Page 31 of Flame it Up

“But you talked all night?”

“Yes,” Pyrus said almost wistfully. “I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep, between staying up late talking then tossing and turning in my bunk with an extremely hard … mattress.”

Gerri laughed, covering her smile with one hand.

“I have always believed that humans do feel it when they are with their shifter mate,” Gerri said. “Their senses aren’t like yours, but I know they feel an intensity with their mate that they’ve never felt. Because it’s so much more powerful than any human experience, I think it shakes them up a little.”

Gerri stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his arm. “I think if you just back off a little, give her some space, you’ll see everything will work out.”

“But … today’s the last day here!” Pyrus cried. “I don’t know where she’s going or where I’m supposed to be.”

Gerri chuckled. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. Do you have any immediate engagements?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Anything on fire that you have to go and salvage?”

“No,” he said, grinning now. “But I could start setting things on fire if you like.”

Pyrus’s dragon growled from deep within his chest. The beast within was more than ready to comply.

Gerri shrugged. “So, just play it by ear. You might have to give her some space, Pyrus. I mean real distance. If she says she needs to go her own way, you’ll have to honor it.”

“I don’t think I can,” he said, his voice barely making it through his closed throat. “This is exactly my problem. What if I abandon everything to chase her around the world only to have it never happen?”

Gerri’s face fell, and she put her coffee on the ground so she could give him a big hug.

“You tough guys are all the same,” she said, patting his back. “You act like you’ve got it all, but deep down inside, all you want is to know you’re loved.”

“Do you love me, Gerri?” he asked, laughing. She reached up … way up … to ruffle his hair and make a complete mess of it.

“Of course I do,” she said. “I’ve been watching you for years, just knowing that your mate would appear. I was right, as usual.”

“If you know so much,” Pyrus asked, “do you know if we end up together?”

Gerri paused, her face very serious. He felt like her eyes were looking straight through him. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling.

“I can’t answer that,” she said with regret. “I know you’re fated mates. A perfect match. How to fit your lives together, though? That’s up to you. I can’t say how that part will work out.”

Pyrus sighed, shaking his head. “Okay. Thank you, Gerri. I will try to take a step back and lower my expectations.”

“Very good,” Gerri said, smiling up at him. At that moment, Pyrus saw Mazie walking towards the site with a small group of her friends.

“Already forgotten me, I see?” Gerri joked. “Though, hopefully, not my advice?”

“Thank you, Gerri,” Pyrus said, moving past her. “I’ll take your advice. I’ve got to go.”

“Of course you do,” Gerri said. “Good luck!”

Pyrus barely heard her last words as he rushed across the field to meet Mazie. He was sure he could take Gerri’s advice. He’d do anything for his fated mate.

What was her advice, again?

Maybe the first lesson he had to learn was that he was a fool when it came to his mate. With a deep breath, Pyrus prepared himself for the delicious torture of wanting Mazie so badly that he couldn’t stand it, while preventing himself from making any definite moves.

When she saw him coming and looked up to wave at him, Pyrus was struck by her beauty all over again. It was going to be a lot harder to stick to Gerri’s advice than he’d originally thought.

TWELVE

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