Mama Ami’s eyes opened, and she let go of us both. “I’ll say this, it’s a solid bond, despite everything. Strong.” She grinned and relief coursed through me. I felt like we’d passed a test or something.

“A good start. Tomorrow evening, Lou, I want you to strengthen it.” Mama Ami settled onto the loveseat across from us. “There are two ways for you two to build up your bond. Close contact—like spending time together—will help build on it naturally. Lou will also have to weave your magic together.”

When she saw my perplexed look, she continued. “Your magic, it floats around you, like tiny filaments or threads. A switch, like Lou, takes those threads and braids them together into a complex pattern. Yours to hers, hers to yours, until it’s one big weaving.”

“Will it hurt?” I tipped my head toward Lou. “Will anything change?”

“It won’t hurt.” Lou’s face scrunched up in thought. “As for things changing…it should be a lot like now, only more so?” She shook her head. “You being a shifter instead of an animal shouldn’t change it too much, but there’s limited data for obvious reasons.”

Bjorn brought Ami a glass of wine and she smiled at him in thanks before taking a sip. “You don’t want to give Eva a chance at a foothold. Build that bond.” She waggled a finger between us. “I want you two together. Work together, eat together, brush your teeth together. Got it? If she attacks, Lou needs to be there to respond.”

“She wasn’t next to me when Eva attacked last night,” I pointed out.

Mama Ami took another sip of wine, her shoulders loosening. “She also wasn’t far. We don’t know where Eva is—she might get closer. Her attacks might escalate. It will be easier for Lou to fight her off if you’re touching. She at least needs to be able to get to you quickly. We don’t want to give Eva a window of time to attack. Close proximity will also grow your bond quickly.”

I cleared my throat, because I saw an obvious issue that no one had discussed yet. “What about at night?”

Mama Ami set down her glass of wine and focused all her attention on me. “If you’re not comfortable sharing a bed, one of you can sleep on the floor. You can sleep in your wolf form. Find a way to make it work. I don’t want to make either of you uncomfortable, but I also don’t want to hand Eva an opportunity if we don’t have to.”

A slow flush crept up Lou’s face. I checked our bond, but she’d locked it down tight. If it weren’t for her pinked cheeks, I might think she was uncomfortable with the idea of me in her bed.

But I was beginning to think it was the opposite. Did Lou want me there?

It had felt really good to wake up with Lou curled against me. I’d been content. Happy. Lou thought it was the bond making me feel things that weren’t there. I knew that wasn’t the case. The only change was that it was easier for me to trust her. I could feel her horror at the idea of controlling someone—of misusing our bond.