“Jeeze. You weigh a million pounds. Get off.” I tried to move him but he wouldn’t budge. “Babe. I can’t breathe.”
He got up and pushed his forehead to mine. His relief was staggering, but the terror that something had happened to me still bubbled under the surface. He growled, and his alpha-ness ran through me. My skin stretched and itched.
He was bringing out my wolf. My heart raced. “Stop.” My insides mushed around as I tried to fight the change. “Cut it out.” I met his gaze. “Stop it right now!” I threw as much power as I could into the command and he instantly calmed down and stepped back.
I sat up, breathing like I’d run miles. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
He howled.
Great. I didn’t speak wolf. “Chris? What’s his problem?” The fear and anxiety that Dastien was still giving off made me on edge, ready to attack some unknown enemy.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” he said from the driver’s seat.
I stood up and brushed the dirt off my jeans. My bum was a little sore from the fall. “Maybe next time don’t tackle me so hard, okay?”
“I could give him a few lessons on tackling—”
Dastien growled, cutting off Chris. When I’d first gotten to St. Ailbe’s and tried to make a run for it, Chris had chased me through campus and tackled me mid-shift. Then, he’d hit on me while I was trapped beneath him and he was still naked from shifting, which my mate now took exception to.
Dastien brushed against my hip—not giving me even an inch of room as I went to the trunk. When it wouldn’t open, I banged on the hatch. “Unlock it, please,” I said to Chris.
The lock clicked and I grabbed a pair of sweats and flip-flops for Dastien. Meredith had stashed some stuff in the trunk after the whole vampire thing. Apparently, all Weres should have at least a few pairs of sweats and flip-flops in their cars for emergencies. I dropped pants, a T-shirt, and the sandals on the ground by Dastien, and zipped up the bag.
By the time I closed the hatch, Dastien was back in his two-legged form. He was wearing the pants, but didn’t bother with the shirt before pulling me into his arms. I took a breath with my face pressed against his chest. A shudder ran through him.
“What’s wrong?” My voice was muffled by his body.
He squeezed me tighter, then let go enough to look down at me. His eyes were still bright gold. “You disappeared.”
I was missing something. “No. I went to my cousins’ house…”
He brushed the hair from my face.
“I know I wasn’t supposed to, but I had to go.” I paused. His fear was slowly fading. “Why were you freaking out?”
“I…” He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “I thought you died.”
“What! Why would you think that?”
“All of a sudden, you were gone. I couldn’t feel you through the bond. You weren’t there anymore.” He pulled me against his chest. “I thought you were dead,” he said the words softly.
It wasn’t just me that felt the bond disappear when I went through the gate. He’d felt it, too. Only he didn’t know the reason.
I was a complete dumbass. I should’ve called him. This so wasn’t winning me the Mate of the Year award.
“I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”
His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me back into his chest. “Just give me a second and I’ll pull it back together.” His heart was still racing. “I’ve had close calls, seen my life flash before my eyes, but nothing like what happened when our bond went dead. I saw our whole future disappear. All the things we’d never get to do. Getting married, having kids, going to see Paul van Dyk play…”
Married? Kids? I was going to pretend he didn’t say that stuff. Instead, I reacted to the only thing on his list that I could mentally handle. “Paul van Dyk?”
“Merde.” He laughed. “That was supposed to be a surprise. For your birthday.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. He’s coming to Austin next weekend.”
I grinned. “Best gift ever. I can’t wait.”