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She could feel his smile against the top of her head, where he had rested his own.

“Good.”

“I was talking to my mother.”

“Oh, lord.”

Fee smacked him playfully on the arm. “She told me about my father.”

“I thought you already knew he was some human that left a long time ago.”

Fee nodded. “That’s mostly true. But he may have also had some werewolf ancestor or something.”

“He what?”

“You know Runa, she’s always kind of vague about things, but she claims he had some werewolf relative so there is a possibility that I’m maybe part wolf and so maybe I’m not actually tied to the trees, but I might be tied to⁠—”

“Me?” Theo swallowed hard, the word barely making it past his lips, but Fee heard it.

“Uh, yeah. As it turns out, maybe nymphs, at least a few like me, do have Mates.”

“Holy fucking shit, Fee.”

“You’re happy?”

“Of course I am. I’m yours.”

“And I’m yours,” she whispered.

And it felt like a claiming, quiet and true.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The next morning Theo opened his eyes to find Fee studying him. She was propped up on one elbow and her lips tipped into a smile when he woke up.

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning.”

She was awake. Alive, awake, and here, and he wasn’t sure he would ever get over it, that his heart would ever not race, skip, and stutter at the thought.

“Sorry I fell asleep,” he said. He’d meant to stay awake and talk to her all night, but he must have dozed off eventually.

“It’s okay. I’m guessing you didn’t sleep very well for a few days.”

“Is it obvious?” he asked, running a hand down his face.

“No.”

“We said no more lies, Fee.”

“Okay, fine, you look like shit,” she said with a grin.

“Much better, thank you.”

She pressed her lips to his cheek and sparks skittered across his skin. That kiss awakened him. He suddenly realized she was pressed against his side, her soft little body molded to his. Fuck, he wanted her.

But not yet. He wouldn’t rush this. Not this time. This time he would do it right.