Page 47 of Wind Rider

“This what?”

“This wanting me to be with you,” she said, wiping her face with her sleeve.

Moving slowly and carefully, Antreas brushed aside a long, dark curl of hair that had fallen across Danita’s face. “Bast and I aren’t so easily frightened away.”

“But you don’t want a mate who can’t stand your touch.”

“I’m touching you now and you seem fine,” he said.

“This is different. You’re comforting me because we’re friends, but you want more than that,” she insisted.

“Don’t you?” Antreas asked.

“I used to. I wanted babies—lots of babies. And now Mari and Sorasay I might not be able to get pregnant, even if I could bear to be touched like that,” she said.

“I’d like to swear an oath to you—right now—right here.”

“What kind of oath?” Danita asked, sniffling.

“Well, it’s two-part. First, I swear that I willneverhurt you—not physically,” he said.

Danita cocked her head to the side, studying him. “But what about hurting me mentally?”

Antreas’s lips quirked up. “I would like to swear that as well, but over the past weeks I’ve realized that I really don’t know much about women, which means I will definitely mess up—unintentionally—in my courting of you.”

Danita’s brows went straight up, and Antreas thought her gray eyes got even bigger. “You think you’re courting me?”

He sighed. “See, I already messed up because I thought you knew that.” Antreas watched Danita try to hide her smile. “And now you’re laughing at me. I think I better go back to Sora for more lessons.”

“Sora? Lessons?” Danita squeaked. “You told her you’re courting me?”

“Well, sort of. She explained to me how Earth Walkers Choose their mates, which is why I know I’m supposed to court you—though it seems I’m not doing a good job of it. What have I missed?”

“Earth Walker males give a gift to the woman they wish to court,” said Danita.

“Eggs! I gave you gull eggs. Did you break them?”

Danita felt the front of her shirt. “No, they’re still whole, and you didn’t give them to me. I found them!”

“Okay, how about those blue jay feathers I gave you before you danced your name to the Goddess?”

Danita rolled her eyes. “Bast found those for me, not you. All you did was hand them to me.”

“See, I told you I was doing a bad job at this courting thing.” But Antreas’s heart felt lighter as Danita seemed more and more like herself again. “Maybe I’m the broken one in this relationship.”

“Don’t tease about it—it’s awful to be broken.”

“But you aren’t. You, Danita, are just exactly as you should be. I would not change you if I could.”

Danita met his eyes, and he saw that hers were filling with tears again.

“Ssh, don’t cry. Bast and I are here. We’ll always be here.”

“But what about—” She broke off on a sob.

Antreas touched her face gently, wiping away a tear with his thumb. “We’ll figure it out—the three of us. And that’s the second part of my oath to you. Do you accept my oath?”

“If I do does that mean you think I’m accepting you as my mate?” she asked.