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Nodding, he leaned forward with his palms pressed together between his knees, staring at the floor. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

I took another bite, giving him space to talk without interruption. Plus, I was starving and didn’t want cold noodles.

“I thought you were my Nyrith from the first night I saw you, but I didn’t say anything because I thought it was impossible for a Shyrlivi and a human to be mates. Sure, we could…” He waved a hand.

I understood he meant sex. I remembered our conversation about anatomy—and the tactile lesson that followed.

“But tether our souls together? No.” He sat up, rubbing his hands over his thighs. “But then I started sensing your emotions. Your scent changes when your emotions shift in a dramatic direction. Everything screamed you were the one, but logic said no.”

I placed the empty bowl on the nightstand.

Ash’s certainty made me reconsider my doubts about Shane’s story.

He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. “When we had sex, I felt like my soul was being torn to shreds. I didn’t understand how I could feel so strongly for someone so fast—or be so distraught at the idea of losing them forever.”

He wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t already turned over a thousand times in my head. Even before I knew he was my mate, I’d noticed shifts in his bay rum and cinnamon scent and the foreign emotions I sensed when around him.

I pursed my lips.

I guess the only thing I didn’t have until now was the words to define what everything meant. Mates. Nyrith.

He reached for my hand, then hesitated.

I wasn’t having it. I grabbed his hand before he could retreat, holding onto his fingers. “It was the same for me, you know?”

He nodded, closing his eyes.

My emotions overwhelmed me the night we slept together. I couldn’t hide my tears from him even if I tried. If he sensed my emotions, he had to know how much that moment meant to me, and how much it hurt me.

“At the risk of distressing you more than you already are, I need you to know how I feel.” His vulnerable eyes found mine. “I’m falling for you. I’ve fallen for you. I don’t know when it started, but it’s there. And it’s more than mate instincts.”

“It is?”

“Yes,” he said, squeezing my hand. “You’ve let me spend time with you. I’ve gotten the chance to get to know you, learn your likes and dislikes, see what makes you unique. But I want more. I want to know more.” He sighed. “I feel like such a piece of shit.”

I leaned back, assessing him. “Why?”

He said sweet words and now felt bad about it? I didn’t get it.

“Because I tried to put distance between us when I thought I couldn’t be with you. I thought I was protecting you, but I was selfishly protecting my own heart.” He scratched his beard. “I could have learned more about you, but I acted like a jackass.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.” He laughed when I pulled my hand away and slapped his arm. “There you go again, being violent.”

“Well, someone has to keep you in check.”

“And that someone is you?”

I twisted my lips to the side and stared at the ceiling. “No one else has done a decent job since you got here.” Not that he needed to be kept in check like another infernal who shall remain nameless.

His bark of laughter settled my heart.

I needed to tell him my thoughts and reservations. He deserved that after sharing his honest, raw feelings with me.

I blew out a long breath and slapped my knees. “So, yeah… I’m sort of feeling the same.”

“Sort of?” He arched an eyebrow. “Want to expand on that?”