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He got up and kneeled at my feet. Shoot, he was going to propose. Did he have a ring? This wasn’t right. We’d slept together once. That didn’t make for a long-term relationship.

“Sort of but not exactly.”

My gaze slid to the gate from force of habit. I was always marking the way out, but for the first time, I didn’t want the comfort of knowing where it was.

Mate. He’d said that word before getting on his knees. But that was the opposite of how I lived life. I wanted to run from whatever being a mate involved. But I couldn’t make myself stand up and go.

ELEVEN

SINCLAIR

I’d said the word and now I had to own it.

Mate!

I’d been on my knees watching his face as his head swiveled to the gate, and my belly tightened. I understood when a person was looking for an escape route. I’d just handed the man least likely to stay a reason to hightail it out of here. Telling a guy like River he was my forever was like pointing to a cage and telling him that was his entire life.

I was the opposite because I’d built walls around me, made them higher so no one could take anything from me. That was why I never let people get close. River kept moving so he didn’t have any regrets, whereas I put up barriers to prevent getting hurt.

But I had to fix this and my dragon reassured me I could do it.

“It’s something that is specific to shifters. Fate or if you prefer destiny or maybe call it the universe decided that we were meant for each other.”

“Shifter matchmaking?” His head was still angled toward the large gate.

“It’s not a trap. You’re not obligated to, you know…”

The tiles were killing my knees, but I couldn’t get up. The tea was forgotten and cold, but I grabbed the mug and gulped the unappetizing drink, draining the cup and feeling as though that was what I deserved.

“What are you doing, Daddy?” Wren appeared at the door, barefoot and rubbing her eye with a fist. “You’re so noisy. Are you playing a game?”

Something must have woken her, but it wasn’t us.

She padded outside and climbed onto River’s lap as if she’d been doing it forever, which she had if forever was the last month or so.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” River put an arm around her. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“No. But Daddy looks sad.”

“I’m not. River and I were just talking.” I heaved myself off my knees and sat down, putting out a hand to my daughter.

She clutched it and yawned. “River is sad too.” She tugged the corner of his mouth down. “He does that thing with his lips when he’s sad.” She frowned. “Did you burn another frying pan?”

“No pans were harmed, I promise.” River kissed the top of her head. “And you three are the best bed warmers and flame makers ever.”

She snuggled into him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He glanced at me over the head of my sleepy daughter. “Me too.”

“But I don’t want you to leave when Aiden comes back.”

Wren closed her eyes. I couldn’t put into words how much I agreed with her, but it wasn’t up to me.

River looked down at my daughter. “So what do we do now?”

That wasn’t like him. He wasn’t decisive as he had been earlier when he spoke to Ivy about not using her flame.

“Now we put her to bed before she wakes up and negotiates another bedtime story.” I winced as I stood up. Shifters shouldn’t suffer from bad knees.