I woke up, blinking in confusion for a few seconds. I hadn't expected to sleep at all last night, but here I was, cocooned in blankets and tucked snugly against Simon. I flexed my foot and calf muscles, afraid to move much more for fear of waking him. It was something of a sacrifice, since morning stretching was one of the best feelings, second only to what transpired last night.

I needn't have restrained myself, though, since Simon instantly shifted and kissed the side of my head. "'Morning," he said, voice rough with sleep.

I rolled so I was facing him. "'Morning, Simon." I did stretch then, closing my eyes and straining my stiff limbs. I hummed with pleasure. I couldn't quite remember ever having woken up feeling so relaxed.

I opened my eyes and my relaxation evaporated in the heat of Simon's gaze. His eyes ran all down my body and I realized I'd worked my way out of the blankets. Ordinarily, bedroom eyes like that made me feel flushed and nervous, but I could feel such affection and joy coming through our bond that all I could do was smile dopily at him.

Simon brushed a hand over my cheek and from there down my body, increasing pressure until he was grasping my hip, angling me, winding himself closer...

A knock rapped on the door and I stiffened. "Char! You promised me breakfast!"

I groaned. "Come back in an hour!" I called. "Serena," I explained to Simon. "And I only told her I hoped we could have breakfast together."

His eyes danced, though I could see that his muscles were straining against the need to pull himself into me. I wriggled a little closer and nuzzled my nose against the base of his neck, enjoying the soft skin there and the strength of his scent.

Serena pounded on the door and sang, "I'm not leaving!"

"If we ignore her, someone will call management and have her removed," Simon said.

"Tempting," I said, brushing my hands down his length and feeling him jerk beneath me. "But they need to move on soon and I don't want to miss them."

I quickly rolled and launched myself out of bed, laughing when his hands darted after me, snatching at air. "Come on, I want you to meet them."

But when he got out of bed completely unclothed, my feet carried me to him without my mind's permission. He chuckled and hugged me tightly. "I think I might take off work tomorrow," he mused, and nipped along my ear, making me shudder.

"Char, I'm starting to get seriously annoyed. Do you think I don't know what's going on in there?" Serena said.

"Remind me again why I like her?" I asked, but I resignedly extricated myself from him and darted to my suitcase, pulling out the first outfit I found and dashing into the bathroom, where I was safe from temptation. I could hear Simon's laughter behind me, and it brought an answering smile to my lips, even as I shoved my way into my clothes.

While I took advantage of my time in the bathroom, I marveled over how easy this all was. Simon and I hadn't had a chance to speak much last night, but I felt completely comfortable around him even though he was almost a stranger. Was that a mate thing or a soulmate thing? Was this how my parents had felt, so long ago on their first morning together? I tried to remember what they had told me about their early days together, but I mostly remembered that Mom was stressed and that my father, ever the confident one, had merely been completely content.

And then he went home with her and they were never truly apart again.

It was going to be a little trickier for us, even if the bond between us was easier. I thought I remembered reading that you could only stay in Canada for six months without special permission and Simon would need to be living here for at least five months. I dwelled on that while I brushed my teeth, then shook it off as a problem for later. As a freelance writer, I'd gotten very good at doing online research. There had to be a way to make this work.

I opened the door and found a blessedly clothed Simon leaning against the wall opposite. He smiled shyly at me- I hadn't even realized he could be shy- and ducked into the bathroom as I vacated it. "Serena?" I called through the door.

"Finally, acknowledgement!"

"I'll meet you downstairs in ten? And you'll bring Jasper and Penny?"

"And not a minute later!"

I heard her dash away down the hall and rolled my eyes before heading to my suitcase and pulling out my makeup bag. I did the best quick application I could and was sitting on the bed brushing out my hair when Simon emerged.

"Are you sure ten minutes is enough?" he asked. "I thought maybe you'd want a shower first."

He was likely thinking of the fact that any were- in the same vicinity as us would know exactly how we'd spent our night. I shrugged, though my cheeks heated. Was it normal for me to be so reluctant to wash off the scent of him? "I don't care if you don't care. Though what's the plan for today? Are we going straight to Edmonton? Or... I know it's a lot of driving, but did you want to see your parents?"

