Page 133 of Aine

“Did you have a good day?” he asks, changing the subject.

I nod, my lips pursing as I debate how best to bring up what Alex shared.

“I did,” I start, clearing my throat. “It was a bit weird being away from you, but Alex kept me distracted. We had some interesting conversations.” I’m testing the waters.

Damien takes the bait, his head cocking to the side as he sits back and moves my legs over his lap. “Did you now? What about?”

“He said your mother and sister were human,” I blurt out.

Damien stills, and I wince at the sudden muting of his emotions. I don’t love that he’s keeping me out, but I don’t comment on it. Just because he let me mark him doesn’t mean I’m entitled to feel everything of his.

His lips twitch downward for just a moment before returning to their resting position, but it’s all I needed to see to know he’s not happy Alex told me this.

“That’s true.” His voice is low.

“Is that why you fought against the bond for so long?”

“I suppose that would be correct.”

I wait, urging him to say more, but Damien presses his lips together and gives a subtle shake of his head.

“Is that all you’re going to say about it?” I ask.

Damien’s chest deflates as he sighs, his fingers digging into my calf as he gives it a gentle squeeze. He can’t be surprised I’m looking to understand why he treated me the way he did when I first arrived. His nice behaviors now don’t excuse the past.

“I was, and still am, scared to lose you. I’ll admit a lot of that fear stems from my mother and sister, but I don’t…” My eyes widen as Damien throws his head back and stares up at the ceiling. “Please, I can’t talk about this right now. I don’t want to think about it.”

His voice grows thick, and when I notice the wetness in his eyes I sit up and pull his head against my chest. He sniffles into my skin but otherwise remains silent as he accepts my comfort.

“It’s okay. We don’t need to talk about it.” I press soft kisses to his hair like he frequently does to me whenever I’m worked up. “I’d love to hear more about your family someday, but I can wait as long as you need.”

I take a deep breath. “I love you. You know that, right?”

I was scared to say it for a while, the vulnerability making me nervous. Telling Damien how I feel is like giving him a loaded weapon and hoping he doesn’t turn it on me. Still, it doesn’t make my emotions any less true. I’m in love with him, and I suspect I have been for a while now.

Damien’s watery smile makes my heart swell, and his timid nod has me pushing his face into my chest even harder.

Chapter Thirty-Five

DAMIEN

I’m sure Ilook like a creep with my face pressed against the dirty office window. I’m not proud to admit how often I find myself doing this and am especially not proud of how many times Alex has caught me.

He’s been kind enough not to say anything, but his judgmental stare is enough to have me sulking back to my chair until the overwhelming urge to watch Aine takes over again and I’m returning to the window.

I like looking at her and I’m not going to apologize for it.

My back straightens when I see her shadow moving behind the kitchen window, her body materializing as she flips on the light. I can’t help but feel giddy as I watch her tear through our cupboards in search of food, her sporadic actions informing me she’s still in her grumpy morning phase of the day.

I drop my forehead against my office window as I watch, grateful her human eyes can’t see through the tint. Guilt eats at me for being unwilling to discuss my family’s history with her, and I shut my eyes and knock my head against the glass as I struggle to find the words.

After my mother and sister died, I lost all respect for humans. They’re fragile, and when I met Aine, I couldn’t see past it. I looked at her and saw my sister’s bloated body and my mother’s mangled frame. The current dragged them across so many rocks, they were indistinguishable by the time we found them.

My father’s pain only solidified that belief, cementing in me that humans aren’t to be loved. I thought Aine proving to be my mate was a mistake, a punishment for being a bad male and allowing Freya on me. I thought my beast would give up on her, that he’d realize how bad humans are and take a beast instead.

She’d be crushed to learn how desperate I was to get away and how much I detested having a human as a mate. It feels like just yesterday my beast and I were convinced she was dead, tortured by Owen until her body gave up, and I can’t risk losing her again.

She’ll think my love is a lie, and she’ll never believe me when I explain I do. I wouldn’t trade her for anything. I love her gross sunburns and weak shoves and slow reflexes.

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