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Turning towards me, his joyous grin pulls a smile from deep inside me.
“How are you?” he asks, his smile fading a bit as he searches my face. His big hands gesture towards a yellow couch that pops into existence and gestures for me to sit. I smile. It’s just like the one from my apartment.
But I’m distracted by the size of his hands.
Lisa once spent several drunken hours explaining to me that a man’s hands were his sexiest feature. “If I walk up to a man and say ‘hey you have nice hands’ I am doing everything in my power not to fuck him senseless against the nearest surface,” she had slurred.
Honestly, at the time I didn’t get it.
Now, as I watch Bobble arrange some pillows that have also magically appeared, I think I finally get it.
It’s the contrast.
I want his hands on me. I want to see how much of my body they can hold. They’re oddly tan, which considering Bobble in real life is covered in fur, is something that’s so weird I’m absolutely not willing to explore it.
All I can do is stare, however, and wonder what those hands would feel like…
“Mira?” he asks, his voice thick with concern.
I blink. I look away from his unnaturally erotic hands and settle onto the couch. “I’m okay. I just… wasn’t expecting that. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was awful.”
My words break off with a sob, and he holds me close to his chest. His voice soothes my heart as tears stream down my cheeks. “It’ll get easier.”
As I pull back, I see he’s crying, too. He wipes away his tears and leans forward to kiss my forehead. His hands wrap around mine and squeeze.
“Do we want killing to get easier?” I ask.
I don’t know what my answer is.
Part of me recognizes that, if I’m going to be part of this world, I may need to adapt. I may need to become harder and get used to seeing things like brutal killings all the time.
Part of me, well, most of me, thinks that’s not something I necessarily want to get used to.
Bobble’s mouth tilts to the side, considering. “It has to. That’s the kind of world Illuemera is, and I need you to survive it. I’d lose my mind if something happened to you.”
The thought makes me shudder. I try not to think about it too hard right now. “You saw me today. I was totally helpless. Just standing there like an idiot.”
He sighs deeply, shaking his head, and runs his fingers along my arm.
“Not from where I was standing. You barreled your shoulder into that beast just in time to give Sunder an opening. Besides, many people freeze their first time in battle, you know? Even the big scary types. It’s normal.”
“Yeah, well… it won’t happen again.”
His amber gaze stares straight through me. “You sound pretty confident about that.”
“Tomorrow, I’m going to bond Sunder. I have to. Without Chroma, he’s more vulnerable. We all are.”
I don’t add that a large part of the reason I even agreed to this is because I want Bobble to be happy, and for him to be reunited with his whole self. Maybe he already knows that though.
Bobble scratches his chin, looking concerned. “Is that what you want, though?”
My eyes flick to his and back down to where my hands fold tightly on my lap.
“Yes, and no. I’m-”
His eyes narrow as I clamp my mouth shut. “What is it?”
I look away, hiding my embarrassment. “Nothing, really. It’s just… isn’t it weird to talk to your fated mate about bonding someone else?”
