Turning to her, plate still in hand, I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Biting at her lip once more, she released it long enough to blurt, “I thought if a beastman kissed you it meant he wanted you for his mate, that it counted, but kisses don’t count, apparently.”
This was news to me. Kisses don’t count?
“I wasn’t aware,” I mumbled faintly. What did it mean if he didn’t claim me completely? Did that not count either?
Picking at a spot on the table, she stared down at it as she blurted, “Why did Berkie kiss me if it didn’t count?” Shoulders slumping, she divulged, “He doesn’t talk to me like he wants to be my mate, and whenever I try to ask him about us he changes the subject…”
“Do you like Berkr?” He was kind of an ass. I was trying to tread softly. They had some kind of something going on. “I mean, do you want him for a mate? Do you want to marry Berkr?”
Picking at the sleeve of her coat, she refused to meet my gaze. “Sometimes I don’t even think he likes me.”
Considering the bullshit he was spewing shortly before they kissed, I couldn’t say I’d be all that eager to hitch myself to someone like him.
“What doyouwant?” I asked her.
“I want a husband that loves me more than anything, that wants to have lots of babies with me and loves them no matter what,” she mumblingly replied.
Reaching across the table, I gave her hand a squeeze. “You should settle for nothing less.”
Voice barely above a whisper, she admitted, “I had nowhere to go last night. It was too dark to go all the way to Joanie’s place up on the hill and I gave back the key to the other big house.” Pausing, she darted a quick, testing look my way. “I wanted you to have time to work things out with Kehl.” Swallowing thickly, she continued, “I ran into Vurhg and tricked him into letting me sleep in his hut. He told me kissing doesn’t count for mates because it’s a human thing.” Licking her lips, she opened her mouth to speak again but kept stopping herself.
“There’s more?” I didn’t mean to say that thought aloud. It just popped out.
“No,” she replied quickly. Too quickly.
Tilting my head, studying her, I asked, “Are you sure? You don’t look sure.”
Hopping up, Dace let out a nervous laugh. “I’m sure!” Rushing about, she mumbled, “Wow! Look at the time! I’m late!”
In a flurry of movement, she bundled up for the cold and rushed out the door, leaving me frowning after her in confusion.
God, I hoped she wasn’t kissing or doing anything of the like with someone like Vurhg. He was just as bad, maybe worse, than Berkr.
Was Vurhg telling the truth, though? Did kissing not count?
What about other kinds of kissing?
My head swam with my wayward thoughts.
Settling in at the table, I distracted myself working on the translations for Dace’s book. By the time my stomach began to rumble, I was nearly done with the whole thing.
Realizing Dace hadn’t shown up to meet up and go to market together like we’d planned, I figured she’d probably lost track of time and let it be. We could go another time.
Still feeling unfit for any kind of company, head still swimming, I stepped outside intending to go for a walk to Carrie’s possibly, pop in for a visit, maybe, or just go check out that market place by myself, but lost in my head as I was I didn’t realize where I’d taken myself until that familiar outcropping of rocks in the distance peeked beyond the trees.
The snow wasn’t really a problem with the pelt from Cy doubled up with the one from Kehl over my shoulders. Pelts meant mates, I reminded myself. We did way more than kiss, that’s for sure. I’m overthinking this way too much and it’s making me feel insecure.
A soft sniffling dragged me from my thoughts.
“Dace?”
Huddled behind a rock, Dace was barely visible but for the fluffy little balls of fluff attached to the corners of the beanie she’d just finished the other day.
“Oh- Hey- Were we supposed to meet up here? I didn’t know.” Swiping at her face, pretending she wasn’t splotchy faced from bawling her eyes out from the looks of it, she stood, forcing a fake smile, and faced me.
One look at the pleading look on her face and I knew not to ask.
