Page 47 of Loving Graystoke's Heir

She laughed at the look on his face. “When you change. How big do you get?”

The look on his face went from confused to red all the way to his ears. “I’m sorry, what are you asking me?”

She clapped her hands over her mouth to hide the sound of her laughter, but couldn’t hide the way her shoulders shook with mirth. “No! I’m not asking about…” her gaze dipped down and lifted back up to his face, “I’m asking about the silverback.”

His relief was evident, and he chuckled a little. “I’ve never stepped on a scale.”

Both of them shared a good laugh at that, but Donal’s good mood faltered first.

“There’s something we need to talk about, Tam.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Donal shook his head, but he couldn’t help the frisson of worry that moved through his chest at the thought of explaining exactly what had happened to her.

But maybe it was better with her there in bed where he could take care of her.

“Do you remember what I asked you when you were hurt?”

Her forehead pinched in confusion. “When I thought I was dying?”

His gorilla pushed forward, leaning into her space, drawing in a breath so they would know she was alive.

“You were dying, Tam. I felt your blood rushing through my fingers even though I had my hand pressed over your wound. You were so close to dying, we could both feel it.”

Donal saw it in her eyes. She knew what he meant. As if she could feel the truth in his words.

“It wasn’t fair to do it then, when you really couldn’t understand exactly what was happening.”

“I knew I was dying, Donal. I knew what could happen when I put myself between the two of you, and I didn’t care. Not in the way I could have. I knew that Rikard was going to kill someone. He wanted to hurt you, but I couldn’t warn you fast enough.”

He picked up her hand and turned it until he pressed his cheek into her palm. “You had to know that if I lost you, living wasn’t what I wanted.”

Donal felt her fingertips brush against his temple as she spoke to him.

“That’s why I had to do what I could, anything I could, to protect you from him.”

“And that’s why I marked you.” He lifted his hand to her shoulder and traced a fingertip over the scar near her neck “It’s not in the way that shifters normally do.”

“Normal,” she almost hiccuped a laugh at him. “I’m sorry. This is all still so new.”

“That’s why I was waiting to broach the subject.”

“Is it why I’m still alive, this marking?”

How was he really going to explain?

“Yes, but you should understand that I did it to save-”

“Donal?”

Her soft, questioning voice claimed his attention.

“Hmm?”

“Whatever you did, was it because you care for me?”

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