“What—“ Cade coughs. “What happened to your wrist, Bella?” Cade asks again. Dr. Thompson just left to check on a few of the other warriors with Annette’s assistance, and I’m not sure where Richard and Marion went. With just Dawn to hear us, I can speak freely.

“I did what I had to do to save you.” I bite my lip as I try to figure out the best way to tell him that he’s temporarily in love with me. When I can’t think of how to sugarcoat the news, I blurt out, “I bonded with you so that the strength of the connection would amplify my magic to save you.”

He smiles dreamily. “We’re bonded.”

“Yeah. But while that makes you happy now, you’re going to be pissed at me when it wears off.”

“Who says it’s going to wear off?” he asks as he attempts to waggle his brows.

“Exactly,” says Dawn. “You know what the card said.”

“Card?” asks Cade.

I let out a sigh. “Dawn is convinced you and I have the kind of bond Tally and Marcel do.”

“Tally thinks so too,” says Dawn.

I glare at her. “You should go check on the other warriors with Dr. Thompson in case he needs more of your magic.”

She throws up her hands as she laughs. “Fine. I’ll leave the lovebirds alone.”

I look back at Cade. “I’m sorry, but your heart stopped, and everyone thought you’d died. I had no choice. I’m completely fine with staying away from you until the bond wears off, because no matter how much it will hurt, saving you was worth it.”

“You would do anything to save me, wouldn’t you?” he asks as a grin covers his face.

“Of course I would.” My heart fills with warmth over the fact Cade is alive. “But I suggest you don’t jump in front of any bullets again. I’m not sure I could save you the next time.”

I take in the strong facial features of the man I love, and my heart swells with my emotions, which are a mix of love and fear over the fact he almost died. I wonder how I’ll do with him being on the front lines of whatever battle may be headed our way.

“What is it?” he asks.

“I was just worrying. I’m not sure I’d survive if you died.”

“I’m not dying. I’m too stubborn for that.” I chuckle as he says, “Thank you for saving me, Bella. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be indebted to.”

I think about the guilt the young warrior Will feels and say, “Oh, no, you don’t. I will not allow you to feel as if you have to pay me back somehow. I would have done it for anyone.”

“You would have bonded with a crotchety old warrior to save his life?”

“I--I would.”

Now Cade grins. “You hesitated. I think you love me.”

“Well, duh. We’re bonded.”

“We weren’t when you got jealous over Desiree.”

“That was different.” An icy fist clenches my heart. “Wait. Did...?”

“Of course not.” Cade chuckles and tries to sit up. He lets out a groan of pain.

“Lie back down,” I say as I place my hand on his shoulder.

He grasps my fingers with a surprisingly strong grip, considering his condition. “Bella. Tell me you didn’t love me before we bonded.”

I stare at him for a moment. Part of me wants to lie so he’ll have an easy out. And part of me is afraid he’s saying this because he doesn’t feel the same way. But I want Cade in my life, and I intend to fight for him. “I can’t tell you that.”

He smiles. “So it takes me almost dying for you to finally admit it. I wish I’d known what to do sooner. It would have saved us a lot of time.”

“What does that mean?”

He shakes his head. “Why do you think I bought you dinner that night in the bar? And tried to be your friend.”

“Because you wanted to get me in your bed.”

“I’ve wanted you since the first time we kissed. For years, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, but that’s not why I approached you that night. I finally learned why you make me so crazy.”

He hooks a finger at me to come closer, and I lean in. “Why?”

“Because I think we have a soul-mate bond, Bella.” He reaches up and puts his palm on my face. “And I plan to make you my mate, the mother of my children, and the woman I spend my life with.”

“Cade.” Tears fill my eyes as all the love I feel for him comes rushing to the surface.

“Now would be a good time to kiss me and lavish me with your love.” His grin makes me laugh. “I’m injured, after all.”

I lean in and kiss Cade. The warmth I felt earlier when we first bonded flows freely through me. While this is definitely sexual, it’s not the usual frenzied, lust-filled kind of kiss we’ve had in the past. It’s long, slow, and sensual, as if I’m getting a glimpse into what life with Cade would be like.

