He lied.

That asshole motherfucker lied.

Lied. To my face.

To.

My.

Face.

My glare could melt steel, but Lucas just pulls his shirt over his head, muscles rippling with the movement. Our blanket is clutched tight against my chest—not that there''s any point in modesty after last night, but right now I need all the armor I can get.

He gets ideas when he sees my bare skin.

"You lied to me."

"Did I?" His eyebrow arches as he buttons his jeans. "We showered."

"Oh, is that what you call what happened in there?" Heat floods my cheeks at the memory. My skin bears the evidence of his attention—little marks scattered across my collarbone, my breasts, my thighs. Everything aches in the most delicious way, but that''s not the point. "You said we''d clean up."

"And we did." His lips twitch. "Eventually."

"After you—" My voice catches. Even now, after everything we''ve done, after months of intimacy, certain words stick in my throat.

"After I what?" The bastard''s enjoying this.

"You know what."

"I never said I wouldn''t." He shrugs, all false innocence. "You assumed."

I pull the blanket higher, wincing as muscles protest the movement. "You''re impossible."

"You weren''t complaining last night." He crosses the room, and before I can dodge, his lips press against my forehead. "Rest today. You need it."

The pillow flies from my hand, but he''s already moving, laughing as he sidesteps my attack.

"Jerk!"

A blast of arctic air hits my bare skin as Lucas disappears through the door. The blanket does little to shield me from winter''s bite, and every muscle protests as I force myself to stand.

"Never again," I mutter, hobbling toward the bathroom. "Never trusting that lying Alpha again."

You knew exactly what would happen the moment he stepped into that shower with you.

"Whose side are you on?" The hot water stings as it hits my shoulders, washing away the evidence of our activities. Steam rises around me, and I lean against the tile wall for support.

My own, as always. Selene''s mental yawn echoes through my mind. Though I must say, our mate''s enthusiasm is entertaining.

"Please don''t." Heat creeps up my neck that has nothing to do with the shower. "It''s bad enough you have to witness everything."

"How the hell did you appear in the bathroom when your book form is all the way over here?"

Grimoire materializes beside me, his childlike face twisted in a sour expression. "Our bond has grown again. Something someone of your magical caliber should be able to detect."

"I''m sorry—" The words slip out automatically before I narrow my eyes. Reaching out with my magic, I probe our connection. "Wait. It feels exactly the same to me."

He sighs, shoulders slumping. "Sometimes you''re very slow for someone so talented."

I step toward him with a scowl. "Want to repeat that?"

"Fine." He backs away, hands raised. "I can project a spiritual form of myself within a few feet if I have enough power banked."

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said." His form flickers, shifting into a small fox before returning to the child-shape. He floats upward, pointing toward his bag. "See? I''m still right there."

I peek inside the bag. Sure enough, there''s his book form, exactly where I left it. "But how—"

His sulky expression deepens as he crosses his arms, floating cross-legged in the air. "With all the work we''ve been doing together, isn''t it natural for our bond to grow closer?"

Not as close as ours, Selene says, slipping behind me to rub her head against my thigh. Pieces of fur stick to my wet skin, and I shove her away.

"At least I don''t shed," he snarks back.

Can''t really argue with that. Leaving them to their mild rivalry, I pull Selene''s fur off my leg before getting dressed and cleaning up all my wet footprints. By the time they''ve insulted each other''s ancestors, IQ levels, and their taste in food, I''m done.

"So." I cross my arms, staring at Grimoire''s floating form. "Are you ever going to explain how I''m supposed to recognize when our bond gets stronger? Or am I just supposed to guess?"

His childlike form shimmers, and he waves a dismissive hand. "You should be able to feel it."

"But I can''t."

"Then I don''t know what to tell you." He floats higher, legs still crossed. "It should just feel stronger. More present. Like a rope getting thicker, or a river growing wider."

"That''s not helpful."

"It feels stronger to me." His shoulders lift in another shrug. "Much stronger."

Maybe it means she doesn''t like you as much as you like her. Selene''s mental voice drips with lazy amusement. She stretches out on the floor, front paws crossed. Simple explanation.

Grimoire''s form flickers, his mouth dropping open. "That is not how bonds work! They''re a two-way connection, built on—" His hands flap as he sputters. "The bond grows naturally through use and trust. It has nothing to do with liking each other."

His form solidifies as he regains his composure.

Keep telling yourself that.

"Are you sure?" I press my lips together, fighting a smile at his scandalized expression. "Because Selene might have a point."

"She does not have a point." Grimoire''s feet touch the ground and he stalks toward me, every inch the offended ancient being trapped in a child''s form. "Our bond is sacred. Pure. Based on—"

Like.

"Stop that!" His voice cracks. "You''re both impossible."