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“You definitely have cows to be proud of. Hopefully, we’ll get some good news soon.” She muffled a yawn in her hand. “Oh, yikes, excuse me.”
He frowned. Perhaps he’d pushed her a little too hard. Humans were so much more fragile than shifters. “It was a long day. Are you tired?”
“A bit, but I’m not really ready to head to bed yet.” She gave him a shy smile.
She wanted to spend more time with him. Yes. His grin returned. “Neither am I. Would you like a drink? We could talk some more or watch a movie.”
“That sounds great.” She moved to the couch, watching him pull down the mugs. “I’m curious about Nova Aurora movies.”
“I’ll try to pick something that gives you a good sense of what they’re like.” He filled both mugs with boiling water, mixing in a couple of packets of powder. Once it had fully dissolved, he brought them to the living room and joined Hope on the couch.
She took her mug with both hands, breathing in the steam. “What drink did you make?”
“It’s a Zehvrd Punch. A drink made from some local plants, fruits, and herbs mostly. It’s sweet but with a bit of a lingering heat at the back of the throat. Perfect for when it’s cold outside.” He’d gathered and dried the ingredients himself, a true local drink.
She took a long sip, sighing happily. “Mmm, that’s really good.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, drinking some himself. It tasted like home, like long winter nights. “Not everyone can stand the heat.”
“It’s working for me.” She tucked a blanket around her legs, giving him a curious look. “What movie are we going to watch?”
“A classic. PlayStrength of an Alpha,” he told the screen. It was one he liked a lot and appropriate for the mood of the evening.
Hope watched the film attentively, brow furrowed and slightly frowning as she thought. She finished her drink quickly, set it aside, and folded her hands in her lap. She gasped in all the right places, and her eyes grew shiny at the big confession scene.
Truthfully, he’d spent more time watching her than the movie. He wondered what she’d think of the claiming. It wasn’t explicit, but you did see the lead mark his mate. She didn’t seem bothered or upset, but he couldn’t tell how she felt otherwise.
“What did you think?” he asked her as the credits played.
She tilted her head, thinking. “It was interesting but definitely different. Not exactly a story the way I think of them, but not bad. It was a romance, right?”
“It was,” he said, amused. “You weren’t sure?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t as much about the couple as I would have expected. The focus was on the man more than anything.”
“The purpose is for him to become worthy of her,” he explained. “She’s already perfect, his destined mate. He needed to grow stronger and take his place at the head of the pack. You don’t need to prove they love each other. It’s a given.”
“Right, okay. Pretty different from how we do things, but kind of romantic too.” She grinned at him. “We’re watching an Earth movie now.”
“We are?” he said, feeling his mouth twitch into a smile despite himself. He wasn’t used to being given orders.
“Yes,” she said decisively. “You need to see the differences for yourself. I don’t know enough about movies to explain it right.”
He sat back against the couch. It was fun when Hope took charge like this, one of the reasons she was such a good match for him. “I’m all for it.”
She looked at the screen, hesitant. “Um, how do I know if it has what I want?”
“It should. Most Earth movies have been brought over at this point.” He gestured to the wall. “Go ahead and ask it to play whatever you want.”
“Okay, then. PlayMarley and Me.” The movie began playing, and she looked pleased as she settled back in. “This is one of my favorites. It’s a romance too.”
“Then I’m sure I’ll love it,” he said, still watching her.
He did try to pay more attention to this one since he hadn’t seen it, and he did want to know what Hope liked about it. It seemed to center on the joys and struggles of this couple having a pet, which made sense. She was very fond of animals.
Halfway through the movie, he felt something warm and soft on his shoulder. Hope had fallen asleep, curled into his side. He hadn’t even realized how close they’d gotten. At some point, they’d started sharing the blanket.
He’d never felt anything so sublime. He wanted to stay cozied up with her forever, wanted to give her his sweater to wear and turn off the function that would make it fit her. Just sitting next to her and listening to her breathe was blissful.