Simon barked a laugh. "The last thing I want to do is share you any more than I have to," he said. Then his expression abruptly shifted into a scowl. "Though now that you mention it, the only way we might get some peace is if we pay them a visit. Crap."

I frowned, considering this. "They have already met me," I said slowly. "Think you can hold them off until the weekend?"

Simon frowned, thinking. "Possibly. And I live in a studio apartment. Even if they came to Edmonton, they'd be staying in a hotel." Which meant privacy.

I nodded decisively. "Then we'll go straight to Edmonton and it doesn't matter if we shower it all off."

We grinned at each other before pounding started on the door again. Serena was back. "If you don't leave now you'll be late," she said, snickering. I heard her run back down the hall and rolled my eyes.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked.

Simon's eyes were bright. "I'm ready, all right," he said, and grabbed my hips, stroking his thumbs along my upper thighs.

I rolled my eyes, though a lick of heat flared in me. "Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "I mean, are you ready to go downstairs, oh great comedian?"

Simon kissed me quickly but thoroughly and was beaming when he pulled away. "The only thing I want more than alone time with you is to start meeting the important people in your life."

I put active effort into pulling my gaze away from those eyes of his and didn't quite manage it before I lost focus. They were like nothing I'd seen before, with a jagged ring of rich brown around the pupil, fading into a light yellow-brown in the middle and finally slate grey around the rim of the iris. You wouldn't notice if you weren't looking up close, otherwise they just looked like a lovely, inviting brown. Up close, though...

"We need to go," Simon reminded me. He glanced away and I took the opportunity to free myself from the almost-stupor he'd had me in.

"Right," I agreed. I grabbed my key card from the desk nearby and walked out the door he was holding open for me. "We've never gone anywhere before," I realized aloud. "I've never walked next to you. You're taller than I thought." After all, almost all of our time spent together so far hadn't been spent standing.

Simon half-smiled and leaned down and kissed my temple, hooking an arm around my shoulders. "This okay?" he asked, sounding oddly nervous.

Twin nerves sparked in me and I nodded. "Mind taking the stairs?" I asked. Maybe it would help me work off some of this excess energy.

"'Course not." We reached the stairwell door and again he held it open for me. I smiled awkwardly as I ducked past him. Then I started a quick staccato rhythm down the stairs - thirteen brief steps down, then walk-walk-walk around the platform before starting down the next level. Simon kept pace with me and I found that I was calmer at the bottom, even if my breath was coming a little faster.

I put a hand on the door out to the lobby - the side of which was used as a breakfast parlor- and paused. "Ready?" I asked.

Simon's response was to push the door open and guide me out with a hand on my lower back. I spotted Jasper, Penny, and Serena immediately. Serena was staring intently at her watch, smirking. Penny nudged her and said, "They're here!"

Serena looked at me with a teasing glint in her eyes and a false scowl on her lips. "A minute and twenty seconds late," she said sternly. Then her scowl melted away and she stood, crossing the room in quick strides helped along by her long legs. She hugged Simon, sucking in a deep breath when she got in close- committing his scent to memory. The sight made me feel bubbly and excited. If last night was the beginning of our lives together, here was chapter two: his acceptance as part of the family.

Penny and Jasper were standing when we reached the table. They each greeted Simon in a similar fashion, taking in a good pull of his scent while Simon did the same. Each time shot a bolt of giddy joy through me and I knew I had a stupid smile on my face. At least my nerves were gone, though since my fingers were trembling either way I supposed the difference was minimal.

"This is Simon," I said, though of course they were all aware of that. "Simon, these are my cousins Penny and Jasper, and this is my good friend Serena." I gestured to each as I said their name. The whole thing was too formal for me- was that the werewolf in me?- so I quickly added, "Let's go grab some food."

The sheer amount I still had to learn about Simon was daunting. We made our way through the breakfast line and I paid enough attention to which foods he was taking and which he was passing on that I felt almost like a junior high-schooler again. That was the last time I was this fixated on someone, though of course this went deeper.

Simon glanced appraisingly over at my plate, then we laughed at each other.

At least I wasn't in this alone. We'd be idiotically fixated on each other together.

