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It probably went without saying, but Nat and I were not good at taking care of plants.

Still feeling slightly off but not sure why, I looked down at Brian to make sure he was okay. He was still sleeping, his handsome face relaxed, firm lips parted around steady breaths. He was even paler than normal, which made his dark lashes stand out starkly against the tops of his cheeks. His hair was a rumpled mess that somehow still looked sexy.

He seemed fine. He’d need an absolute mountain of food, and we’d probably both sleep for an entire day, but right now he was sleeping peacefully. Nothing appeared wrong. With a little frown, I looked around the room again, trying to work out what had ripped me out of sleep.

Then I slowly looked back down at Brian.

He was in his human form. That was what was different.

Did that mean his rut had ended? Moving carefully so I didn’t wake him, I lifted a hand and rested my palm on his forehead. He felt cooler.

I eased off of his chest and out of bed as slowly as possible, then tiptoed to the en suite bathroom. The ensuing piss was possibly the best of my life, and I actually groaned out loud at the feel of the stream leaving me with ease. After four days of having to pee with a rampant erection, it was pure bliss.

Either my relieved groan had been louder than I thought, or it was just coincidence, but Brian was waking up when I went back into the bedroom. I felt my entire being brighten at the sight of him, like I’d just had pure joy injected into my veins. I hurried over to the bed.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” I perched on the edge of the bed beside him and ran a soothing hand over his messy hair.

“Better.” He rubbed his eyes and smiled at me blearily. “Head’s clearer.”

I nodded. “I think it’s over.”

He exhaled slowly and dropped his hand. “Me too. Are you okay?”

I melted, leaning down to kiss between his pecs. I breathed him in. He smelled more like wild honey in his human skin, whereas in his werewolf form, the campfire smoke was the stronger scent. “I’m great. Perfect.”

“I didn’t hurt you?” he asked, cupping the back of my head when I looked up at him. “I wasn’t too rough or anything, was I? Please tell me, Klaus.”

I smiled. “You didn’t even come close to hurting me, Brian. Please don’t worry. I loved it. All of it.”

I love you, I wanted to blurt, the words swelling big in my chest, threatening to burst out of me. I love you, I love you. I love you so much. Please love me back just as much. Please don’t ever leave me.

My next breath left me in a shaky rush as I stared down at him. He still looked tired and a little dazed, like he wasn’t quite with it yet. He was trembling as he pushed himself up onto an elbow and groaned quietly, rubbing his face.

I couldn’t say it yet. It wasn’t fair to throw something like that at him when he had barely begun recovering from his rut. So I swallowed it all back, and this time, leaving those things unsaid was almost a little painful.

“Let’s go take a shower,” I said instead.

Chapter 43

Scared

Klaus

“God, I can’t fucking wait to shower in this form,” Brian told me, his voice hoarse with fatigue as he followed me into the bathroom. “So much easier.”

I laughed, leading him to the toilet first, his hand tucked securely in mine. “I didn’t mind washing all your fur.”

I left him to pee as I headed for the sink. A second after I heard a stream hit water, Brian groaned in utter relief just like I had. I grinned over at him to see a look of pure satisfaction on his face.

“Feels good, huh?”

“Jesus, yes.” As he flushed and joined me at the sink to wash his hands, I grabbed his toothbrush and loaded it up. The spare he’d given me was still in the cup. He’d been barely lucid himself during his rut, but he’d still taken complete care of me, making sure every part of my body was looked after when I wasn’t really capable of caring about any of it myself. Now it was my turn.

I wet his toothbrush and handed it to him. He leaned a hip tiredly on the edge of the sink as he scrubbed his teeth. His eyes were still drowsy, but it looked less like bone-deep exhaustion now and more like serene contentment. Like his body was finally calm and settled.

I brushed my teeth beside him, watching him in the mirror. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I was fully aware that I was gazing at him like a lovesick fool, but I didn’t much care. What was the point in pretending otherwise? I was in love with him, to the point that it probably could make me sick.

I’d always been a fool when it came to love, but this time, it felt justified. It was worth it.