Page 61 of Feral

“Well, of course not. It’s plenty big for the both of us.”

His eyes widened.

“No, absolutely, no.”

I crossed my arms.

“We are both adults and I’m sure we can control ourselves for one night.”

He didn’t budge, just glowered at me from the floor.

“I’ll stick to my side of the bed,” I said. “I won’t even try to warm my feet on you.”

That got a small uptick of his lips.

“I can’t hold the glamour in my sleep,” he said haltingly, “it would be…well,me.”

I sighed and knelt down next to him so that we were at eye level.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not afraid of the real you?”

He looked down at my abdomen and I knew exactly what he was thinking of.

“It doesn’t even hurt anymore. And I know you never meant to do it. Now,” I stood and held my hand out to him, “time for bed.”

Fraser let out a long breath through his nose and ran a hand over his face.

“Alright,” he finally said, ignoring my hand as he got up.

We climbed into bed without another word and switched out the lights. I turned my back to him, leaving only a few inches between me and the edge of the bed. It had seemed like a good idea to not let the injured Werewolf sleep on the floor, but as the mattress dipped under his weight and his breathing evened out, I wondered if I’d be able to get any sleep at all.

Imagine my surprise when it only took a few seconds for me drift off to the sound of Fraser snoring next to me.

Chapter Thirteen

Fraser

Icouldn’trememberthelast time I’d slept so soundly that I actively resisted waking up. When I did, however, I found myself pressed up against the soft, tempting roundness of Daphne’s body, the big spoon to her little one. Her breathing was even, her hand curled up under her cheek and her dark hair falling in waves around her face. My arm was around her middle, one of my legs over her hip, as if I were trying to make sure she was so secure in my embrace that nothing could ever take her from me.

Here, in this quiet early morning, with only the sound of her breathing, I let my guard down just enough to accept what had been revealed to me when I bit her.

This lass, with her mind that never quits, hair like sun kissed raven’s feathers, and eyes that made me think of the highland grasses in spring, was my true mate.

It was something I had never thought really existed, something only old Weres spoke of in whispers soaked with wonder and awe. I have certainly never seen such a thing in my lifetime.

Oh, plenty of my family fell in love with their mates, it wasn’t all like Angus and poor Imogen’s mating. But a true mate? The one person in all the world who held a piece of your soul in theirs, the only one that could ever make you feel whole and be your perfect companion?

That was legend.

At least that’s what I thought until the moment I sank my teeth into Daphne’s beautiful, pale flesh.

The knowledge choked me, and I had to squeeze my eyes to keep tears from falling. Because as much as I was starting to realize that breaking this bond would likely kill a part of me, Daphne hadn’t bargained for any of it. It wasn’t fair to burden her with such knowledge. I wanted her to stay, that was true. I wanted it so bad that I ached with it. But I wouldn’t accept it out of obligation. And that’s what I was afraid to see in Daphne’s eyes if she knew how deep this bond ran in me.

Usually, mates could sense one another’s hunger or a hint of emotions. But with Daphne, it was so strong that I didn’t just know that she was hungry, I knew what she wanted to eat even before she did. I could feel her fear, her worry, her pleasure, and I was driven to take away the bad and increase the good. It was getting hard to continue to act like Daphne annoyed me as much as the rest of the world, and I dreaded the moment when she realized that this was no longer some fake story for me. I needed her to solve the mystery of the artifact fast and leave before she found out, but the thought of losing her made me whimper.

Right now, in this moment, there is nothing but her. No artifact, no brothers or clan. Maybe I can give myself this one moment to hold her like I want to every time she’s near.

I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent, knowing now why she smelled of heather and moonlight. I wanted to touch her everywhere, to make her moan my name again as she had when I bit her, but that was a breach of trust and I wouldn’t cross that line. I meant what I’d said to her, I wasn’t going to take advantage of her, not ever.

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