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Escaping Mayumi and Faunus had been harder than Ingram thought it would be.

The moment the female marched inside, without Emerie behind her, he’d tried to leave. Mayumi had told him to wait until dinner was ready so he could give it to Emerie, explaining humans needed to be kept fed in order to be happy.

So, with irritation, he’d plopped his backside on the ground and waited.

Once he had a plate of various items he couldn’t name, even if his life depended on it, he walked it outside in the dark of night. She hadn’t been in the open, and her scent was strongest on the other side of the ward where the tent was.

“Emerie?” he softly called as he approached, having learnt he needed to ‘knock.’ He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to knock on cloth material, though, so this was the best he could think of.

Outside the tent flap, he poked his claw through, just as she answered. He peeked inside before entering, finding she was seated under the blanket as if she’d been laying down. She was already in a white sleep gown.

She did not wait for me.He was a little hurt by that, and his orbs shifted to blue.

“Took you long enough,” she croaked, her eyes groggy. “I was just about to lie down.”

Just like that, she’d eased his hurt.

Ingram knelt in front of her and handed her the plate of food. “Mayumi told me to make sure you ate.”

“I’m not really hungry,” she answered, before placing it on the ground as far away as she could reach.

Then she straightened, and Ingram drifted his sight over her.

Her face looked drawn, with puffy cheeks and nose. She was even a little pink with the evidence of tears, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to her. He cupped the side of her head so he could stroke her cheek.

“What is wrong, Emerie?” he asked, even though she hadn’t responded any other time he’d posed this question to her today.

They were alone now, so he was hoping she would finally speak about it.She does not like to share with people she does not trust.

She dipped her head. “I don’t really want to talk about it. I am sad, but it hurts to talk about it, and I don’t know where to start.”

Ingram slipped his hand down so he could place the flat edge of his claw under her chin to lift her face back up. “I don’t like that you do not want to talk to me. I want to know all your secrets, Emerie.”

His head reared back in surprise when she rotated to her knees and rose up with her arms reaching towards his chest. “Can you hold me instead?”

She is reaching for me.And her eyes were warm as they looked upon him like he was the safest creature in the world. How could he deny her, or his own desire to keep her close?

She didn’t flinch when he bent forward and slipped his palm and forearm under her arse so he could lift her all the way up until she was able to bury her face into the side of his firm neck. Still seated on both his knees, his thighs slightly parted, he held her tightly. He gripped the underside of her thigh with her soft backside safely perched on his forearm, while the other hand slipped across her back so he could hold her biceps.

Emerie wrapped her arms over his shoulders while the heels of her feet pressed against his back. He was thankful his narrow and lean waist fit between the space of her thighs, although he was acutely aware his wide hips wouldn’t be gifted such a treat.

She was warm, soft, and light in his strong arms.

He curled his tail around his legs and knees so he could sit back comfortably. She didn’t start crying, which is what he’d been expecting from the last time she’d needed a hug, but she did go all lax and languid in his arms.

“Ingram,” she started. Her lips brushed against the sensitive scales on his neck, sending a thrill through him all the way down to his tail tip. “If I told you I did something bad, and that I regret it, would you believe me?”

“Yes,” he easily stated, tempted to start petting her long, silky hair.

Was she going to share more secrets with him? Maybe not the ones that had made her cry, but deep ones nonetheless? He was ecstatic about this.

Plus, what could this pretty female have done that was so terrible that she needed to be shy about it with him? He was a Mavka. He was sure he’d done plenty of worse things.

“Would you forgive me?” she whispered.

Ingram cocked his head, a little confused by that. The thrill that had torn through him was quickly replaced with a trickle of uncertainty.

“Emerie?” he asked, trying to pull back, but was unable to when she clung tighter with all her limbs. He worried about breaking her, so he didn’t force it.