“And ours.” He winced when I quickly wiped tears. “Oh, love, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I should,” I rasped and curled into myself. “I’m fucking up all over the place and don’t deserve such nice things. I threw a fit no one wanted to do anything for me now that I could finally have lovers like normal and then I ruined it all.”
I wasn’t sure which of us was more shocked when I really cried. Not ugly crying, but I was crying. It wasn’t only tears running down my cheeks.
I was crying.
He hugged me and whispered that he was sorry. That he was a brat and thought only about his hurt feelings instead of asking why I was being so closed off. That it hurt when I ran and didn’t want to deal with things that were hard and they’d been patient with me. This time it hurt.
“I’m sorry, really sorry,” I rasped over and over again, choking it out a few times, especially when he mentioned how much Mudbug missed me.
Now I was a bad dog mom on top of it. I really was and hated myself for it. I’d messed up all over the place.
Then suddenly Mason was in the dreamscape with us and he wasnothappy.
“How are you even here?” Evan whispered as he held me tightly.
“Don’t ever doubt my abilities when it comes to my feelings or desires to protect her,” he told Evan. “And I would explain myself quickly if I were you before I cut this connection so it can’t ever happen again.”
“That’s not possible,” Evan argued.
“Watch me,” Mason chuckled darkly.
“I deserve it,” I defended. “He’s allowed to tell me when I mess up and hurt him.”
“No, not like this, and—it’s different in dreams and with magic,” Mason argued. He was furious when I looked at him. “He could have sat and waited in the house like normal, but this was your guys’ specialsafespace. You shouldn’t hurt here.”
“That’s not—” Evan started to defend.
“I felt itpulsingfrom her,” Mason snapped. “Pulsing. Depression and grief like…”
When I broke.
Evan swallowed loudly. “That wasn’t what I meant to do. You came in here with me comforting her and telling her things were okay. Clearly, this is about more than her and I—stop interfering in our relationship, Mason. There are things you do I’m not a fan of either, but it’s for you both to work out.”
“That’s not—”
“Don’t testmeeither, kid,” Evan snapped and then Mason was thrown out.
I blinked at where he’d been and then up at Evan in shock. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, well, I’m no slouch either. I haven’t beentrainedas he was blessed to get with his lineage and all of that. And he keeps making me feel like I’m emotionally abusing you and he’sfucking perfect. Enough.” He framed my face with his hands and gave me a soft kiss. “I need you to talk to me more, Jasmine. You ran. Again. I’m chasing.”
I opened my mouth to argue that I didn’t run, but… “I hid for the moment. A few or a bit.”
“Fair. Very fair and even progress. Sort of.”
Yeah, sort of.
“Talk to me, love,” he practically begged before sneaking another kiss.
And then I chased his lips for another.
Then we both came back for another.
“Wait,wait,” he breathed against my mouth. “I want more than your body and even the intimacy we share in here, Jasmine. I want… I want the bad and the pain of you too. I want to share mine with you and—”
“I want all of that too,” I promised him as I kissed along his jaw. “And I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell you anything and let you see me choreograph and not just dance this time. I’ll let you help me pick songs—”
