“I’ll make tea,” Kivani said, moving toward the kitchen. His hands needed something to do, and Dakota looked like he could use something warm to hold. “Help you relax.”
“I don’t think tea is going to fix the fact that my entire understanding of reality just got demolished.” Dakota’s voice held an edge of something that might have been humor, but his expression stayed tight. “But sure. Tea sounds great.”
Kivani filled the kettle and set it on the stove, his movements automatic while his mind raced. Dakota was here. In his space. Safe. But also terrified and confused and probably regretting ever moving to Crimson Hollow. The mate bond pulled at Kivani’s ribs, demanding he fix this, make it better, prove that he wasn't a threat.
The kettle whistled, and Kivani poured water over chamomile leaves, the floral scent filling the kitchen. He added honey without asking, remembering how Dakota had taken his coffee that first day. Sweet. Everything about his mate was sweet, from his scent to his careful way of organizing things to the soft sounds he’d made when they’d kissed.
Kivani handed Dakota the mug, their fingers brushing in the exchange. Dakota’s skin was cool against his, and Kivani’s tiger rumbled disapproval at the temperature difference. A mate should be warm, and he should be comfortable and safe, not standing in the middle of the room like he was ready to bolt at any second.
“You can take the bed,” Kivani said, gesturing toward the bedroom visible through the open door. “I’ll stay out here on the couch.”
Dakota took a sip of tea, his eyes closing briefly as the warmth hit his system. “You don’t have to give up your bed. I can take the couch.”
“You’re not taking the couch.” Kivani kept his voice firm but gentle. “You've had a terrible night. You need actual rest, not whatever sleep you'd get on that thing.”
“Right, because I’m definitely going to sleep soundly after finding out vampires and shifters are real.” Dakota’s laugh came out strained. “Maybe I’ll just stay up all night having an existential crisis instead.”
The humor was deflection. Kivani recognized it now. Dakota’s way of coping when things got too heavy, too real. He’d done the same thing at dinner when Bennett had called, made jokes to cover the fear in his voice. Kivani wanted to pull him close, wrap around him until the shaking stopped, but he settled for drinking his own tea and giving Dakota space to process.
They stood in the kitchen drinking tea in silence, the only sound the occasional clink of mugs against the counter. Kivani watched Dakota’s face, tracking the emotions that flickered across his features too fast to name. Fear. Confusion. Something that might have been curiosity buried under layers of shock.
Dakota finished his tea first, setting the empty mug down with careful precision. “I don’t want to sleep alone.” The words came out quiet, almost too soft to hear. “After everything Bennett said, everything I saw, I don’t think I can be by myself right now.”
Kivani’s tiger surged forward, pleased and protective. “Okay. We can both stay out here. The couch is big enough.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make things weird.” Dakota’s arms wrapped around himself again, that self-protective gesture Kivani was learning to hate. “I know you said the mate-bond thing isn’t a choice, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”
“I don’t feel obligated.” Kivani set his own mug down and moved closer, stopping just outside Dakota’s personal space. “I want to stay with you. Want to make sure you’re okay. That’s not obligation. That’s just caring about someone.”
Dakota searched his face, looking for something Kivani hoped he’d find. Truth, maybe. Sincerity. Proof that this wasn't just about the mate bond, even though the bond thrummed through every cell in Kivani’s body demanding he touch and claim and protect.
“Okay,” Dakota said finally. “The couch then.”
They moved to the living room, and Kivani grabbed the throw pillows from the chair to make the couch more comfortable. His tiger paced restlessly, wanting to shift and curl around Dakota, but that would definitely be too much right now. Human form would have to be enough.
Dakota sat down first, tucking himself into the corner with his legs pulled up. He looked smaller like that, and Kivani’s protective instincts kicked into overdrive. He settled onto the couch beside Dakota, leaving space between them that his tiger hated but his human side knew was necessary.
“You can get closer,” Dakota said after a moment. “I’m not going to break.”
Kivani shifted over, closing the distance until their sides pressed together. Heat radiated from his body, the tiger running warmer than human normal, and he felt Dakota lean into it slightly. Seeking warmth or comfort or maybe just the presence of another person after Bennett’s invasion of his space.
“Can you tell me about it?” Dakota’s voice was quiet, his eyes fixed on the dark window across the room. “The mate-bond thing? How it works?”
Kivani considered how much to explain, how much Dakota could handle hearing right now. “It’s like recognition. The moment I saw you, I felt the pull, like an unseen hand directing me toward you. Knew you were mine, that we were supposed to find each other. My tiger recognized your scent, the sound of your heartbeat, everything about you screamed mine.”
“That sounds terrifying.” Dakota’s hands twisted in his lap. “Like you didn’t have a choice about wanting me. Like it was just decided for you.”
“It’s not like that.” Kivani searched for words that would make sense, that wouldn't make this sound like some predetermined fate Dakota had no say in. “The bond tells me who you are to me, but it’s up to us to make it work. I like you because of who you are. Because you’re funny and smart and you organize my taffy by color without being asked. Because you make these little sounds when you eat something good and you get this focused look when you’re concentrating. The bond just told me to pay attention. Everything else is just me falling for you.”
Dakota turned to look at him, and something in his expression had softened. “You’re falling for me?”
“Have been since you spilled coffee all over me.” Kivani let himself smile, remembering that first meeting. “I just wanted to make you laugh, see you smile instead of looking so worried.”
“You did.” Dakota’s voice held wonder, like he was reframing every interaction they’d had through this new information. “You made me feel like I could finally breathe.”
“I always want you to feel safe with me.” Kivani’s hand moved without conscious thought, settling on Dakota’s knee. The touch felt natural, right, and when Dakota didn’t pull away, he let it stay. “Every time we interacted, I was falling harder. The mate bond told me who you were. Everything else was just learning why.”
Dakota was quiet for a long moment, his hand coming to rest over Kivani’s on his knee. “I don’t know what to do with that information.”
