Everything seemed both too fast and too slow. He was still drained from his earlier exertions, his body heavy and sluggish. His mind chased itself in futile circles, desperately scrabbling for some way to undo this disaster.
Focus.He dug his fingernails into his palms, trying to ground himself.Stay in control. Don’t do anything stupid.
Paige picked a path heading away from the camp, toward the woods. She set a brisk pace, her spine a rigid line, until they’d reached the shadowed edge of the forest. Then she turned, scanning the meadow behind them.
“That should be far enough,” she said. “I don’t think any of the kids followed us.”
“They didn’t,” Conleth confirmed, not needing to glance around himself. “I’d know if they did. We can speak without fear of being overheard. I’ll warn you if anyone approaches.”
“So you can sense people, like Beth.” Paige folded her arms. “Is it true you can move fast as well?”
“Yes.” Now that they’d stopped, restless energy thrummed through him. “I take it the kids figured out what really happened.”
Paige’s expression was still stony. “The kids seem to have figured out a lot of stuff.”
“They are, on occasion, inconveniently observant.” He wished she would start walking again. He put his hands in his pockets, balling them into fists to stop himself from fidgeting. “What did they tell you?”
“Things you should have told me. Starting with the fact that I’m your so-called mate!”
“There’s no so-called about it. As I said, we shifters know, beyond a doubt, when we meet the right person. Youaremyfated mate. And I’m yours. I’m aware that at the moment, this may not come as welcome news.”
Her glare should have reduced him to bare bones. “It might have been more welcome if I hadn’t had to learn it from a bunch of kids.”
“Really?” He met her eyes, not backing down. “Paige, I realized you weren’t a shifter within minutes of our first meeting. I had no idea you were unaware of the very concept of true mates, but knew you couldn’t experience the strength of that instinct yourself. Can you blame me for not leading with ‘hi, the magic horse in my head informs me that you’re my fated soulmate, let’s get married?’”
“That part I can understand.” Paige’s frosty gaze didn’t waver. “But Archie knew, Conleth. He knew the truth. The one time in his life he was actually right about something, and you did your best to convince him he was wrong.”
He’d been prepared to defend the merits of his hasty plan, but all his half-formed excuses died. He had a sudden, gut-wrenching memory of himself at ten years old, staring at a report card with a single, miraculousAburied between all the usualFs. He’d carried that increasingly tatty piece of paper around in his pocket for months, like a lucky charm; a tiny scrap of hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t a complete idiot after all.
“You’re right,” he said, shamed. “I didn’t think of that, and I should have. I’m sorry.”
Whatever Paige had been expecting from him, it hadn’t been meek agreement. She opened her mouth, then shut it again.
“Okay,” she said, with rather less hostility. “But you need to apologize to him, not me.”
“I will.” He was losing the battle to keep still, the restlessness so sharp it felt like someone poking pins into his nerves. “Look, do you mind if we keep walking? Stretching my speed power tothe limit leaves me in something of an odd state for a few hours. I’ll be able to concentrate better if I’m moving.”
He hadn’t thought Paige would have any interest in his comfort at the moment, but she nodded. She started walking again, letting him fall into step with her. Despite their height difference, it seemed effortless to adjust his stride to match hers. Even with the simmering tension between them, their bodies naturally moved as one.
God, she was beautiful. He couldn’t help stealing glances at her. The sunlight slanting through the trees cast dappled shadows across her freckled cheekbones. She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, yet she too seemed to relax a little as they walked. Though her shoulders were still tight, her steps were lighter, out here at the edge of the forest.
When she next spoke, she sounded calmer. “I have questions.”
“I imagine you do.” His mind felt clearer now his feet were moving. “Ask away. No more deceptions, I promise.”
“Is it true that you shifters die if you don’t…” A faint pink blush swept beneath Paige’s freckles. “You know. Mate.”
Conleth already disliked this line of questioning.
“No,” he said truthfully. “We do have a very strong instinct driving us to claim our mate. But we don’t die if we don’t. Not literally.”
It just feels like dying.
Just the idea of losing her had his pegasus in a storm of agitation. There were worse things than mere death. For a shifter, losing your mate was the worst of all.
Paige obviously didn’t know that, as she looked relieved. “Good. Because this can’t go anywhere, Conleth. You and me…it isn’t going to happen.”
“I know you have no reason to want me right now. But wearemates. Give me a chance to show you what that means. That I can be right for you, just as you’re right for me.”