We reached the table, where Penny and Serena unabashedly stared at Simon. Serena's eyes were dancing with amusement and she waggled her brows at me suggestively. I snorted, but some stupid bond-instinct had me shifting my chair closer to his in response, making it clear that he was claimed. Simon bumped his shoulder against mine and smiled, breaking the tension.

"So where are all of you headed next?" he asked.

Penny shook her head. "You get to ask one question before we take over the interrogation. Is that what you want to spend it on?"

Simon snorted and took a big bite of eggs, considering while he chewed. Then he shrugged and nodded. I had to appreciate how easy-going he was about all this. It helped keep me grounded, too.

"We're going to Brandon," Penny answered.

Simon's brows shot up. "That's a long drive," he said.

"That's why Serena was so insistent about getting you two down for an early breakfast," Jasper said apologetically. "We need to get on the road soon."

I grimaced. "How far is Brandon?"

Penny tsked. "That's the only question I'm letting you ask, too, and you wasted it on something you can Google. It's six hours and in a different time zone, which adds a little extra pressure, timing-wise."

Six hours. This time yesterday I'd had only a vague inkling that I could find myself committed so early in the trip, and later today my friends would be six hours away already. How fast this was all moving! Simon's hand rubbed comforting circles on my thigh and I tried to force my expression to smooth. It wasn't fair to him for me to look so unhappy that he was physically anchored somewhere, not when there was nothing he could do about the situation short of dropping out of his graduate program.

Penny and Serena leaned forward eagerly while Jasper grimaced sympathetically at Simon. "Tell us everything," Serena demanded.

"Like what?"

I was curious, too. What information would they prioritize?

"First girlfriend?" Penny suggested.

"What do you like best about Charlie so far?" Serena asked.

"Oh! I've got one - boxers or briefs?" Penny asked, giggling.

"Favorite position?" Serena added with a wicked smirk.

They were escalating toward the outrageous a little too quickly for my taste, but I was at a loss for how to rein them in.

Simon handled it like a pro, though... in fact, he was a little too quick to come up with a solution. "Let's make a deal: question for a question. We'll take turns. You two play as a team." He glanced at Jasper. "You're as sane as you look, right?"

Jasper grinned. "In this, yes."

Simon nodded, turning back to Serena and Penny. "Deal?"

They exchanged a brief considering look. "Deal," Penny said. "But no lying and no passing on questions."

"I can agree to that."

They exchanged glances again before Serena nodded. "I want to know what you think of Charlie here. What's your favorite thing about her?"

That decided it. I was in junior high school again. "Guys," I protested.

Penny shushed me. "This is between us and your mate," she said. Her casual use of the word "mate" in reference to Simon took me aback and in the time that it took me to recover, Simon was answering.

"Easy," Simon said. He brushed a hand from the base of my neck up to where it met my jaw. "I like this spot right here."

Serena rolled her eyes. "That's just where her scent is most concentrated. Every shifter ever likes that place. I wanted a real answer."

"That is a real answer, and you didn't put any conditions on it," Simon said, eyes glinting. "My turn." He looked between them, then turned mischievous eyes on me. "I want you to tell me something about Charlotte. Something she wouldn't tell me herself."

I groaned and said, "Jasper, are you feeling redundant too? Maybe we should take a walk."

Simon's arm was around my waist, anchoring me to him almost before I was done speaking. "Let's not stretch the bond yet," he said quietly. His eyes burned into mine for a long moment before he turned back to Penny and Serena with an expectant smile.

Jasper smiled softly at me. "I'm happy for you," he said.

I wriggled a little so I was facing Jasper. I leaned as far toward him as I could without forcing myself away from Simon and said, "Where's that friend of yours?"

He knew exactly the one I meant. His eyes darted quickly toward Penny, checking whether she was paying attention. She was busy telling Simon about the one and only time I had entertained the idea of mating with someone. It hadn't been a strong draw, but I'd been stupidly attracted to him anyway. My cheeks heated and I tried to force my ears to tune them out. It didn't work, but I kept myself resolutely facing Jasper in silent protest.

"We're meeting in Winnipeg the day after tomorrow."

"Canadian!" I exclaimed, forgetting to be quiet.

