But he couldn’t. Not yet.
“Tarek?” She must have felt him hesitate, felt the tension in his jaw. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He kissed the spot he’d nearly bitten, soothing it with his tongue. “Everything’s perfect.”
“Then why?—”
“I want to give you the mating bite.” The words came rough and uncertain. “Do you know what that means?”
“I know it binds us permanently.” Her hand found his face, turning it so she could meet his eyes. “I know I want it.”
“Not yet.” It cost him everything to say. “There are things you need to know first. About who I was. What I did. Why I’m here.”
“I don’t care?—”
“You should.” He rolled them onto their sides, keeping her close. “The mating bond can’t be undone, Jessa. If I bite you, you’re bound to me forever, for better or worse. I won’t let you make that choice in ignorance.”
She studied him for a long moment. “It’s that serious? Your past?”
“Yes.”
“And you think it might change how I feel?”
“I think you deserve to know everything before you commit.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ve lived without honor for too long. I won’t start our lives together the same way.”
Something softened in her expression. “You have more honor than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Wait until you hear the story.”
They lay in silence for a moment, bodies still close, their earlier urgency settling into something quieter. He gathered his courage.
“I was a healer,” he began. “Not a warrior, though I was trained to fight. My calling was medicine, specifically the treatment of?—”
A scream split the night.
He was on his feet before the sound finished, every instinct snapping to high alert. His claws extended without conscious thought, his body shifting into combat readiness.
“Dani!” Jessa struggled to rise, her face gone pale with terror.
Another cry, this one wordless and raw with fear.
He yanked on his pants and ran. He reached Dani’s small room in seconds, bursting through the doorway to find that she was alone, thrashing in his blankets, her eyes squeezed shut. Asleep.
A nightmare.
“Dani.” He crossed to her in two strides, gathering her small body into his arms. “Dani, wake up. You’re safe. You’re dreaming.”
Her eyes flew open, wild and unfocused. For a moment, she didn’t seem to recognize him, but then recognition flooded in and she collapsed against his chest, sobbing.
“The snake… I saw the snake, and it was biting Jessa again and she was dying and I couldn’t help her. I tried to help but I couldn’t move?—”
“Shh.” He held her close, rocking her gently. “It was just a dream. Just a bad dream. Jessa is fine. She’s right here.”
“I’m here, sweet girl.” Jessa appeared in the doorway, leaning heavily on the frame, her sleeping shift hastily pulled back on. “I’m right here. I’m okay.”
Dani reached for her sister without releasing Tarek, and somehow they ended up in a tangle on the small bed, all three of them holding on to each other.
“I’m sorry,” Dani hiccupped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I just?—”
