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…”