"Do you have a problem with Canadians, mate-of-mine?" Simon asked, clearly amused.

I stuck out my tongue. "You go on back to invading my privacy. I'm having a chat with Jasper."

I turned back to Jasper, but we waited for the other conversation to pick back up before talking. "She's Canadian," he confirmed. "Why else do you think I steered us this way? It's more convenient all around to have citizenship in common with your mate. Sorry, Char."

I snorted. "It's fine. Though that's a bridge I'll have to cross soon, I think. They'll only let me stay in Canada for so long."

"You have some hoops to jump through, but don't worry about them," Jasper said. "I've been reading on those shifter forums I told you about, and there have been plenty of people in your situation before. If your application gets disapproved for some reason, there are a couple of shifters in the government who can help you navigate the red tape. The easiest thing would be for you to get married - after an appropriate amount of time, of course."

Ah, yes... marriage. It was nothing more than a formality for shifters, since the mate bond was really all we needed to be fully committed. Still, most shifters did marry their mates, if only for the tax benefits and for the rights that come with being legally married. It wasn't something I had put much thought into. I supposed we would get married at some point, but I had that expectation in the same way I used to understand as a child that I would probably go to college one day, or that I would probably have my own house. It was a goal that felt too big, too mature to fit into my life as it was now.

"Thanks, Jasper, that's good to hear. We'll work it out, I'm sure." Did my voice sound distant? I wasn't certain, but Simon was caught up in his game of questions - it was his turn to answer now. I leaned against his shoulder while he talked and let the conversation wash over me. Everything had moved fast enough- and with little enough time for sleep- that it was all too easy to drowse away the little time I had left before my friends moved on.

It only felt like minutes later that Serena stood up, reaching her arms up and arching her back in a luxuriously long stretch. She rolled out her shoulders and neck and said, "I'm going to miss feeling this way in about three hours when my butt is sore and my body stiffens up. I hate car trips."

"Weird, since you committed to go along on one indefinitely," I pointed out.

Serena just smiled a little sadly. "Any excuse to see you, Charlie."

A wave of sentiment slammed through me and I fought back sudden tears. I wasn't usually an easy crier, but I was about to lose the last familiar people I had in this country. From here on out it would be a sea of strangers until my parents came up to visit... Which, come to think of it, would almost definitely be within the week. Heck, it would even be good to see my brother. I latched onto the prospect of seeing them soon like it was a life preserver and used it to get through the ensuing goodbyes.

We transferred my bags from Aunt Rose's van to Simon's car. Between his overnight bag and my own, along with my dress bags that had to be laid out flat, there was hardly any room left in his little sedan. Simon stood back while we said our goodbyes.

Jasper hugged me tightly, leaning in close enough that I knew no one else would hear when I said, "You have to tell me how things go tomorrow."

"I will," he promised.

"And... consider warning Penny. I think she can handle it."

Jasper winced. "Maybe."

I didn't pressure him. If he was determined not to tell her until he knew one way or the other, I wasn't going to convince him in whispers in a parking lot to change his mind. I turned to Penny for a hug. "Don't you dare cry," I warned her.

"I'm not crying, you're crying" was her brilliant retort.

I wasn't yet, but I could feel tears lurking. Why did moving forward always have to hurt? I kept my goodbye with Penny brief since every second we lingered was a second we risked falling apart.

"Are you going to keep traveling with them?" I asked Serena when I reached her. After all, though she had always been friendly with my family, she didn't know them as well.

Serena shrugged. "At least until we get back to the east coast. No sense flying home now. And it's been really good, getting out and meeting new people. I'm still not any closer to knowing what I want, but look at you. You had even less direction than me and you're doing just fine. Maybe this will help me figure out my future, too."

I studied her. Serena had always danced around any conversation involving commitment. I honestly didn't know where she stood on the issue. I had always thought maybe she thought it was too private to share, but it seemed like I had been wrong. Maybe Serena couldn't tell me what her thoughts were because she didn't know her own mind. "Good luck. Keep me updated, okay? On what's going on with all of you. I trust you to be most impartial."

"Aye aye," she said, saluting me and turning away.

I turned back to Simon. It wouldn't do me any good to watch them leave. "Let's get going," I said.

