Page 52 of My Summer Girl

She’s my mate.

Touching her earlier only confirmed that. It now makes sense how staying away wasn’t an option. Every moment I’ve wanted to reach for her, touch her, and the reason why I stole her in the first place makes complete sense now.

Listening to her speak about not being naked out in the open had me near chastising her earlier. She definitely swims naked in the middle of nowhere. Whether she’s aware of the creeps—me, and apparently Cin—who sees her is besides the question.

And that part about not having a queen. With a place that forces their people to rely on each other for workers, it surprises me that they don’t have a head honcho, so to speak.

Without a queen, there’s no structure. She brings everyone to their knees, helping them be better people. How can a place function without such dedication?

“Does it rain here often?” she innocently asks, following my lead as I drag her toward the open fields. There are flowers here, vibrant, and I have a feeling Dulce will appreciate them.

“All the time. Pretty frequently too.” I point at the sky, showing her the color changing.

“Your sky isn’t the right color.” Her eyes squint as if wondering why it doesn’t match the Amantes one, I’m guessing.

“It changes with its sustenance,” I explain, thinking of how Vera explained it to me. “When it rains, it goes into a deeper purple color. When it’s starving for life, it pales.”

“Starving?” she gasps, placing both palms against her chest.

“Yeah, we feed it. Well, our queen does through our people.”

“Is that... good?”

I nod, thinking of how Vera gives back, and in turn, Solera returns the favor in kind. She’s a part of this place, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.

“Verano—our queen—she’s connected to the land. Messages travel to her if I touch a tree, lay in the grass, or speak to the wind.”

“Oh, wow,” she exhales, amazement in her expression. “Can I try?”

The loyal part of me agrees, but the selfish part that’s aware Dulce is in fact my true mate, that part wants to keep her away from this realm.

Now that I’m aware she’s mine, bringing her back to give her to my queen, it doesn’t sit right.

Not entirely.

Anything that’s mine is Vera’s, but what if Vera won’t share her? I can’t possibly choose between my queen and my fated. Solera would never be so cruel. To give me two loves and force them together and leave me behind... very cruel, indeed.

“Be gentle. Any pain they feel, she’ll hurt with them,” I explain, thinking of the time I took an axe to a tree without the proper ceremony. Vera sobbed for days, told me their pain lived within her now.

A gloss overtakes her peachy gaze, and she bites her lip as if she’s feeling sorrow for them. “That must be burdensome to hold such kind of weight. She sounds amazing.”

“The best being I know.” My heart hammers as it travels to Vera. She’s everything I’ve wanted in life, but it’ll never happen, and the Fates gave me a mate to remedy the ache that constantly festers where Vera doesn’t feel the same.

“Do you love her?” she asks, but doesn’t look at me as if she doesn’t want to see the answer written all over my face.

“I do. We all do.” It’s the truth. We love her endlessly. There’s no one who’s more dedicated to her job and her people than our queen. My love runs deeper though—thicker, something so selfless and humbling, yet damning all the same.

She nods and meets my eyes. “Think she’ll like me?”

I let out a dramatic hiss, turning her to face me so I can cup her cheeks. Something I’ve been both trying not to do but also wanting nothing more than to do since I can’t resist the draw between us. The sensation is constantly in my bones, pulling me nearer and nearer. It’s why I keep grabbing her palm. There’s no point in denying what I’m very aware of.

I’ll fall for this woman, and there’s nothing Solera can do to stop it.

“She’ll adore you,” I finally admit, not wanting to think of Vera having Dulce without me. Sharing Dulce with Vera would be so easy though. I’d give Vera anything to make her happy, but not having my mate at all will destroy me.

Dulce nods before lowering to the ground. Unlike what I imagined, she lays flat, reminding me of my queen and how she communicates to Solera.

Spreading her arms and legs, trying to expose as much of her flesh to the ground, she wiggles in a gentle but adoring manner.

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