Page 11 of Dewitched

“Are you okay?”

Owen bobbed his head slowly. “I can feel you.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.” And it burned his ass to admit it.

“I can feel you,” his mate repeated in a tone somewhere between awe and fear. “I can feel your magic.”

It was an explanation of sorts, but Fenix still felt like he had walked into the middle of the story. His mate was anaccipere. While he had admitted to being unable to control it—not at all uncommon for a young mage—surely, he could sense the magic in those he syphoned from.

So, why did he seem so shocked?

“I feel something else, too,” Owen continued. His gaze softened, his mouth went slack, and his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. “Am I? I mean, are we?” He waved a hand back and forth between them, then abruptly stopped. “Never mind.” Sighing, he shook his head. “Don’t answer that.”

“No, keep going.” He knew he would have to explain their connection at some point, but it would be easier if Owen came to the realization on his own.

“Fuck, I feel so stupid.”

“Are we what?” Fenix urged. “I promise, nothing you have said sounds stupid.”

Owen studied him for a long time with an unreadable expression. Then, with a decisive nod, he straightened up, took a deep breath, and blurted, “Are we mates?”

“What do you think?” He realized that probably sounded evasive, but he really did want to hear Owen’s opinion.

“I think it explains why you tried to eat me.”

Fenix growled. “I wasn’t trying to eat you.”

“Why not? Am I not good enough?”

“What? That’s not what I meant.”

“So, you don’t want to eat me?”

What the fuck was even happening? “Not for dinner.”

“How about dessert?”

Fenix snapped his mouth shut and breathed deeply through his nose. “You’re fucking with me.”

The little shit gave him a big grin and shrugged. “Actually, I’m flirting with you. I’m just not very good at it.”

Surprised by the comeback, Fenix barked out a sharp laugh. “On the contrary. You’re doing quite well,talei.”

“Ah, there it is.” Owen’s grin grew a little wider. “You stopped short of saying it earlier. What does it mean?”

Damn, he hadn’t meant to say that. It had just kind of slipped out. He still didn’t know if he had the right to use it, but he damn sure wasn’t going to take it back.

“There’s no direct translation, but I guess it’s similar to treasure.” It was so much more complex than that, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the mage while they were still getting to know each other.

“It’s pretty. What should I call you?” His eyebrows drew together, and he frowned. “I don’t know any fancy endearments. I mean, I could call you sweetheart or something, but that’s about it.”

Fenix chuckled. “You can call me whatever you want.”

“Really? What if I wanted to call you pookie?”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’d get used to it.” His mate’s answering laughter was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. “Does that mean you’re okay with being my mate?”

Owen tilted his head, looking adorably confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

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