Oh, no! No! That son of a bitch! “Or maybe it’s one mad scientist’s way of making sure Zane finds me,” Diane stated angrily.
“The Professor?” Kenzie asked.
“He said he was giving me a tetanus booster, and I didn’t even really question him. I’m such a fucking idiot. I should’ve known better than to trust that sneaky bastard.”
“I’m sure he only meant to help you,” Kenzie offered, almost mirroring the Professor’s earlier words.
“He’s gone too far this time. He’s not only risked my life but yours, as well. And when we get back, I’m going to knock some sense into him. It would serve him right if I left despite his little plan.”
“You’re planning to leave? With Zane?” Kenzie didn’t sound happy.
“I would never tell Zane what to do,” she promised.
“If you leave, he’ll go with you, whether he wants to or not. Mates come first. If for one minute he thinks you’re unhappy and wish to leave us, he won’t hesitate,” Kenzie informed her.
“I won’t do that to him,” Diane swore.
“Then be careful of your emotions. They become his, as well. You’ll be unable to hide anything from him.”
“Shit! What about you?” Diane asked.
“What about me?” Kenzie replied.
“He gave you a shot, too.”
“I’ll be fine. My body might not even react to it.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It hasn’t, yet. You’re the one we should be concerned about. You going into heat could make the animal in Zane even more predatory and unwilling to relinquish control.”
Not to mention the changes to his physiology that Diane wasn’t going to share. Besides, Kenzie was a shifter. She might already know and just not want to scare Diane. Either way, Diane wasn’t bringing it up.
“Maybe the Professor should have thought of that before he gave me something to force my body to ovulate,” Diane gritted out between clenched teeth. They were going uphill, and she was panting a bit.
“He definitely should have,” Kenzie agreed. “Mates can be very protective. Your anger becomes theirs. The bond mates share… It’s a love like no other.”
Diane glanced at Kenzie. “Is Holt your mate?”
Kenzie laughed. “No. I think Holt hoped for us to be mates, but we weren’t meant to be. He’s not mine.”
“Have you…?” Diane cleared her throat, uncertain of finishing the question.
“Had sex?” Kenzie offered then smiled. “Holt’s an amazing lover, but that was a long time ago. We’re just friends, now. He’s my best friend.”
“So from lovers to friends?” Diane asked.
“More like from friends to friends with benefits to best friends,” Kenzie said, sharing her infectious grin again.
“I’ve never had a lover,” Diane admitted out of the blue. “Unless toys count, in which case I’ve had several, and they’ve all been perfect.”
Kenzie stopped and turned with an incredulous expression. “Holy fuck! You’ve never been with a man and you’re planning on taking a primal shifter on as your first? Jesus!”
Diane swallowed, nervous tension spreading from her stomach outward at the look on Kenzie’s face. If Kenzie was that worried, Diane had a feeling she should be terrified.
“Yes,” she managed to squeak out.
Diane’s phone began buzzing in her pocket, jolting both of them.
“I wouldn’t answer that just yet,” Kenzie said anxiously and headed them farther through a thicker copse of trees.
“Why not?” Diane asked, giving Kenzie a piercing glance the other woman did her best to avoid. Kenzie was hiding something.
“Well…” Kenzie started to answer then sighed. “God, what a mess this is turning into.”
“Why shouldn’t I answer my phone?” Diane demanded just as it ceased buzzing and Kenzie’s began.
“Because we didn’t exactly have Tah’s permission to leave when we did this morning,” Kenzie admitted quietly and walked a bit faster as if that would keep Diane quiet.
“What?” Diane couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Kenzie sighed. “I owe Zane, and I wasn’t going to take the chance of Tah changing his mind and not letting us go. He gave his approval once. That’s all we needed.”
Diane didn’t know which of them Kenzie was trying to convince with that logic. Either way, she was sure Kenzie knew she was wrong. Chances were very good they were both in very serious shit with Tah, now. But Diane focused on something else Kenzie had said.