Page 94 of Volik

Nix shakes her head at me, but I see the small smile on her lips.

Then it drops. “I’m sorry for asking you to go this morning.” My own smile slips away. “If that… When I thought you were going to leave just now… it felt like my life was ending.”

I shake my head and try to hug her closer. “Nix⁠—”

She presses her hand more firmly over my mouth. “Just let me. Okay?”

Swallowing, hating that she felt that way, I nod once.

“I was okay during the day.” She presses her lips together. “I was okay during the day, because I got to see you this morning. But the more time that went by… Gods, Volik, I missed you.”

She flexes her fingers against my face, and that’s the only thing that keeps me from lunging forward and licking those words out of her mouth.

My Mate missed me.

“For the past hour, I’ve been going out of my mind waiting for you. My skin felt like it was going to crawl off my body, and… I was starting to think that you’d never come back.”

A pitiful sound leaves me.

How could my mate think that?

She keeps her hand on my mouth but moves her other hand to my chest, pushing herself back enough so she can get it just right. Over my heart.

“I know. You’re here. But in the moment… And then I saw you standing there. And you looked so… good. And sexy.” My cock throbs, and her body shifts. “I couldn’t figure out how to react. And then you turned to leave… I don’t know what’s happening with us, but I just—” She swallows and drops her hand from my mouth to join her other hand on my chest. “I feel better when you’re close. And if this morning, when I made you go… if you felt like I did just now, then I’m really, really sorry.”

I part my lips to tell her it’s okay. But then her mouth is there.

Against mine.

She kisses me.

Her.

My Nix.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

I palm the back of her head, holding her, our lips still brushing. “No more. I understood.” I kiss her. “I understand.”

Circling her arms around my neck again, she melts into me.

And I feel her give in to the bond connecting us.

I feel her stop fighting it.

And, gods. I feel something click inside me. That energy. My gravito. The swirling storm of power. It slows.

It doesn’t dim.

Doesn’t lessen.

It just… rests. Because our mate is starting to accept us.

Chapter 45

Nix

Ideepen the kiss.