I sit with that for a moment, thinking. “Like telepathy?”
Kael inclines his head.
I nod, my mind drifting. “I’ve heard similar things. Existing interspecies mates sometimes develop… side effects. Shared dreams, extra senses, even minor and some major shifts in biology. Nothing like energy manipulation, though.” I chew my lower lip. “Still, the whole mind-talking thing would be kind of cool.”
Kael’s mouth quirks at the corner. “You would like that?”
I huff. “No need to sound so amused.”
His lips press together, amusement fading. “Bonded pairs could also sense emotions.”
That gives me pause.
“Joy,” he continues. “Pain.”
I watch him closely. His jaw tightens. His nostrils flare. And then—a wince.
I narrow my eyes. “What?”
Kael exhales sharply through his nose, gaze flicking—just briefly—to my back. Where he saved me.
My stomach knots. I shift, feeling the tender pull of the healing wound. “You can feel that?”
His luminous eyes meet mine, glowing softly in the dim light. “I can feel all of it.”
And he’s not just talking about my back.
I suck in a breath, realisation slamming into me. My pain. My anger. My bitterness. He feels it. All of it.
I swallow hard, shifting uncomfortably. “And that means… what? That you’ll always be able to sense me?”
Kael nods. His gaze is steady, but there’s something raw underneath it.
How would that feel? To be known like that? To be seen without filters, without masks, without bullshit?
It should bother me. Itdoesbother me. But at the same time… bloody hell, at least it would cut through the bullshit. At least I wouldn’t have to guess what he’s thinking.
Or what I’m thinking.
Kael’s voice drops lower, rougher. “I would be yours. And you would be mine. I would never leave you.”
Something inside me tightens. Because fuck, I don’t know if I want that.
And I don’t know if I don’t.
Clearly sensing my confusion, he indicates towards my uneaten food. “Eat. Then it’s time to rest.”
I nod. He’s right. It’ll likely be tomorrow by the time we reach the doctor. I have a feeling I’ll need my energy to be able to think and act fast so that when her mate spots us, I can talk him out of killing us.
It’s easier to think about that confrontation than everything else Kael has shared with me. So, with a resigned sigh, I takea bite of therethogand allow myself to enjoy the flavour. I totally don’t think about Kael and how he provided for me or the longing glances he keeps sending my way.
If only he’d come to me when I’d first arrived, scared and so damn confused. But it’s a pointless wish. I learned a long time ago that wishing is for children and fools.
And it’s been a long time since I was either.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
