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He bent his fingers until his claws lightly stabbed into her palm.

She reached for the other, and he gave it to her so he could hold both of hers in the lukewarmth of his.

When her heart finally calmed, and she felt normal again other than the throbbing in her pussy, she suddenly felt remarkably silly for crying. Which only made her want to start up again for an entirely different reason. Not in regret, but because of all the hurt she’d suffered to cause this.

How her emotional wounds had tried to ruin something so beautiful in their selfish cruelty.

Rather than apologising again, she whispered, “Thank you.”

Nathair purred and nuzzled the end of his snout just behind her ear. He squeezed her hands, and finally brought himself closer until his chest pressed against her back. The vibration of his purr stopped her from tensing up, and she found the sound so utterly soothing in that moment.

Giving into the cuddle completely, she lowered her legs until her heels bumped against his tail.

“Can we stay here for a little while?” she asked, not wanting to change what they were doing until she truly felt better.

While holding her hand, he signed, “yes.”

As he started licking the corded muscle of her neck, up her jugular, like he wanted to lavish affection on her, warmth radiated in her heart.I really thought he’d be disappointed in me.Linh had just had a full-blown panic attack, all because she’d had sex with him. Part of her had feared how he would react.

Despite how much his denial of healing her had felt betraying at first, she was thankful for it now. Yes, her body thrummed in a way that was uncomfortable, but he was right. It felt good – an ache made from him, from their rigorous fornication of twisted need and surely many fond emotions as well.

When minutes ticked by in the complete silence, something crossed her mind. If he wanted her soul... did that mean what he really wanted was herlove? Her heart did a little backflip at the thought.

“I-if I request something, will you promise to not take it as an offering?” she asked in a small voice.

“Of course,” he answered, refusing to let go of both her hands, and she almost giggled at that.

“Can I...” She chewed at the inside corner of her lips. “Can I see my soul?”

He ceased moving. She wondered if asking had repercussions, or if he was pondering if there was a deeper meaning to her request.

Then he let go of her right hand and brought it closer to her chest. She looked down so she could watch him take her soul from her body. He tapped against her sternum, but nothing happened and that seemed to disappoint him. Her torso waved and rippled like water as he gently pressed the backs of his claws past her physical boundaries and reached deeper into the very abyss of her being.

Linh felt nothing, even when he had sunk base-knuckles deep. A bright red-orange light came from her as he pulled back, and behind his knuckles, floated her soul.

She hated that it was curled up in the exact position she’d been in right after she’d woken up.

Its feet were tucked protectively against the cleft of its backside, its knees against its chest. Its arms were crossed over its stomach, as if it, too, felt unwell. With its face buried against the nook of its knees, all she could think was... it looked uncomfortable.

It didn’t appear to be resting peacefully.

Nathair pulled until it was hovering in the empty space between her outreached arms.

“Can I touch it?” she asked, her fingers itching to do so.

He tapped the back of her hand as he laid his right arm back to how it’d been before, yet he never let go of her left hand. Linh came closer to it until she could brush the back of her index finger against its side.

It dropped to the ground, and two brown eyes, with no pupils or whites in them, opened to look around. It darted its head one way and then the other before taking in her hand next to it. It crawled to it and tucked its back into her palm while appearing to cower, only to instantly calm.

It constantly covered its chest and pelvis, as if its nudity bothered it.

“Is this what I look like?” she asked with a cry, her eyes crinkling in distress. “A fucking shaking mess?”

“No,” Nathair signed as he squeezed her left hand. He let it go, so he had freedom. “Your soul is your inner self. Your deepest feelings. It represents all parts of you, even those you may hate.”

She didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse.

She petted the side of her soul’s stomach like she wanted to soothe it in the way she wished for when her anxiety got the bestof her. Then as nonchalantly as she could, she asked, “Can I see yours?”