you have with your … Remy? Is that his name?”
I nodded.
“So, your kids would have an easier time finding a mate since the mate could be inside your pack or in a different one.”
“There’s a lot of rules for this mating bond,” I muttered.
“I’ll make you a chart.” Lulu winked at me as someone knocked on the door.
I stood up to open it, but Lulu waved me back down with a grin. She flicked her wrist as I sat, and the door swung open on its own.
I was still lifting my jaw off the floor when Nikolai stepped inside with a small smile.
“I see you two are getting on quite well,” he said, looking from me to Lulu and back. His brow furrowed. “And where is Tate?”
My eyes drifted to the bathroom that connected our rooms. She hadn’t come back out since disappearing into her room almost an hour earlier.
“She’s still taking time to adjust,” I said carefully.
“Of course,” he replied with a respectful nod. “Hopefully she’ll be more at ease when we take her home tomorrow.”
“It’s really happening? We’re leaving tomorrow?” My pulse ratcheted up several notches.
“Yes,” he told me. “I’ve just spoken with the airstrip and the storm has already stopped there. They believe they can have the runway cleared by early evening for our departure.”
“That’s—” I paused and stared at him. “Our departure?”
Nikolai frowned. “I believe you mentioned there was a war brewing in your pack?”
“I did,” I said slowly.
“If you think I’m sending my daughter into a warzone alone, you’re mistaken,” he went on, his gunmetal eyes gleaming. “I plan to accompany you myself.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I replied, not sure what his angle was exactly.
“It seems that your pack and mine have the same enemy,” he explained, his voice going lethally soft as he spoke. “The traitor sitting in my cell betrayed me as surely as he betrayed you. I would have the matter settled.”
“It’s still not your fight,” I pointed out.
“You’re my daughter,” he said simply. “What’s your fight will always be my fight.”
Well, hell.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
Thankfully, Lulu stood up. All traces of smiles and laughter were gone now as she stared at Nikolai. “Are you taking him with you?”
His eyes cut to her. “I am. He may have some value left.”
“I need to speak with him first,” Lulu demanded. “I need to know how he’s doing it.”
“Doing what?” I asked, my gaze darting back and forth between them.
Nikolai ignored my question. “I’m well aware. I’ve already asked Dimitri to meet you in the bunker so you can try to extract what you need to know before we leave. Your mother asked to be there as well.”
“Mama isn’t part of this,” Lulu answered coldly. She folded her arms across her body defiantly.