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"That was good," I say, keeping my voice low. "You sold it."

She doesn't look at me. "That's what you're paying me for."

The words sting more than they should. I watch her walk toward the bar, her hips swaying in bootie shorts, and I have to force myself not to follow. Not yet. She's still pissed I told Nyx and Eos without warning her, and I don't blame her. But damn, watching her pretend to be mine in front of everyone and leaning into my touch feels real as hell. That's the problem, though. Because it is real...at least for me.

I head to the dressing room to change for my shift, and Ashari's already there, pulling on his pants. He glances at me in the mirror and grins.

"So," he says. "You and Yue."

"Yeah."

"Mates."

"Yeah."

He ties the drawstring on his pants and turns to face me. "How long have you known?"

I freeze. "What?"

"How long have you known she's your mate?" he repeats, his tone casual. "Because I've been watching you two for months, and you've been circling each other like predators. So either this is brand new, or you've been hiding it."

I force a laugh. "It's new."

"Bullshit."

"It's true."

Ashari crosses his arms, and the side of his head moves. It's that fucking dragon ear of his. "Ekon, I can hear your heartbeat. I can hear the way your breathing changes when she's in the room. I know when you're lying."

"Fine." I run a hand over my face. "I've known for a little while."

"How long?"

"About a week or so."

He whistles low. "And you didn't tell her?"

"I couldn't." I tilt my head and look at the ceiling.

"Why not?"

"Because she would have run," I say, my voice sharper than I intend. "She doesn't trust me, Ashari. She thinks I'm a whore who can't commit to anything. If I'd told her the truth, she would have laughed in my face and walked away."

Ashari studies me for a long moment and then groans. "So you're playing the long game."

"I'm trying to earn her trust."

"Must be that backwards ass shit." He shakes his head. "So you'll gain her trust...by lying to her? Seems sound."

I try not to snort. "I'm giving her time to see that I'm serious."

He doesn't look convinced, but he doesn't push. Instead, he claps me on the shoulder and says, "Good luck, man. You're going to need it because she is going to beat your ass when she finds out."

He's not wrong. Yue will fuck me up, but I welcome it. The rest of the night is torture.

Yue stays at the bar, nursing a drink and talking to Eos. I perform my set, but my eyes keep drifting to her. She doesn't watch me even once throughout the night, and that pisses me off more than it should. After my set, I head to the bar and slide onto the stool next to her.

"Hey," I say.