“I heard you,” he said, watching me closely. “Whispering to me. Telling me–telling me to let him go.”
I shook my head, confused. “I didn’t say anything to you.”
I couldn’t even comprehend how I would have done so even if I’d wished it.
“I didn’t say anything to you, either. And yet…” His fingers played with the edge of the duvet. “Our minds somehow found the words the other needed.”
Mad.
Frightening.
Impossible–or, at least, it should have been.
“Ryker…what is this?” I asked, half lost, half knowing the answer, but refusing it.
He gulped, hesitation and hope pulsing through him. “Remember when I told you about fated mates?”
The words fluttered from my mind and settled in my chest, burrowing deep. Like they’d always belonged there.
“But–” I shook my head. “You said Evie and the Dragon are fated mates. She can’t sleep when he’s not near.”
My sleeping problems were only partially caused by his absence.
“And they can actually talk with each other in their minds. Knowingly.” He sighed, envious. “I don’t know why it’s different for us. If…if we are what I think we are.”
We were.
My mind rebelled, but my body already knew. Because it felt right.
And that scared me–because it meant now I had even more to lose.
“Maybe because we’re different,” I said softly. Hesitantly. I twisted my fingers hard. “We’re stubborn and stand alone. Maybe that somehow seeped into…whatever this is between us.”
Calling it–us–fated mates out loud felt strange. Like I was reciting forgotten legends as Clan Code.
Everything about this moment was so tentative.
Fragile.
Like neither of us really knew how to handle this, but we both tried nonetheless. Awkwardly, but we tried.
“This isn’t the way it should have gone,” he said sadly. “It should have been a happy moment.”
“Those are few and far between.” But maybe not impossible. I slid closer to him. “Has anybody told you you’re too curious for your own good?”
“Out of all the things they say about me, I haven’t heard this one. Why?”
“Because you want to delve into my mind.” The idea should have scared me more than it did. “And I want to delve into yours, but we already know I’m nosy.”
He huffed a tired laugh. His leg tilted closer to mine, until our knees touched. Another jolt raced through me.
“It would have been useful.” He sighed once more. “Being able to talk to each other from a distance–if you would have wanted it. I understand you can block your thoughts.”
“Imagine us fighting on the same battlefield with that power. Our enemies wouldn’t know what hit them.”
He let out another surprised laugh.
“What?” I asked, a bit offended. “It would be an amazing advantage.”
