“Is that true?” Eli asked, kissing the top of her head.
“No. But we had Prophecy Potlucks every third Sunday where Elder Micah interpreted God’s messages about whose casserole recipe pleased the Lord.”
“You joke about it so easily that I can’t tell what is true.”
She shrugged, her eyes a little sad despite the lightness of her tone. “It’s been a long time. You either learn to laugh about the absurdity or drown in the pain. I choose laughter.”
I kissed her shoulder and Eli’s hand slid from my ass across to her back, massaging her gently, both of us instinctively driven to protect her. Just because she was resilient, didn’t mean she wasn’t wounded. She made a soft, pleased sound and snuggled closer.
“I don’t sleep with other people,” she said, yawning. “Makes me nervous.”
“We can take you home, if you like? Where is home?”
“My van, but I’ve been staying at Lori’s house. Might just snuggle here a while longer,” she said with a yawn.
“As long as you like. You’re safe with us,” I whispered. “We’re going to protect you.”
“I know.”
Together, we held her, comforted her, until her body slowly started to relax. Mioko’s breathing slowed. I glanced down to find her eyes closed, her features soft in sleep. The emotional and physical intensity of the day had finally caught up with her.
She looked so small and vulnerable between us, and a protective instinct surged in my chest. I looked across her at Eli, finding his eyes on me, and this time, I was sure he knew what I was thinking. He nodded slightly, as if confirming something we’d agreed upon.
I reached out and touched Eli’s hand where it rested on her hip. Our fingers interlaced, bound there together, holding each other and her.
“I looked into her story,” I said softly, stroking his knuckles with my thumb. “Asked my moms. What she went through was brutal, Eli. And she built herself up from nothing—no support system, no family, just raw courage and determination.”
He looked down at her face and gently kissed her forehead.
“She needs to be cherished.” I felt heat creep into my cheeks at the nakedness of my emotions, but I couldn’t stop the words from spilling out. “She deserves to be protected, to have a safe place to land. She needs... I can’t even put it into words, but she needs...”
“We will,” Eli said, his voice firm, his fingers tightening around mine. “We’ll give her whatever she needs. As long as you’re here, anyway.” The certainty in his voice made my chest ache. I loved this side of him. This commanding, decisive man who took what he wanted and made declarations like they were immutable facts.
“I’m not going anywhere, Eli. Not now that I’ve found this.”
“You better fucking not. I own you,” he muttered.
I laughed. “I kind of like you all growly and dominant and possessive. It suits you. Grumpy asshole.”
His eyes darkened, thumb tracing circles on my hand. “I was part of the local BDSM scene for a while, but never found the right sub. It occurs to me now that I was waiting for you, little pet.”
“Fuck,” I whispered. “I was picturing you as a BDSM lumberjack just the other day.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“You could make it work. So, do we do a contract or something? Sign my body over to you officially?”
He laughed softly. “I was never that serious, I just like power play games. But if you want a contract, that can be arranged.”
“Maybe. It’s fucking hot to think about being owned. I never knew you were a dom.”
“I never knew you were a submissive little slut, but here we are.” His met my eyes and smiled. “It makes sense. If we’re two sides of the same coin like everyone always said, we can’t be the same. We have to be opposites to fit. Parts of a whole.”
I huffed softly, the observation stirring something in me. “Everyone said that about us, but is it true? Are we really that connected? Perfectly matched soulmates?”
“Who the fuck cares?” Eli’s response was immediate, his gaze never wavering from mine. “You’re mine. I don’t care if it’s mystical or if I’m just being a feral possessive asshole. It’s true either way.”
“I shouldn’t like it when you say things like that,” I murmured. “It goes against everything I’ve built for myself.”
