Page 160 of Dancing for the Minotaur

To his surprise, Taurex found the sound did something painful and strangely wonderful to his chest. He had missed her laughter.

He looked away before she could see the longing in his face.

“All right,” Terra said, still smiling as she came around to the passenger side. “Move back.”

“I cannot move back. The seat is preventing me,” Taurex pointed out.

“No, I mean let me move the seat back.”

She reached beneath the front of it, found a lever, and pushed the passenger seat as far toward the rear as it would go. That at least gave Taurex enough room to get both knees inside. But his horns remained a considerable obstacle until Terra lowered the passenger window completely.

“Try turning your head,” she suggested.

Taurex did. One horn slid through the open window. He stared at her and Terra stared back.

“Well,” she said, “Technically you’re in.”

“My horn is outside the vehicle,” he pointed out.

“But your body is inside and that’s what counts,” she said firmly.

Taurex sighed but decided not to fight about it. It wasn’t so bad, being crammed into a tight space with the woman he loved…even if she didn’t love him anymore. The last few weeks had been terribly lonely.

A few minutes later they were pulling out of the parking garage with Taurex wedged uncomfortably into the passenger seat, one horn protruding through the open window, and his knees crammed against the dashboard.

Terra seemed to find the entire arrangement tremendously amusing, but Taurex was too preoccupied to care. He waited until they had turned onto the street and were well away from the police station before looking at her again.

“Now will you explain?”

Terra kept her eyes on the road.

“Explain what?”

“What the detective meant when she wished us good luck on our marriage,” he said. “Where did she get the idea that we were getting Joined?”

“Oh.” Her fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel. “That.”

“Yes. That.” Taurex frowned at her.

She was silent for several seconds. Then she drew in a deep breath and looked at him.

“I told her you were my mate.”

Taurex just stared at her.

“You told her what?”

“That you were my mate. Well…” She made a vague gesture with one hand. “That we were fated mates. Just like you said.”

For a moment Taurex wondered whether he had misunderstood the human language despite being nearly fluent in it.

“You told the authorities that you are my mate?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Terra glanced at him.