“You don’t have to do anything with it.” Kivani turned his hand over so their palms pressed together, fingers interlacing. “I told you because you asked. Because you deserve honesty after Bennett used the truth as a weapon. But I’m not expecting anything from you. You can take all the time you need to process this.”
“What if I never feel the same way?” Dakota’s voice was small, vulnerable in a way that made Kivani’s heart hurt. “What if the mate bond only works one direction?”
“Then I’ll deal with that.” The words hurt to say, but Kivani meant them. “I'd rather have you in my life as a friend than not have you in my life at all. The bond doesn't entitle me to your feelings. It just means I’ll spend the rest of my life wanting you, whether you want me back or not.”
But Kivani knew the truth, knew Dakota already felt the pull. He was just processing a lot tonight, unsure what to think.
Dakota made a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. “That’s really depressing, actually.”
“Little bit, yeah.” Kivani squeezed Dakota’s hand gently. “But I’ve lived three hundred years without a mate. I can handle whatever comes next.”
“Three hundred years?” Dakota’s eyes went wide. “You’re three hundred years old?”
“Three hundred and twenty-five, technically.” Kivani watched Dakota process that information, saw the moment it clicked into place with everything else he’d learned tonight. “Shifters live a long time. Longer than humans.”
“So I’m going to get old and die while you stay like this?” Dakota gestured at Kivani’s face, his body. “That seems really unfair.”
“The bond changes things.” Kivani kept his voice calm, even though talking about Dakota dying made his tiger snarl with denial. “Humans live as long as their mates. It’s fate’s way of ensuring our bond.”
“As long as their mate?” Dakota seemed to latch onto the words.
“Yes,” Kivani admitted. “But I’m not thinking about that right now. Right now I’m just thinking about making sure you’re okay.”
His mate leaned into him more fully, his head coming to rest on Kivani’s shoulder. The trust in the gesture made Kivani’s throat tight, his tiger purring so loudly he was sure his mate could feel the vibration. He wrapped his arm around Dakota’s shoulders, pulling him closer until his mate was practically in his lap.
“This is a lot,” Dakota murmured against Kivani’s throat. “Everything is different now. You’re different. I’m different. The whole world is different.”
“I know.” Kivani’s hand moved to Dakota’s back, rubbing slow circles between his shoulder blades. “But you’ll adjust. Your brain will process the new information and find a way to make it fit. It just takes time.”
And Kivani would give his mate all the time he needed.
Chapter Seven
They stayed like that for a while, Dakota’s weight warm against Kivani’s side, the apartment quiet except for their breathing. Kivani’s hand traced slow patterns across Dakota’s back, feeling the tension gradually ease from his muscles. His tiger rumbled contentment, pleased to have their mate close and safe.
“So…” Dakota said eventually, his breath ghosting across Kivani’s throat. “When you said you've been falling for me since we met, did that include the part where I reorganized your entire back room without asking?”
There it was. The deflection Kivani had been waiting for, Dakota’s way of processing by making light of things that felt too heavy to hold. “Especially that part. You found receipts from 2012 that I thought were gone forever.”
“They were behind a box of Valentine's Day decorations from what I’m pretty sure was the actual Victorian era.” Dakota’s voice held a smile, and Kivani felt some of the tightness in his own ribs ease. “I’m not even sure how they survived that long without disintegrating.”
“Strong paper quality.” Kivani’s fingers found the hem of Dakota’s sweater, slipping underneath to touch bare skin. Dakota’s breath hitched at the contact, and Kivani filed that reaction away. “Very durable.”
“Uh-huh.” Dakota shifted, his hand coming to rest on Kivani’s stomach. “Is this okay? Me touching you?”
“Yes.” The word came out rougher than Kivani meant, his tiger pushing forward at the feel of Dakota’s palm through his shirt. “More than okay.”
Dakota’s fingers traced idle patterns, not quite exploring but not completely innocent either. Kivani’s body responded, heat pooling low in his stomach, and he had to focus on keeping his breathing even. His mate was here, touching him, safe in his arms. Everything his tiger wanted, even if the circumstances that brought them here were terrible.
“I keep thinking about earlier,” Dakota said quietly. “In your kitchen. When we kissed.”
Kivani’s hand stilled on Dakota’s back. “What about it?”
“Just that it felt good. Really good. And then Bennett showed up and ruined everything, and I didn’t get to finish processing what was happening between us.” Dakota tilted his head up, and Kivani could see his eyes in the dim light from the window. “I’m still not done processing.”
“That’s okay.” Kivani’s thumb stroked along Dakota’s ribs, feeling the flutter of his pulse. “You can take all the time you need.”
“What if I don’t want to take more time?” Dakota’s hand moved higher on Kivani’s stomach, fingers spreading. “What if I want to go back to that moment before everything got complicated?”
