Arguing with him now while a pack of demons was closing in seemed the height of stupidity, so she did as he asked and got in his truck.

The cab smelled like him, surrounding her with a sense of warmth and comfort that took her off guard. Before she realized what she was doing, she’d snuggled into the comfy leather seat and buckled herself in.

Joseph climbed in, his weight rocking the cab. His long arm reached behind her seat for a couple bottles of water. He handed one to her. “Drink.”

She took it. “I’m not all that thirsty.”

“Ronan took your blood. Drink the damn water.”

She did as he asked, just to get him to leave her alone.

He cracked open the bottle and downed half of it in a single shot.

“Thirsty?” she asked.

“I feel like I’ve eaten a desert, cacti and all.”

He started the engine and took off so fast that gravel spewed out from his tires.

“You lost a lot of blood. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”

“I’m fine. Or I will be, once we get you somewhere safe.”

Safe wasn’t on the menu, at least not yet. “We still haven’t found any sign of Eric.”

“I told you we’d keep searching and I meant it, but we have to stop for a while.”

“Every minute we wait is one too long. If you’re not up to the search, then take me back to my car and I’ll go on without you.”

His hands fisted on the steering wheel. “Not happening, Lyka. You’re not much better off than I am, not after the way you kept my ass alive so Ronan could find us.”

“I’m fine,” she lied. She was tired and shaky, but none of that mattered. She had to keep searching.

“You’re exhausted. I can see you shaking from here. You tried to channel way too much power through what is still a tiny thread of a connection between us.” Some of his fury spilled over in his tone.

“Don’t get snippy with me. I had no choice.”

“I understand that, and I’m grateful as hell that you took the risk. But damn it, Lyka, you could have killed yourself.”

“That’s why you’re mad? Because I took a risk?”

“No, I’m mad because you tricked me into letting you out of Dabyr, where you were safe. Now I’m stuck watching you suffer, letting you risk your life, when we could have been back home, where you could have taken your time learning how to wield my power.”

“I’m sorry it was inconvenient for you that my people were attacked.”

His jaw bulged under the strain of his anger. “You know that’s not what I mean. There are a lot of people out scouring the countryside, looking for Eric and the kids. You didn’t need to come out here and risk your life trying to learn on the fly.”

“Yes, I did,” she said. “And if you don’t understand that, then you’re not the man I thought you were.”

“I’m the kind of man who wants his woman to stay safe—at least until she knows where her skills lie.”

“I’m not your woman.”

“Like hell you’re not. You tied yourself to me. Unbreakable bonds. The only way either of us is getting out is through death, and I plan to keep you alive for as long as I draw breath.”

“Don’t remind me.” She still hadn’t come to terms with the permanence of their relationship. There hadn’t been time.

“You’re my wife now, Lyka. My mate. If you think I’m going to just ignore the fact that you almost died back there, then I’m not the man you think I am.”

His throwing her words back at her pissed her off, but he had a point. She really didn’t know him—didn’t know what he was capable of doing. If she pushed him too far, he might get pissed enough to tie her up in some Gerai house, where she would be of no use.

She pulled in a long breath, then another. She had to stay calm here, think rationally.

He finished off the second half of the water, so she handed him the rest of hers as a sort of peace offering. “I think you’re the kind of man who will respect the spirit of his vow as well as the letter. I think you’re the kind of man who is torn up inside by the idea of those children suffering. I think you’re the kind of man who would willingly risk his life to save someone else. That’s the kind of man I hope I’ve bound myself to.”

Some of his anger fell away. She could see it in the way his shoulders fell on a heavy sigh. “I can’t lose you. You understand that, don’t you? Even if I die out here, you have to live. You could be compatible with one of the other men—able to wield their power, save another man’s life.”

“I’m no more important than any one of those kids. Please don’t punish me by grounding me to some Gerai house. I need to keep searching.”

He flicked a glance her way, and she was sure she saw some kind of sadness in his eyes. “There are a lot of things you don’t know yet. I’m happy to teach you all that I can, but you’re going to have to find some trust. I told you we’d keep moving, and I meant it.”

“Trust isn’t the kind of thing that comes easily. You have to earn it.”

“And I will. If we both live long enough. All I’m asking you for is a chance. You’ve got to be careful. You can’t put your life on the line like you did back there. If I get hurt again, just let me go.”

The idea was far more abhorrent than it would have been a few days ago. She’d grown to like Joseph since she’d come to live at Dabyr, but now that she was bound to him, she felt connected. Part of him.

She really didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

Maybe he felt the same way about her. Maybe his anger now stemmed more from the fact that he cared about her than it did from his vow to protect her life with his.

Curiosity reared its head and put the smack-down on caution. Before she could stop herself, she felt around for the link that bound them together.

It came to her easier than it had before, pulsing with heat and power. She wasn’t sure how it worked, but she could feel him—his essence—in the vibration of that energy. If she’d had ten connections to other people, she was certain that she would have known exactly which one was his.

Being careful so he wouldn’t figure out what she was doing, she prodded their link, searching for answers. Like some kind of schoolgirl, she wanted to know how he felt about her. It wasn’t like she could ask her best friend to ask his. She had to go in search of the information herself.