Page 14 of Enchanting Her Mate

“Err, I do not understand,” I reply. Her words have me envisioning a steel hook being pulled into the sky, but that does not seem right.

She rolls her eyes. “Sorry, I meant…having sex, or engaging in the intimate acts that lead up to sex.”

It is not that I do not trust Kayt, I just do not know if this is something Alu wants her to know, so after a long pause––too long, probably––I say, “No, we are no––”

“You are,” she replies, her mouth hanging open.

That is when I give up trying to keep it a secret. Sighing, I say, “Well, yes, we have. But Kayt,” I add, taking a deep breath, “there is something I must ask you.”

She nods. “Shoot.”

“How long did it take the clan to accept Niro, and his,” I am not sure how to express this, “unique ways?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she replies, “you’re worried the clan won’t like Alu. Is that it?”

For a human, Kayt is quite sharp. In my time away from her, it seems I have forgotten that. “Yes,” I whisper, hoping Alu is not outside the door listening in. “I worry that some may not understand the ways in which she is different, and they will not treat her with the kindness she deserves.”

Kayt chews on the inside of her cheek as she ponders this. “Alu is a bit of an outdoor cat.”

“What iscat?This is a creature from your planet?”

“Yeah,” she says with a laugh. “But it’s an expression for when you’re describing someone who isn’t the most comfortable or charismatic in social settings. And I see what you mean about how others might treat her, but I find her to be incredibly charismatic, and without fear, she seems perfectly comfortable in the social settings I’ve seen her in. So I don’t think you have to worry too much.”

“You think so?” I ask, hoping she is right. The last thing I want is for Alu to encounter any rudeness from the clan, or, more specifically, the coven, because she is different.

“I mean, she’s a fucking dragon who lacks fear,” Kayt says with a proud smile. “That’s the kind of person you want on your side. The clan would be lucky to be graced with her presence on a consistent basis.”

She is right. Our clan needs Alu more than Alu needs us.

Kayt says she misses me a few more times before we disconnect the comm. I return to the main room with a sense of relief loosening my shoulders.

When I hand the screen pad back to Alu, she asks, “Was Niro on the comm?”

I find this to be an odd question. “No, it was just Kayt.”

“Oh,” she replies, her face falling slightly.

“Why do you ask?”

She is silent at first as she runs a claw along her chin. “My brothers do not think I am smart,” she blurts. “I wondered if he got on the comm to tell you that.”

“That you are not smart? Why would he say such a thing? How could hethinksuch a thing?”

“Because I do not have a normal mind,” she says plainly as if her statement and a lack of intelligence are inevitably linked.

“And? Neither do they.” I ask. “That does not mean you are not smart. It just means your thoughts form in a different pattern than others.” I did not expect to feel a deep, visceral rage toward Nee-roh, but it grows within the depths of my belly at this very moment for making Alu think such things.

Alu shrugs, as if not convinced that I speak the truth. Suddenly, it becomes my mission to not only protect Alu from harm, but also judgment and cruelty from others, even her own brothers, no matter the cost.

CHAPTER 9

ALU

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that sex is not the only thing I want from Jo. My original goal was to bring her to my home, seduce her, and then perhaps I would be able to stop thinking about her day and night. Eventually, she would leave, and this blinding desire I feel for her would cease.

That has not been my experience, however.

Even now, as we sit on the couch and enjoy a late afternoon snack of tibbi andxidcandies, I am aware of her every movement, her every breath. My skin grows hot whenever her hand is near mine. We do not even have to touch for me to be overcome with need for her. I have become utterly obsessed with this tiny witch.

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