Ava propped herself up on her elbows and her gaze sharpened as she came fully awake. “I’m not the only one having dreams, am I?” she asked.
I shook my head, staring at her with my heart lodged in my throat. All the emotions and thoughts that had swamped me last night returned, only they didn’t take control. They existed in unison with the rest of my feelings.
I understood now. Ava was more than a witch, more than my mate. She had something to do with my past. That was why Kerry mentioned fate.
Ava and I suffered from the same curse. We were familiar to one another. And we dreamed of each other.
The fact that I hadn’t come to the realization before now was disturbing. I’d known her in the past. We’d been together before we were both cursed.
It was possible that we had been cursed at the same time.
As we stared at one another, I knew she had come to the same conclusion.
“When did you know?” I asked.
She sat up and curled her legs beneath her. “I had my suspicions last night, but I wasn’t a hundred percent certain.”
“We knew each other before we were cursed,” I stated.
Ava nodded and reached for the bottle of water I’d left on the night table. “I think so. I don’t remember much. Just what I’ve seen in dreams and a few flashes of insight.” She took a long drink from the bottle and held it out to me. I accepted it and did the same. “I think heightened emotional state affects the hold the curse has on us.”
“Heightened emotional state?” I asked as I took one more drink of water and handed the bottle back.
Ava recapped it and set it back on the table. “Yes. Every time either of us has remembered something, we’ve been angry or turned on. The magic is weakened then and I think it’s the key to breaking the curse.”
My eyes narrowed. She couldn’t mean what I thought. “Whatis the key to breaking the curse?”
She rose up on her knees, bringing her body closer to mine. Her hands rested on my chest and her eyes locked onto mine, intense and sincere.
“Our emotions. And while anger seems to work, I’d much rather use other methods to rile you up.” Her fingers trailed from my chest, down my abdomen, to the tops of my thighs. Ava flattened her palms against my legs and her fingers dug lightly into the muscles.
My dick went hard again, not only because of the way she touched me but because of the look in her eyes.
And it was a nightmare.
Ava was my mate. If I fucked her, I would bite her. If I bit her, I would never be able to let her go. I could see the chain of events unfolding in my mind’s eye and it terrified me because I could lose the slim chance I had of winning her heart and soul.
She would never forgive me if I forced her to become mine. I didn’t know her well, but I did recognize how important independence was to her.
I reached down to lift her hands from my body, but she narrowed her eyes at me.
“I can’t,” I said simply. There were dozens of excuses and explanations on the tip of my tongue, but none that would ring true. The ring she wore would show the veracity of my words.
Her palms turned over so she could interlace our fingers together, but she didn’t look frustrated or angry. Her expression was knowing and almost expectant.
“Why?” she asked.
I wanted her to trust me and I was once again reminded that the only way I could achieve that was to lay it all out and let her make the choice. I couldn’t force her to feel what I felt or to want me as I wanted her.
“Because if I have you, I’ll never be able to release you. I’ll fuck you, bite you, and bind you to me in every way I can.”
Ava pulled her hand free of my grasp and cupped my cheek. “Why?” she asked once again.
The look in her eyes gave me hope. It was as if she already knew my answer but she wanted to hear me say it out loud.
“Because you’re my mate.”
I spoke the words softly but I knew she heard them because her lips parted.
