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“That’s exactly what it means.” He runs his fingers through my once carefully arranged curls, fluffing them before trying to fix them. “And I believe the witches have a potion for period cramps. I’ll ask Magdalene about it when I see her next.”
I take his hand, stilling his ministrations. “Keenan, I’m serious. I don’t want to die before we’ve taken the final step in the mating bond.”
He looks at me, his eyes guarded. “What if the bite is the thing that hastens your death? You told me deepening the mating bond could bring forth the curse. Brenna is proof. She died a few days after I bit her. I can’t take that risk again.”
My heart breaks for him and I touch his face, caressing his bearded cheek. “I’m not Brenna, but I have pieces of her inside me and all the bits of me want you to complete our bond. Even if it brings my death about sooner. I want to be connected to you in every way possible.”
He stares at me. “We’ll talk about it tonight, after the premier.”
“Yay!” I clap my hands. “Too bad it’s not like in the movies where a wolf bite turns me into a werewolf.”
Before he can answer, the partition slides open. “We’re about to arrive, Ms. Bedalia.”
Chapter 33
A Star Is Born
KEENAN
“Don’t move,” I tell Vanessa, reaching for the door.
I’m blasted by a chorus of cheers when I step out of the limo. Glaring at the crowd, I motion at the nearest security officer. “I’m here with Vanessa Bedalia. I want to speak with your supervisor.”
“Sir, if Ms. Bedalia would like to exit the vehicle, we have a lineup of arrivals waiting behind her.”
Removing my sunglasses, I stare at the young human male. “That vehicle isn’t moving and Ms. Bedalia will not be exiting until I speak with a supervisor.”
Five minutes later, an older human male arrives, introducing himself as Sheldon Mulberry. “What do you need, Mr. Wolven-North?”
Good, he’s heard of me. “I need Ms. Bedalia moved inside the building without delay. This area is too exposed. And I’ll need a minimum of four of your people on her during the entirety of the event.” I return to the limo, slipping into the seat next to Vanessa.
“What’s wrong?” She’s looking out the back window at the crowd gathered. “Why aren’t we getting out?”
Lifting her hand to my lips, I kiss her knuckles. “We’re waiting for security, sweetheart.”
She turns twinkling eyes to me. “I thought you were all the security I needed.”
“We’ll take all the security we can get,” I counter.
She sighs and sinks into the leather seat. “You can be a stick-the-mud, you know that?”
“I don’t know what that means.” I scan the crowd, searching for potential threats. Lennox warned me to keep my eyes open. Footage leaked of the film set shifter mashup in Mesa and ever since, Hollywood has become a target of ASHRA. They haven’t done more than take out trash ads and put their top people on TV, calling out shifters in Hollywood, but Lennox believes they’ll escalate with violence.
“Stick-in-the-mud means you’re being boring,” Vanessa explains.
My attention swings to my mate. “You think I’m boring?”
She giggles at my offended expression. “Your security rules are boring, Keenan. I can’t pick up the newspaper at the end of the driveway without you causing a fuss.”
“Boring or not, it’s my rules or a gilded cage.”
She kisses me, using her thumb to wipe away the red lipstick she leaves behind. “Your rules are meant to keep me safe, so I’ll abide by them. But I am not for one minute missing out on the red-carpet fun.”
I block her from reaching for the doorhandle. “You will wait for security, and once they arrive, you’ll be taken immediately inside the building.”
“I will not!” she gasps, her expression outraged. “I will wave to my fans, pose for photographs, and answer interview questions like every other actor who walks the red carpet.”
“You will wave as you walk,” I counter-argue. “You may pose for one photograph, and you can talk to reporters inside the building while surrounded by security.”
