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“Can you open your eyes for me?” I did, meeting Wraith’s dark ones. “Hi there.”
What he looked for in my eyes, I wasn’t sure, but a dark wave of power swept over me, relieving the aches and pains. “You don’t want me to feel the pain?”
He chuckled. “Seeing my marks on you makes me want to pin you down and start all over again. But, for me, there’s a difference between giving pain and sitting in pain. I like the former. The latter, unless it’s on purpose, isn’t fun for me.”
“Good to know.”
Wraith moved, rolling over me. “Can I get you to take a shower with me?”
My whole body felt wobbly. “If you carry me in there.”
“That was always going to happen, princess.” He lifted me from the bed, and I glanced around, getting my first real look at his bedroom and apartment.
Dark gray walls and black lacquered furniture. Still, it felt warm and rich. “You really lean into the whole darkness thing, huh?”
“Might as well,” he said with a laugh. “It’s who I am.”
The words struck me in the chest.
Wraith set me down gently and started the shower, waiting until it was warm before guiding me under the flow and leaning me against the wall so he could keep me upright with his own.
Emotion rose in my chest, my face crumpling. The tears came hard and fast, sobs wracking my body so hard it nearly hurt. I wrapped my arms around Wraith’s neck, and he held me.
“It’s okay, princess. You’re okay, I promise.”
Iwasokay. That was the thing. I loved it.
My mate hurt me and made me come, and I loved every second of it. Who the fuck was I? Why did I like it? It made me feel guilty, even though the emotion didn’t make sense.
Wraith tilted my face up to his and kissed me softly. “Do you regret it?”
“No.” Though my voice was watery, the answer came instantly. “No, I don’t. I just don’t understand why. I shouldn’t—” I shook my head.
“And I should?” He raised an eyebrow before a soft smile appeared. “There isn’t anything to understand, princess. We all have things we like, and being fae, we need more of them. Everything about us is amplified. You being ourâmmeluneonly adds to it. There’s nothing wrong with you for enjoying this, and you have no idea how grateful I am that you do.”
I leaned my forehead on his chest, letting the warm water fall over both of us. “It feels wrong. I know it’s not, but it feels that way. I don’t want it to feel wrong.”
Arms wrapped around me, cradling me through the tears. “Princess, your soul is split in two. You’ve never had to feel it before. Yes, it will feel better.”
“I don’t want to lose who I am.”
I stiffened in his arms, the revelation coming out of me for the first time. Becoming immortal—becoming fae—would I be so different I didn’t recognize myself?
“This is who you are,” he breathed the words into my ear. “It is. That won’t change.”
“How do you know?” My voice broke. “Hybrids are so rare.” Because they were killed before they were as old as I was.
Wraith turned me so I faced the wall, lining his body up with mine. The way he held me now, my back to his chest, enveloping me… I felt so fucking safe.
“I know because you’re already our mate,” he said. “You’re already made for us. Perfect for us. If your whole being were going to change, what would be the point?”
Couldn’t exactly argue with that.
“I’m sorry.” I leaned into him. “I loved it, and I love you. I don’t know why I feel like this.”
Wraith turned me back to him. “Because you enjoyed something you never thought it was okay to enjoy.” He smiled, but it was soft. “I’m a sadist. A veryoldsadist. I know how people, especially humans, think about it. Going against that is overwhelming. Not to mention everything that’s happened in the last week.”
“I don’t want you to think—”
