Remembering the way my heart had clenched at her pain earlier this afternoon in my apartment, I turned to meet Jocelyn’s gaze, my voice still pitched for the microphone.
“To be fair, if the town council doesn’t take Joss’s suggestions, it might mean she’ll stick around to try harder next month, and that’s definitely in my best interest.” I winked at her. “But that wouldn’t be in Eastshore Isle’s best interest.”
There were tears in her eyes, and when Jocelyn pressed her fingertips to her lips, I wanted nothing more than to stomp over there, pull her hands in mine, and cover those lips with mine.
But this wasn’t aboutmeand my wants, or even my stupidKteer. This was about Jocelyn and her success. And I would do anything I could to support that.
So I turned back to the big room filled with friends, family, and some strangers, and I nodded once, firmly. “Jocelyn knows what she’s doing—she has a lot of experience with this—and she’s done a shit-ton— Uh, sorry. She’s donea lotof research and studying since she’s been on Eastshore, so she can point us in the right direction of people who can do this work. I think we all ought to listen to her.”
I realized what I was saying.
Had I listened to her? Had Iheardwhat she’d been saying? Oh, not about the lighthouse, but her objections to—toeverything? She’d stood in my home and told me that I would grow tired of her, cast her aside like that asshole of an ex who’d hurt her. I’d told her that was impossible, but I hadn’t listened to her worries…
I hadn’t explained why those worries were impossible. I couldn’t grow tired of her because she was myMate.
So I shifted again, meeting her gaze once more, and allowed her to see my feelings. “I think we ought to listen to her, because I’m sorry I’ve done a shit—sorry,done a poorjob of listening to her. I hope I get the chance to apologize.”
There were murmurings behind me, and I swear from the corner of my eye I saw Sakkara grinning as they all realized I wasn’t talking about the lighthouse anymore. And maybe Jocelyn realized that too because she’d dropped her gaze to her lap…
“Excuse me,” she murmured, suddenly standing. “I need to…”
She swallowed, and then, without glancing up at me, at the council, atanyone, she hurried down the aisle toward the door out to the hallway.
As she slid through it, I abandoned my place at the podium. I hadn’t explained, hadn’t listened. I’d dismissed her very real fears because I assumed she’d understood what my confession had meant, and I was running out of time to explain.
As I strode down the aisle after her, I heard the murmurs turn to cheers, my friends teasing and clapping as they realized what I was declaring with my actions.
Jocelyn was my Mate, and I needed to prove it to her.
Jocelyn
I was sobbingby the time I made it to the hallway, but they weren’t the tears of despair from earlier in the day. No, this time I was crying for a different reason…or maybe my body was just programed for tears right now, and I would cry over anything, I don’t know.
But Brakkor’s words….
Oh my God, Brakkor’ssupport. The way he believed in me? The way he praised me, standing there in front of all those people? He stood there and declared his belief in me, championed me…
I don’t think anyone but Kesha had ever done that for me before.
How could I have compared him to Chad? How could I have doubted him?
Brakkor wasn’t like Chad; he wasn’t saying one thing while thinking another. He was crude and brash and impolite at times, but that was because he was brutally honest. He didn’t sugarcoat things, he didn’t lie…and he would never, ever break his word.
Because he wasn’t an asshole. He was justBrakkor.
And I needed to stop judging him by what Chad had done to me.
Which is why when I felt him approach—how’d I know it was him? Maybe it was thatknowingKorrad had spoken of—I turned and threw myself, sobbing, into his arms.
And Brakkor wrapped himself around me, pulled me close, and buried his face in my hair. “I’m sorry, Kitten. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I should have listened when you said?—”
“No,I’msorry,” I sobbed, clutching his chest. “I was stupid! You’re not Chad, and you’re not going to get tired of me.”
“You’re damn right I’m not going to get tired of you.” He pulled me away, then moved his hands to cup my cheeks, his fingertips pressing against my spine. “Joss, you’re myMate. I’ve spent my life thinking that Mating is bullshit, and that all I needed was the chase, but I was wrong. You taught me that—loving youtaught me that. Irealized I never explained what Mating was, because I honestly didn’t understand it either, but?—”
“Your brother explained,” I managed to rasp hoarsely, my tears done, and my heart beating double-time as I latched on to that casualloving youcomment, hardly daring to hope. “He said finding your Mate is like…biological. It’s part of who you are.”
Brakkor was nodding. “It means we’re connected now, and you’ll be a part of me for the rest of my life.” His hold on me tightened, and his voice became rough, as if he couldn’t quite breathe. “Joss, I know I have no right to ask for anything from you, and if you go back home, I’ll respect your choice…but it’s going to hurt likefuck.”
