"Don't condescend."
She tries again. Goes for my pec this time. Bites hard. Her whole face screwing up with effort.
Nothing.
"You don't even feel that. Do you?"
Nope, not at all.
"I feel it."
"Youdo not. You are LAUGHING. Keer. Are you laughing?"
I am laughing. Quiet. Helpless. My chest shaking under her teeth.
"You're LAUGHING AT ME."
"No."
"You ARE."
"You're delightful."
"I am trying to bond you, Keer, this is supposed to be a moment, and your skin is mocking me—"
She tries one more time. Throws her whole jaw into it. Her teeth slip off my skin entirely and she nearly faceplants into my collarbone.
"OH FOR—"
She pulls back. Wipes her mouth. Glares at me. Eyes wet from frustration, hair wild, completely magnificent.
"This is so humiliating. I have human teeth. I have HUMAN TEETH, Keer. This is not equipment-appropriate—"
"Mel."
"What."
"Wait."
I lift one hand. Cover my mouth. Close my eye for a beat. Reach for the half-shift—just the jaw, just the teeth, a small surge through my face. Bone moves. Canines lengthen. I feel the grind of one against the others, the one I'm choosing.
She is staring.
"What are you—Keer—what is your FACE doing—"
I work the canine loose with my tongue. Wolf strength behind it. The root tears free with a sharp crack of pain that I let myself feel and don't react to. Then the half-shift releases. My jaw resettles. Human again. Tooth in my mouth, bloody at the root.
I spit it into my palm.
Hold it out to her.
"Keer."
"Take it."
"Keer that is your—"
"I know."
