Page 25 of The Wedding Hunt Ylara

“After you went to your physician and had the marks removed, and then, you had a seizure and collapsed. They sent you to Vallu and Etgar, and Vallu sent you here.”

“That makes a certain amount of sense. Khytten’s treatments can heal the unhealable.”

“Well, only if she knows what the effect is and how to stop it. She was doing what most folks with healing do and just building you up again, trying to make you look normal, with no idea you were being torn apart on the cellular level.” He pulled her to him, and her breasts pressed into his shirt. “I heard you say the mark would be removed, but it didn’t sink in.”

She cuddled against him. He was really warm.

“I have never heard of a mark like mine being successfully removed.”

“And you just gave me a second one. Lovely.” Her shoulders were shaking.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. She felt the folded tip of his tail pushing against her back and holding her against him.

The door opened, and a woman, that her fuzzy memory told her was his mother, poked her head in. “How are things going in here?”

Ylara looked at her, knowing there were tears on her cheeks.

“Riithan! What did you do?”

“I held her. We are making plans of a sort.”

“Well, your father wants to meet her. Clothing would be best for that, so I picked an outfit for her, but really. We are going to have to work on her style. It is acceptable but not suitable.”

“The clothing was chosen for me, ma’am.” She looked at the woman around Riithan.

“Well, we will fix it.” She beamed. She put a hanger on the door, complete with underwear. The woman backed into the room.

“I think the clothing is a hint.”

He sighed. “Can we continue this conversation later?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really. We are going to go back to the courtship phase I mentioned then, but it is going to have a heavy undertone of begging on my part.” He pressed his forehead to hers.

She swallowed. “Why?”

“Because I got it all wrong, and I caused you pain. I made you run, and I didn’t come after you.”

“Well, you did eventually.”

He smiled. “You accept my apology too easily. You need to make me work for it.”

Ylara frowned. “Why?”

“Because I fucked up and need to suffer a bit before you accept me.”

She sighed. “Fine, loathsome worm, help me get out of this gown, so I can put my underwear on.”

His chest started a hopeful thrumming. She slammed a hand against his chest. “None of that. Tell your beast to cool it.”

He raised his brows.

“As you said, we are returning to the courtship phase, and you need to suffer.”

He blinked. “I did say that, didn’t I? How can I help?”

“Get the gown off. I couldn’t shove it over my hips.”

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