Chapter 36. What Yes Would Mean

Gabriel's hand went still against her back.

Diana had expected him to look pleased. He did, but there was something else in his face, something that made her realize he had imagined this conversation before she had known there was a conversation to have.

“Start with the part you're worried about telling me,” she said.

Behind the glass, Juliet lifted a stack of plates. Someone laughed in the hall. Gabriel looked toward the garden, then back at Diana.

“You would be making a promise to me. In front of people who would remember it.”

“People remember weddings too. Sometimes with disappointing accuracy.”

His mouth moved, but the smile didn't quite arrive. “There are vows. A small mark, if we both choose it. Wolves recognize the bond more readily afterward.”

Diana glanced at his throat.

“A bite?”

“It can be. It doesn't have to be. There are human partners who choose vows alone.”

“And they count?”

“To me,