“That’s enough!” barks out Marion, and I jump back from Cade. “I’m allowing the fact you bonded with him to be pardoned because it was necessary to save his life, but I’m not about to let you two carry on with a false sense of love from it.”

I bow my head in respect to my alpha. No matter what’s going on here, this is not the time for anything more than sorry. “I understand. My apologies.”

While I’m tempted to try to explain to Marion that Cade and I believe we have a soul-mate bond, I know my alpha well enough that I’m sure I won’t like her reaction to my insubordination. The fact that Dawn and I bonded me with Cade in front of her without asking pushed a boundary I shouldn’t have crossed. This is a discussion I’ll have to have with her later.

She says, “Temporary bonds last about two months. Therefore, I’m ordering the two of you to have no contact with each other in any way, shape, or form. I realize that’s going to be difficult based on the feelings you both have right now, but the punishment if you do communicate will be severe.”

I nod as Cade says, “Yes, alpha. We understand.”

“Good,” says Marion. “Bella, thank you very much for rushing here to save my warrior.”

“You’re very welcome.” I glance over at Cade, and sadness fills me as I think about being away from him for two months. But the punishment if I say anything could be me being thrown out of the clan. Once something like that happens, even in the heat of the moment, there’s probably nothing I could do to get back in. Not only would I lose the people I consider family, but Cade and I would never see each other again.

I gaze at the warrior who won my heart, and my chest tightens as I imagine walking away from him right now, let alone having no contact for two months. He offers me a tired smile. I want to test our telepathic powers, but it would be a mistake. The alpha of a clan can tune into her warriors’ communications at any time, and if I spoke to Cade right now, I don’t want to know what her reaction would be.

“I believe your work here is done,” Marion says to me.

“Right.” I shake my thoughts. “Just let me gather my things, and I’ll grab Dawn and be on my way.”

“Bella,” calls out Cade. I turn to him, and he says, “Thanks. When this is over, I’ll come find you.”

Marion lets out a low growl, and anything I was going to say in reply is quickly stifled as I move to shove my things into a bag and get out quickly. Dawn is flirting with two of the injured warriors when I get to the living room, and I grab her arm to pull her away. “We need to go.”

She takes one look at my face and nods. She’s as motivated to leave as I am since Marion hasn’t approached her yet. When we get in the car, Dawn asks, “What happened back there?”

“The good news is that Cade confessed he’s loved me for years.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.”

“Yeah. He said he’s never been able to get me out of his mind and after hearing about Tally and Marcel, he figured out why.” I glance to my left before pulling out of the long road that serves as a driveway.

“I knew it.” She squeals. “You’re going to have cute little cubs!”

I laugh at her, and for a few seconds, I picture what my children might be like, but then reality sets in. “You haven’t heard the bad news yet. Marion ordered Cade and me to stay apart for two months until the temporary bond wears off.”

“Oh wow. That’ll be hard,” Dawn says. Then she gets all perky on me. “But you know what? We can take that time to dive into work. The two of us can create a whole bunch of spells for every little ailment that could possibly come our way. It’ll be fun.”

Her optimism makes me give her a sideways glance before I pull onto the highway. “It’s not so much the two-month separation I’m worried about. It’s afterward. Marion was not pleased with what we did, and I’m not so sure she’s going to let me and Cade be together even after she finds out we have a soul-mate bond.”

“Oh.” Dawn lets out a sigh as her balloon of happiness deflates. “I probably shouldn’t have been so disrespectful, huh?”

I chuckle at how she had no fear, but it’s part of what makes her a good witch. Now that I know this, she’ll be one of the first I’ll call in an emergency. “Probably not. It’s a good thing we saved Cade.”

“And that I belong to a different clan. But I should tell Tori right away just the same. Hopefully, she can smooth over the waters.”

I reach over and touch Dawn’s arm. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m the witch who’s bonded to my clan’s best warrior.”

Dawn grabs my hand and squeezes my fingers. “I can’t believe you’re not allowed to see him for two months. But don’t worry. That just gives us time to convince Marion you two are meant to be.”

I let out a sigh. “I hope we can.”

“We will,” says Dawn. I hold on to her confidence the best I can.