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“Not a dream,” she whispered.

I shook my head and then crossed the room. She climbed into my lap almost before I’d perched on the bed beside her. I took the moment to check the healing of my bonding bite. The scabs had fallen away a couple days ago, and the pink skin was now set and beginning to fade.

“I went into heat.”

It was a statement, but I nodded anyway. “You did.”

“I don’t remember…”

Stale oranges replaced the rich vanilla that had become my constant companion the last five days. Her trepidation was a rope around my chest. I should have realized her not knowing what had happened would be terrifying given what that scumbag had done. I held her closer.

“It’s all right,” I murmured. “Most don’t remember the details. We’re in a room in the Basilica. No one’s been in here but us.”

She was quiet in my lap, tracing the neckline of the shirt and then running her hand beneath it, over the skin of my chest. She went boneless with a contented sigh. We sat there for a long time, watching the sun move across the room.

Eventually, she whispered, “Are you hungry, too?”

49

AMETHYST

The next morning, I carefully braided back my hair in less-than-perfect Dutch braids that I tied together at the back of my head with a piece of dark brown leather in the privacy of our own ensuite in Vincent’s home. Warmth poured in through the partially opened window, spring in full swing. The bruises from the five day sex-fest had started fading enough I’d braved wearing a kirtle rather than a true gown, wanting to dress for the warmer weather. Its skirt flared drastically at my hips and landed just below my knees. The cotton was dyed a plum that I really enjoyed. It brought out the pink undertone of my skin without making me feel like I was as white as a ghost. I should have a few more pieces made from this if the seamstress at that particular shop had any more of it.

“Is this too low?”

Callum’s looked up from the book from my dream with a quirked eyebrow. He wore black pants slung low on his hips and no shirt at all. Desire pulsed in my stomach at the sight, and the corner of his mouth twitched with an almost-smile. I flushed but didn’t let myself be distracted.

“Is it too low?”

Confusion inched along the bond.

“Is what too low?”

God, his voice was enough to have my toes curling into the stone floor. Gods, even with the heat haze firmly behind me, my body was ready to combust at the drop of a hat. This couldn’t be healthy.

Now his lips twitched into a true smirk, and I scoffed to hide my blush. Not that it mattered since he could feel my moment of embarrassment.

“The dress.”

I traced the square neckline that cut much lower than any of the other dresses I’d worn. His gaze liquified as he took in the dress and me in it. His voice was a low caress that had me wishing the employees weren’t all outside setting up the celebration for tomorrow night.

“It’s perfect, Sterre.”

I flushed again, deeper than before, but didn’t let myself be distracted by him yet. We hadn’t even made it out of our bedroom yet and it was creeping closer to midday. Amaria and Shelby had both checked earlier, light knocks that had had me wishing I could just melt into the floor when Callum had answered the door no more dressed than he was now. I’d desperately thrown the blanket over myself and prayed they didn’t bring up just how thick our scents were in the air.

“Let me check your bond mark,” he murmured, holding out his hand. I gave him a skeptical look, and he smiled broadly. “Just the bond mark, I promise.”

“Only if we can go help with the preparations.”

I felt like a caged animal, knowing everyone else was working to put something together and I was just up here doing nothing.

“We can do that before our anointing this afternoon,” he said. There was mischief in his gaze now. “All you had to do was ask nicely.”

What I had asked for—begged, really—filled the space between us, and the amusement in the bond meant he knew it.

“Now let me see the bite, please.”

It was impossible to resist him. I melted into his lap, barely avoiding the worn book in his hold. He feathered his touched over the healed marks, but I still shivered. His breath caught. I nestled closer into him. HE wrapped his arms around me, the book forgotten on the cushion beside us.