AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My willingness to share had gotten ahead of me. Telling of that dreadful day to Macy would surely cloud her opinion of me. She wouldn’t be kind. She wouldn’t make peace offerings. And perhaps that was just what I deserved.
But the thought of losing her attention in the slightest wounded me.
I hung my head. “I understand what it means to lose.”
“I know that too.”
“Then you understand why kindness is so important. You’re doing it now.”
She chortled. “Yeah, I guess I do get it. I just…it’s hard. I don’t trust people.”
“I can tell.”
“You don’t have to be rude about it.”
I smirked. “My apologies, little wolf. I won’t speak like that to you again.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“What?”
She caressed my cheek. “All of you are beautiful, you and your Elderling friends.” She paused for a second, worry wrinkling her forehead. “But I don’t find them as attractive as you.”
“You find me attractive?”
“Why else would I sleep with you?”
Heat cluttered my face. “I suppose there are many reasons why you slept with me. Convenience, attraction, security—Izdor told me all about hookup culture.”
Her smile turned into a wiggling line. “Did he? Well, that sounds…that sounds so…” She coughed, the sound giving way to a flood of laughter. “That explains so much!”
“I don’t understand. Why are you laughing? Have I offended you again?”
She waved as she continued laughing, a pink hue decorating her cheeks that enlivened her beauty. Her laugh was as wonderful as her smile, perhaps more so, regardless of how much it currently confounded me.
“He’s…” She coughed a couple more times. “Well, he’s not thebestperson to talk to about hookup culture, from what I can tell. But it sounds like he did his best.”
“Isn’t that what we did? We hooked up. Am I wrong?”
She smiled bashfully. “We did, Juriah. But I like to think that it meant more than just merely hooking up.”
Finally, the pieces fell into place. The things that had confused me about her behavior were in full view for me to observe.
I stroked her cheek. “You want me to court you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it like that, but…” She bit her lower lip. “I’m scared, Juriah. I’ve already told you how I do with trusting people.”
“You don’t trust people.”
She nodded and played with her long braid. “But with you, I want to trust you. I want to be around you. That’s why being at home without you was so weird.”
“Do you consider it your home?”
Something like panic bloomed in her eyes but reduced when I squeezed her hand. I transferred everything that was pertinent to her, all the wonderful feelings she made me feel when she gave me attention, and when she gave me pleasure in the many forms she delivered it. That seemed to help ease her stress.
After a moment, she nodded. “Yes, I consider it a home. Which scares me because I’ve never really had a home.”
“You do now, little wolf. You do with me.”
