Page 52 of Vampire Pack

With my mate in my arms, inside space that belonged only to us, all of my instincts were finally quiet. I crashed, really fucking hard.

"Remember, we want people to believe that us sealing a mate bond was completely on purpose," Carmen reminded me, as I parked my car next to Hollis's.

"I remember. We're approaching it as a team."

We were arriving a lot later than either of us usually would. The superstitious parts of me that insisted I follow my usual pregame ritual didn't appreciate that, but I was trying to ignore the irritation.

It was better to fuck with my ritual than to rip someone's throat out for looking at my mate for too long. Which was a genuine possibility at the moment.

Carmen was wearing one of my jerseys, at my request. She hadn't even been reluctant about it. The fabric nearly swallowed her whole, baggy and falling almost to her knees, but she'd put on a pair of my sweats beneath it, and a team beanie that she'd found in my closet.

My scent was embedded deeply in the fabric of all three items, so I really fucking hoped that would keep other people away.

If anyone other than her pack touched her in any capacity, I'd lose my shit.

We got out of the car, and she immediately took my hand. The display of affection was still a little stiff for me, more than it was for her. Werewolves in general were more physically affectionate than vampires. It didn't come naturally to us like it did for them.

Showing up later meant that even the athlete's entrance to the arena was significantly more crowded than usual. My grip on Carmen's hand tightened as people noticed us. The news of our recent bond was all over the internet, and luckily, it stopped them from approaching.

Some of them were reporters, and asked us questions. We didn't respond, just lifting our hands in a quick greeting as we passed.

A woman came a little too close, and a growl rattled Carmen's chest. She tucked herself close to my side, her arm going around my waist, and I draped an arm over her shoulder.

The other woman stepped back immediately, lifting her hands in apology.

If there was one thing people respected at Soulmate University, it was a sealed mate bond. We didn't fuck around with that.

There were still people around after we made it into the building, but they respected our space a little more.

Mallory and Paige were waiting outside the locker room when we got there. They were wearing the family passes that Carmen had gotten them a few years earlier.

"Don't let anyone near her," I warned the other women.

Mallory saluted me with two fingers. "You've got it."

Paige rolled her eyes. "You have a reputation for brutalizing people who hurt her on the ice. No one's going to risk pissing you off."

"I'll be fine." Carmen squeezed my side lightly, then released me and took a step back. "Bring me back some teeth, King."

"I'll string them on a necklace for you," I drawled.

"Don't lose any of your teeth. She's probably getting attached to them." Mallory gestured to Carmen.

Carmen brushed it off. "Have fun."

"And stay the fuck away from the women on the other team," Mal added. "So our girl doesn't climb onto the ice to start a fight herself."

"We all know she would," Paige agreed.

There was no doubt about that.

"Neither of us are fighting anyone today." Carmen grabbed her friends' arms and dragged them away. "The other women will be wearing gear, King's not going to touch them, and I have self-control. Kind of."

I watched the women disappear around the corner, fighting the urge to go after the one in the middle.

Being apart from Carmen still felt unnatural. The pull in my chest that felt like a tangible thing connecting me to her had already started to ache again. The ache was less dramatic than it had been the night before, so I assumed it would fade completely in the next few days.

I was just going to have to deal with it for the moment, because we had a game to play.