Page 34 of Bullied Mate

Her grin went so wide that I thought it would slice right into the sky that haloed her head. “That isn’t new, is it?”

“Are you teasing me?”

“It’s possible.”

I shook my head, trying not to match her grin. “You’re teasing me.”

“Should I stop?”

“No.”

Both of us were awestruck by my reply. Sure, there had been a lot of times when our bickering had led to sexier things, and sometimes fiery things, but we hadn’t exactly gotten into teasing like this yet.

I didn’t think I’d be open to it. “Go on. Tell me about Estaria.”

“Its capital is a bustling metropolis. It’s where my elders performed the amnesia spell that erased my memory of you.” She looked away. “Evidently, the spell was bound to you in particular, so being with you broke the spell.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Now she looked hurt. And it hurt me to see it.

She shrugged. “Is it bad that I remember you?”

“Maybe. No.” I looked away. “I don’t know.”

“It’s alright, Avi. You don’t have to be sure. Neither of us has to be sure.”

A shaky sigh ruptured my chest. “I mean, can’t we try to be sure? It’s like we’re polar opposites until we’re alone with each other under the night sky.”

“The Star Goddess has mysterious power.”

“Are you saying this is a divine intervention or something?”

She chuckled. “No, but I think being alone with each other helps. It’s quality time.”

“Quality time,” I repeated slowly. “Okay, that just sounds like some therapy phrase or whatever.”

“Would that be so bad?”

I winked. “Only if you were a shrink.”

“I’m not small by any means.”

“No, I meant—” Laughter trimmed my sentence briefly. “I mean, some therapists are called shrinks. It’s just a slang term.”

She nodded. “I see. I should add that to my list of terms.”

“You’ve been here for a while. I’m surprised you’ve never heard it.”

“That’s my point, Avi. While I’ve been welcomed by this pack and this place, I still feel lost.”

I didn’t mean to pity her immediately, but that was just the nature of our connection, wasn’t it? She pulled things right out of me. She yanked words, reactions, and feelings from me before I could even figure out what they were or how to use them.

Sweet gods, her presence alone made my senses heighten. It was like I knew her every feeling and thought before she said anything.

Especially when it was quiet. That was my favorite time to sit with Galanthia. The swirl of our energy kind of tickled. And sometimes, it really pissed me off.

It was fine for now. “I’m sorry.”

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