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She’s right, and there’s no point arguing. I stood there cringing while my mother stuck a magical IV in her arm. Her shifter body forced it out not long after.

She burrows closer. “I want us to use this time to get to know one another better.” Her voice is getting sleepier. “It’s clear Mother Fate made this happen.”

“Thank Mother Fate,” I breathe.

“I’m serious,” she insists.

I choke on my laugh. “So am I.”

“Your parents are definitely going to be here in the morning,” she mumbles.

“I know,” I answer.

She yawns again and pats my chest. “Mine will too.”

Of course they will. Levi probably has the route to my porch memorized already. Smoke puffs from my ears at the thought of him banging on my door.

Her breathing evens out into the cutest little snores. She’s falling asleep in my arms, where she belongs.

She slurs the words. “Can we watch the stars together tomorrow night?”

I slide my hand up to the nape of her neck. She smiles and drops off without waiting for my answer. Her heartbeat is slow and steady against me.

“If I could,” I whisper, “I would build a ship and take you on a tour of our galaxy. Not just our solar system, but beyond. Past the rings of Saturn and the storms of Jupiter. Through the Andromeda spiral and into nebulae where new stars are being born. I would show you the cosmos, Aya. Every constellation, every cluster, every wonder the universe has to offer.”

I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you, Aya.”

“I love you too,” she murmurs back.

She’s sound asleep. Her body is doing the answering, or maybe her wolf is behind the words. Whichever it is, she said it. The bond throbs under my skin until my eyes burn and spill over. I don’t bother wiping my face. My dragon is giddy and purring like a hatchling with a full belly. We don’t have a lick of dignity left where she’s concerned.

I can’t sleep. I’m not sure I will at all this week. Instead, I stare up at the ceiling with my mate snoring into my shoulder. I’m planning a tour of the galaxy in a ship I can’t build, for a wolf who’d rather have a plain bagel. Whatever’s wrong with me, I hope it never heals.

10

AYA

The smell of beef cooking wakes me as it drifts into the bedroom along with the clink of pots from somewhere downstairs. I’m glad no one is up here to hear my stomach growl.

The bed is still warm, but the space beside me is empty. I reach across the sheets for Ezra and find nothing but the dent where his body was and his scent on the pillow. I roll into his spot and breathe him in. My wolf huffs at me. She wants the real thing.

I sit up to roll my shoulders and tilt my neck from side to side. I expected to ache, but I don’t. There’s no weakness in my limbs and no pain where the lightning struck. When I wiggle my toes under the blankets, my wolf stirs. She’s stronger than last night and almost back to herself.

I slide out of bed on steady legs. I’m desperately thirsty, but I need to make myself presentable before I go downstairs.

On my way to the bathroom, I check the dresser. My duffel bag lies flat and empty on the floor. How hard was I sleeping? He’s been busy while I was out, and no telling what else he got done.

I open the drawers. I’m not surprised to find my own clothes next to a bunch of new stuff he must have bought. I pull out a soft, girly dress I wouldn’t normally pick for myself, but I know exactly what it will do to Ezra when he sees me in it. So of course that’s the one I’m wearing. I might as well drive him crazy while I’m here.

I dig through another drawer for underwear. Some of it came out of my bag, but the rest is his doing. Ezra picked out panties for me. I grab a new pair and take it into the bathroom.

I stop in the doorway. Fresh towels are stacked on the counter beside a toothbrush still in its packaging. My favorite soap is by the sink. He arranged my shampoo and lotion like he studied every product on my shelves back home. Knowing Ezra, he did exactly that.

I pick up the mouthwash. It’s my brand in the size I always buy. I put it back down quick before I end up crying over toiletries.

I grin at my reflection while I go through my routine. By the time I’ve braided my hair, I feel like myself again. I pull my new dress over my head. He even left my favorite socks out for me.

I follow the scent of food downstairs to the kitchen, where Ezra is setting a finished plate down on the island. He looks up when I walk in and freezes with it still in his hand. He takes me in from top to bottom. The heat in his scent has my wolf perking up. His dragon likes my dress. His dragon likes my dress a lot.