Page 78 of Bound to the Wolf
She tapped her free hand against the steering wheel. “Is their coven in the area?”
He could practically see her flipping through a mental Rolodex of every coven she knew. “We were up in New England,” he said.
She made a sound in the back of her throat, and if she were a wolf, he would have called it a growl. “Just say the word and I’ll send them a strongly worded email.”
His grin grew even broader. “Oh, I’m worth a strongly worded email?”
They were stopped at a traffic light, and Delainey leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’re worth more than that, I think.” She looked away quickly, and her cheeks might have been on fire, but the light in the car was dim, so he couldn’t tell.
The light changed, and she started driving again. She was quiet for a block or two, her thumb tapping the steering wheel.
"My dad used to disappear for months," she said. Her voice was even, like she was telling him about the weather. "Research trips. Coven business. Important stuff, apparently. My mom wasn't great on her own. She kind of just… floated." Delainey flicked on the turn signal. "I handled things."
Reece didn't say anything. He recognized the tone. It was the same one he'd used by the fire in the woods, casual, throwaway, a story that cost nothing to tell.
It cost everything.
"When I left for Hobson, I thought the whole house would collapse. I felt like the worst daughter alive for about six months." She let out a short breath that was almost a laugh. "And then my dad came home and stayed. And my mom started figuring her shit out. They're fine now. Better than fine, actually. It turns out they just needed me to stop doing everything so they had a reason to do it themselves."
She said it like it was a happy ending, and maybe it was. But Reece heard the thing underneath it, the thing she probably didn't even know she was saying: that the people she loved most had only risen to the occasion once she wasn't there to rise for them.
That she had spent her whole childhood being necessary and then learned she was replaceable.
No wonder she didn't let anyone in. Letting someone in meant they could figure out they didn't need her.
He brought their joined hands up and pressed his mouth to her knuckles. He didn't say any of that. But he held on tighter, and she let him.
Then out of nowhere she said, “I promise my sisters won’t kidnap you for dating me.”
Reece sputtered and choked a little bit. “Is that something I should be worried about?”
Where had that come from?
“Uh, no?” It was definitely a question.
“There’s a story there, isn’t there?” he demanded, but they were pulling into the driveway.
The old blue Victorian loomed up through the windshield, porch light on, the paint peeling along the eaves, and the front steps had that slightly warped look of wood that had survived too many seasons without being replaced.
Delainey made a production of backing the car in and paying close attention to the backup camera and the mirrors. She put the car in park, and Reece couldn’t resist leaning in close and giving her a brief kiss. When he pulled back, her eyes were locked on his lips.
“What was that for?” she asked, her seatbelt already unbuckled, one hand still resting on the gearshift between them.
“Because I can.” He stole one more kiss before forcing himself to pull away. He put his hand on the door handle and paused. “How did you want to play this?” He wanted to scream from the rooftops that she was his, but he could recognize a delicate situation when he saw one.
They had been sleeping together for weeks, and they had seen her sisters several times since then, but it had never warranted an announcement. Everything was different now.
Delainey got out of the car without answering and came around. She opened his door for him and held out her hand, flexing her fingers a few times when he didn’t immediately take it.
Reece clasped their hands together. He guessed that was answer enough.
They entered through the front this time and found the coven, along with Nico, waiting in the living room. Elise was cuddled up next to her boyfriend and was the first one to spot their joined hands.
“Is there anything you want to tell us, Delainey?” Elise sat up straighter against Nico, her blonde ponytail swinging over one shoulder, blue eyes sharp and fixed on their interlocked fingers.
Delainey shrugged and gave an innocent smile and didn’t drop Reece’s hand. She glanced at him, then looked back at Elise. “Nope!”
He felt eyes on him from every direction. Nico had his lips pressed together, suppressing a grin. He was leaning back on the sectional with one arm stretched along the cushion behind Elise, his dark hair hanging past his ears, looking like a man trying very hard not to sayI told you so.