He pulled me against him in a warm, crushing hug that finally brought the tears from my eyes. "I'm sorry you had to do that," he said. "It's not fair that you have to change your plans like this while I get to go back to my apartment and my job and see my family just like before."

"Hopefully a little less, actually," I said, "since your mom shouldn't expect you to go to all of the weekend mating season events anymore."

I pulled away enough to watch his face light up. "I hadn't even thought of that yet! This is going to save me so much driving time." Then his expression faltered. "It's possible she'll still try to get us to come anyway... everyone's going to want to get to know you better."

I shrugged. "Maybe every other weekend?"

He kissed my cheek. "Thank you. Your willingness means a lot."

"Don't thank me. They're my family now, too." And boy, wasn't that an odd thing to say? Odder, still, for it to be the truth.

Once we were in the car, I started mentally compiling a list of what I knew about Simon so far. He didn't take things for granted and was able to take change into stride. He was easy with affection and quick to smile. They were all promising traits, but the list was too short for my liking.

"What are you thinking about?" Simon asked. He was resting one hand on my leg while he drove, and he squeezed lightly.

I shrugged, uncomfortable. "You. We still don't know each other very well."

Simon lifted a brow at me. "I didn't know you existed a day ago. I think we're making a great start."

Well, at least that affirmed what I already knew about him. I didn't know if I could be quite so easygoing about this. "I know it will take time." A thought occurred to me. "Speaking of time, how long is it from here to Edmonton?"

"A little over five hours."

I blinked, a little panicked. That was longer than I had realized. We had been in the car for all of five minutes and already the concentration of his scent in here had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat. I might not have to worry about feeling strong pulls toward anyone but Simon anymore, but the fact was, mating season wouldn't end for two months and in that time, it would be difficult to be near Simon without wanting to jump him. Between that and the freshness of the bond we shared, I was seriously debating trying to get Simon to stop somewhere for the afternoon so we could have a little privacy.

And if I was thinking like that five minutes into the drive, I could only imagine how bad it would be in five hours.

Though I hated having the windows down in a moving car - my hair was impossible to restrain enough that some of it didn't tickle my face in the wind - I rolled mine down in hopes that the fresh air would help. Simon laughed and moved his hand further up my leg. "You too?"

I nodded and started trying to twist my hair into a braid tight enough to resist the wind. "We might have to ditch your car and buy another one," I said.

He really laughed now. "Maybe a distraction will help. I could use a distraction too," he added, shifting. "I've got your copy of 'The Hobbit' in the front compartment of my bag. I got as far as Rivendell yesterday while I waited for my mom and sister to figure out who you were. Maybe you could read it out loud?"

I glanced at him, surprised. "You were reading my book?"

"It was the only way I could feel close to you."

My heart melted a little bit and I couldn't help leaning in and kissing his cheek before I twisted so that I could dig my book out from his bag. "That's so lovely, Simon."

"It was so strange, the waiting. I felt a strong pull to find you, but it was completely directionless. If I'd had to stay there last night I think it would have driven me half mad."

I snorted. "I went into heat two nights ago, sleeping in your bed. I woke up burning and had to go running outside to get away from the scent of you. I didn't realize there was no direction then, since I hadn't decided whether to follow it."

"Why not?"

I could tell from Simon's tone that he was a little hurt. It had probably never occurred to him not to follow a pull as strong as the one between us. "I was confused, Simon. And you have to remember that your trace was days old at that point. I didn't understand what was happening."

"I do understand," Simon said. "I was determined to wait until next year, after my degree was completed and I was more ready to start building a life with someone. I really wish I had more to offer you than a studio apartment and a busy schedule. That's not to mention that you deserve flexibility."

I shook my head, though of course this wasn't exactly ideal. "As long as one of us is able to be flexible, we'll be okay."

"Thank you. And any time you want to go see your family, I'll make it happen. Just say the word." A pang shot through me. I did miss my parents far more than I should have considering I had just seen them a few days ago. Too much had changed and they helped keep me grounded - my father especially. But I was certain they would come up this weekend if I asked and I could wait to see them. What was five days?

So I opened the book and flipped to the Rivendell chapter and started reading.