Her apartment building appeared ahead. An old Victorian house converted into units. The paint was peeling a bit, and the yard needed to be mowed. A piece of the past that deserved better treatment than this. But people didn't appreciate things now like they used to. These days, it was all about money.
Talin stopped at the wrought iron gate and stood uncertainly, playing with her keys with her head down.
I waited, watching her internal struggle without interruption. She was wondering whether to invite me in. Little did she know that despite my own uncertainty about what was happening between us, I wasn't going anywhere tonight. If she didn't want me in her apartment all day, I'd camp outside the door. Hopefully, it was far from any windows, because even though it was winter, the sun would be coming up in a few hours, and I'd let it burn me alive before I left her again.
I saw the moment she came to a decision. "Do you want to come in?" The question carried weight, and we both knew it.
I should say no. Tell her I was fine staying somewhere else in the house so I'd be nearby just in case her magic acted up and she needed me. She clearly wasn't ready for what was going to happen between us. And it would happen. Talin was MINE, but if she decided to never sleep with me, well, then I guess I'd just become celibate. Because even just the thought of fucking someone else made me recoil in disgust. I'd happily wait if she wasn't ready, even if it nearly killed me. "Yes."
She blinked up at me, and I couldn't tell if she was relieved or surprised by my answer. Maybe a little of both. After only a brief pause, she led the way up to the second floor.
Her apartment was small but tidy. A one-bedroom with exposed brick walls and windows that overlooked the street. Bookshelves lined one wall, crammed with volumes on magic theory and mythology. A comfortable-looking couch occupied the other wall. There was no television, but I guess in this age of streaming you didn't really need one. Just a computer, which I spotted at one end of the couch. The kitchen was white, the counters cluttered, and there were a few dirty dishes in the sink, which I immediately wanted to wash for her. Right before I reorganized her cabinets.
Talin locked the door behind us, then turned to face me, and the urge to clean her kitchen completely left my mind. The air between us crackled with tension, with all the things we'd been dancing around since that first night at the bar.
MINE.
The word reverberated through me all the way down to the marrow of my bones, and it was all I could do not to throw her over my shoulder and find the nearest flat surface.
But she looked so small and scared standing there in front of me… "Talin, if you don't want me in here…" I left the rest of the thought unsaid, not sure what I'd do if she told me to leave. "Do not want this?" I asked suddenly, gesturing back and forth between the two of us. "I know it's not why you came to me?—"
She cut me off. "It's not that." Her beautiful eyes traveled over my face. "And maybe it was, but I just didn't realize it at the time. I mean, who can fight fate, right?"
"Are you absolutely sure? Because my offer to leave still stands." Like hell it does.
"No," she said, and I heard the note of surprise in her voice. "I actually feel better having you here."
Good. Okay. Now I was confused. "Then what's wrong? Is it the threads?"
She shook her head. "No. No, they've decided to give me a break tonight. Which is weird. I just…I'm not sure…" She stopped. Looked at me, then quickly looked away again. "I mean, I know what happens. Between males and females…" Her hands flew through the air, gesturing as she spoke. "I'm your mate." Her eyes met mine. She didn't sound too sure about that. "And I know you expect to…and it's not that I don't want to," she hurried to reassure me, "I mean…look at you."
My entire body hardened as her eyes traveled over all six feet three inches of me and her tongue swept out to moisten her lips. A deep, possessive growl rumbled deep within my chest.
At the sound, her eyes flew back to mine, and she swallowed hard. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you," she finally admitted in a small voice as her eyes fell to the floor.
It was my turn to blink at her stupidly, not understanding how that would be possible. "Talin." I waited until she looked at me again. "That's not going to happen."
She just gave me a timid smile, and in a shaky voice said, "I guess we'll see, won't we."
I crossed the distance between us in two strides, framing her face with both hands. Her skin was so soft, I was distracted for a second by the feel of it beneath my rough palms. "Look at me."
Those green eyes lifted to mine, uncertainty swimming in their depths.
"I've wanted you since the moment you walked into my bar," I confessed, keeping my voice steady and patient despite the hunger clawing through me. "Even before that. Before I knew who you were. Before I understood what you are to me. I just wouldn't admit it to myself."
Her eyes were wide on my face.
"Talin, there's nothing about you that could possibly disappoint me." It was true. I knew this instinctively. After all, she was chosen for me for a reason.
She didn't answer, just bit her lower lip, and it made me want to bite it too as tears filled her eyes.
"Talin." I lowered my forehead to hers, breathing in her scent, soured slightly by fear. "Tell me what you're afraid of."
"I can't."
"You can." I slid my hands down to her shoulders, then her arms, feeling her trembling beneath the layers of clothing. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
But she just shook her head, pulling back just enough to lower her eyes to the floor between our feet.
