The wonder in Dell’s eyes distracted her as the pelt fell out in clumps. “It’s the pack bond.” She touched my cheek. “I didn’t notice before—I was distracted—but I can feel you.” A grin blossomed. “That’s amazing.”

As though her touch amplified the connection, I rested my face in her hand, absorbing the sensation of belonging. The burn in my fingertips as my fingernails regrew made me grimace. The comfort I had so briefly tasted scattered, and I was alone in my head again. A spike of grief swelled in my chest as I mentally grasped at what I could no longer perceive. The psychic feedback slammed into the walls of my skull and throbbed.

Amazing was one word for it. To think wargs experienced that every moment of their lives filled my mouth with a bitter taste. Another time I might have called it jealousy.

I withdrew from Dell and turned my back on her while I pulled myself together. She kept pace beside me, seeming to understand I needed a moment alone. The rest of our walk passed in silence except for the chittering songs of cicada, though I caught her staring at me out of the corner of her eye more than once. When the buzz of mosquitoes became too loud to ignore and my face and neck grew lumpy and itchy, I accepted defeat and returned to the bait shack.

Graeson met us on the steps, a shoulder braced against one of the weathered two-by-fours supporting the bowed roof. If the red dots covering his arms were any indication, he had been waiting on our return for a while. “Enjoy your walk?”

My gaze slid past him to my home away from home for the next however long my kidnapping lasted. “Yes.” I smiled thinly. “The dirt road is one of the more scenic ones I’ve walked, and I’ve never seen bird-sized mosquitos before.”

A cool breeze off the water twirled loose hairs into my eyes. Graeson shot down the steps before I could pat them back into place. His hands cinched my upper arms, and he lifted my feet almost off the ground. His nose traced the length of my jaw, his breaths warm on my neck, his lips soft against my skin. Chills raced along the same path. I didn’t move. I barely breathed.

Having a carnivore pay that kind of close attention to me was enough to turn my knees to water. Good thing he was holding me upright.

“What are you doing?” That breathy voice was not mine.

“You smell female.” His words rumbled at my ear.

“I am female.” I planted my hands on his abs, which was as high as I could reach with my arms locked at my sides, and pushed him back. Or tried to. I had no leverage, and he didn’t budge an inch. “Thanks for noticing.”