“I’m sure you have a thousand questions.” He looked down at her with such love and hope spilling from his eyes.
“About,” Nora breathed. She didn’t remove her hand, and he didn’t touch it. The feel of his heart beating just beneath her palm reminded her that Cain was just like any other man, even if he could shift.
“What’s the ‘more’ you have to tell me?” Nora dropped her hand slowly, but Cain caught it in his own and kissed her knuckles.
“You’re my mate.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand, to agree.
“Mate? What does that mean?” There was so much to process, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to add something else to the pile.
He dropped her hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never had to explain it before, but since I need to, I guess it’s. . .” he paused, and let the words hang in the air. How did he explain mate?
“It’s the sensation of comfort that prickles the skin and washes your thoughts. It hot and cool and its the equilibrium that two people feel when they’re together. The chemistry in their movements together.”
He grabbed her hand and pressed his palm against it, measuring their fingers to each other. He wrapped an arm around Nora’s waist and pulled her flush against him. She felt her body respond with a flash of heat, and she writhed against him, her body wanting the clothes to be removed.
“It’s that,” he said close to her ear. His hot breath tickled her senses, and she wasn’t sure she would think clearly ever again.
She leaned back to look into his eyes. Those sapphire-blue eyes that she drowned in every day. She couldn’t believe they might possibly be hers.
“What does being a mate mean?” It was a question that demanded answers. If she was his mate, were there certain expectations she was supposed to live up to? Did it require anything of her?
“It’s a like a marriage; like having a soul mate. We are soul mates for each other, and our bodies were able to acknowledge the connection before our minds did. For me, when I touch you, it is a breath of cool air that washes over me and prevents me from heating with anger.”
He didn’t hold her tightly now, but cradled her. He gave her the space to get away, but he desperately hoped she would stay. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but in his arms; she fit too perfectly to not be there.
“When we are touching,” she ran her hand up to his nape, “I feel a fire baptize me and, for once, I feel safe.”
“That is all I want. I want you to be safe. Please don’t go back to the school.”
“I have to. You know I can’t stay away.”
He leaned down and kissed her, dizzying her thoughts. They were tangled up with each other, and school became a foreign word. Nora lived here, in Cain’s arms, touching him anywhere her hands could.
Being with him gave everything such clarity. It was as if she had been lost and wandering her whole life, and now she was found, anchored to him, to this kiss, to those eyes. When she thought she had been drowning in the sapphire hue of his eyes, she now understood that is wasn’t being caught in the undertow of the current, it was the opposite.
He wasn’t drowning her; he was saving her. He pulled her back to shore and restored breath to her lungs, life to her body.
Suddenly her purpose for living was more than her students alone. Nora wanted to live for herself, for Cain, for the next touch, and the next wave of heat. She hated the clothes that were between them, but like last night, Cain showed considerable restraint. He grabbed her hands, and pressing his forehead to hers, he breathed in time with her, sharing the same breath.
“Don’t make me take you back there,” he pleaded one last time.
“I wish it was that easy,” she said. “You’ll have me over the weekend, and I can find a substitute Monday, but if nothing happens by then I’m back to school on Tuesday. That’s the best I can offer you.”
His chest heaved with hers, and she found herself itching to remove his shirt, to see what he looked like underneath, what he felt like.
“I’m assuming you’ll insist on going into work tomorrow, too?” She nodded her head. “Alright. Guess you’re probably missing your first class, and I left Ashton in the car.”
She squeezed his arm and said, “I’m sorry, but I really need you to trust me.”
“I do. I want to.” His voice was heavy with defeat, but she knew he was trying.
“Then we should get back.”
The walk back to the car wasn’t as horrible as either of them had imagined, although, Nora could only guess what was running through Cain’s head. She, on the other hand, was buoyant.
Everything made sense now, and she felt she could help Ashton even more. Cain still needed to give Ashton the attention he deserved, but that was something the three of them could work on together.
Once they were back in the car and on the way back to the school, Ashton remained silent. All of them didn’t dare speak a word. Both Ashton and Nora were worried that if they said anything, it would break the calm spell Cain seemed to be under.
As long as he was calm they could go to school. Life could maintain its normalcy. Although, after what Nora now knew about Cain and Ashton’s shifting, she wasn’t sure normal could be used to describe anything anymore. Nora’s world seemed to have tipped itself upside down, since the threatening letters had started arriving.
It wasn’t all bad though. It was just a new perspective she needed to get used to; things she never thought or expected to be real were.
Looking at Cain now, she was happy about it. She rolled the word mate around her mouth, and knew it was her. He was hers.
By the end of the day, the euphoria had worn off for Nora. She was thinking more sensibly, and she wasn’t sure how she felt at all. Every emotion was mixed within in her, and she felt her stomach would heave itself up her throat.
She didn’t want to wait until five for Cain to arrive to pick her and Ashton up; she wanted to leave right away. She rummaged around in her bag looking for her phone, but she couldn’t find it. She dreaded thinking about having to make a phone call from the office.
“Nora. Ashton.” She turned around to see Cain standing in the door way.
“What are you doing here early?” Nora asked. She didn’t care to hear the answer. She was just thankful that he was there.
“I’ve been in meetings with my pack all day, concerning your situation. Originally, it was just a bunch of conference calls, but now they’re all in the dark room asking to speak with you.” His hands were in his pockets, and his whole body rested forward on his hips.
He didn’t seem the least bit concerned, but the idea of meeting the rest of his dragon buddies made her stomach turn over even more. She felt sick, and wanted nothing more than to lie down for a long rest.
“Do we have to go now?” Now, Nora didn’t want to leave the school. She would rather stay longer and work than meet his friends or colleagues, whatever he called them.
“Yes.” The longer he stared at Nora the more she felt he could see right through her, but he wasn’t moving. He didn’t make an effort to help.
It was a minute before he stepped towards her. “Nora—“
“I’m fine,” she said brusquely, heading toward the door. If she couldn’t stall the inevitable, it was better just to get it over with.