Page 59 of Elora and the Crow

He blinked at her before shaking her head. “I’m fine. I’m not traumatized by the fae kidnapping and beating the shit out of me.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” she said. “You have PTSD from being trapped as a crow for so long.”

“What? No, that doesn’t… I mean… I’m not weak, Elora.”

She slid closer to him in the bed. “PTSD isn’t a sign of weakness, Jonah. Just think about it, okay? You were trapped for years as a crow. Doesn’t it make sense that your brain doesn’t want you to shift in case it happens again?”

“I know it won’t, though,” he said.

“Sure, but trauma does weird things to us, right?” she said. “Logically, yes, you know you won’t be trapped as whatever you shift into, but emotionally, that fear is lurking inside of you, and it’s sending very clear signals to your brain that shifting is now dangerous for you.”

He stared at her before scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Fuck. How am I supposed to fix it?”

“Therapy,” she said.

“I can’t tell some random therapist I’m a shapeshifter,” he said.

“No, but,” she thought for a minute, “we could come up with a parallel story, something that mimics your feeling of being trapped and how it’s stopping you from living life to the fullest, and a therapist could help without having to know the true specifics of your trauma. I mean, it’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

A small smile crossed his face. “Caleb has mentioned a few times that he thinks I should see a therapist. He’ll be thrilled that someone else in my life agrees with him and will probably -”

She could see the moment he remembered his brother was angry with him. The soft smile disappeared, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

“You’ll fix things with Caleb, honey,” she said.

“He thinks I only want to be around him when I’m bored or lonely. He said that I only think of him as my brother when it’s convenient for me.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It isn’t true,” he said. “I don’t feel that way at all, and I don’t know what I said or did to make him think that way. I love him so goddamn much, and he means everything to me. He’s the only person in my life who cares about me… at least, I thought he cared.”

There was no self-pity in his voice, just a deep sorrow that shattered her heart. She crowded even closer, practically sitting in his lap as she cupped his face. “Your brother still cares about and loves you, Jonah. He’s just angry right now. And you’re wrong about him being the only one who cares about you. That isn’t true.”

His dark eyes turned warm with something that she couldn’t let herself believe was love, and he pressed a kiss against her mouth. “Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome.”

She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to push him down on the bed and find her pleasure in his mouth and his hands and his beautiful cock. But he still wasn’t fully healed, and even if he were, sleeping with Jonah was madness. It wouldn’t lead to anything but a broken heart for her.

“Elora.” Jonah’s voice had turned low and intimate, and she swallowed hard when the warmth in his eyes turned to a fiery heat.

“Jonah,” she whispered.

His big hand threaded into her hair and held tightly as he angled his mouth over hers and took the kiss deep. His lips and tongue demanded she give him everything, and she willingly surrendered, climbing into his lap and returning his kisses with her own fiery need.

She could feel his erection against her, but before she could slide her hand under the covers, Jonah cupped one breast with his big hand. He squeezed gently, his thumb circling her nipple until it hardened as he trailed soft kisses down her throat.

When he reached for her shirt hem, she said, “Jonah, we shouldn’t. Your back is -”

“My back is fine,” he growled. “Take off your shirt, little witch. I want those pretty pink nipples in my mouth.”

Heat rocketed through her, and she lifted her arms wordlessly when Jonah gripped her shirt. He pulled it over her head and dropped it on the bed, his hot gaze drinking her in.

“So fucking beautiful,” he said before he cupped her breasts. She moaned, arching her back when he teased her nipples with his thumbs again. She wanted to sink her hands into the silky softness of his hair, but worried about hurting him, she gripped his shoulders instead. His skin was hot beneath her fingertips, and she gasped when Jonah bent his head and licked a circle around her nipple.

When his lips closed around her throbbing left nipple and sucked hard, she had no control over how her hips bucked against him. His fingers toyed with her other nipple as he sucked and licked at her left one until she made soft, breathless cries of need.

When he switched to her right nipple and teased it into the same aching hardness, she couldn’t help the soft sounds and moans that escaped her lips.

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