Page 109

Then the bond twisted, searing through him, clawing at every nerve, every breath, every thought that wasn’t her.

His body chased it, tilting toward more, toward everything.

He broke away, breathless and dizzy.

Then for good measure, he rose with her in his arms and set her back on the swing. He put as much space between them as the garden would give him. It still wasn’t enough. The bond yanked at him like a tether hooked into his ribs, trying to drag him back.

Taly’s eyes were wide. Then they narrowed. “I knew it,” she said, voice dripping with soft accusation. “Youarehaving second thoughts.”

“No,” he said immediately, but she shook her head.

“Then what the hell was that?”

Skye opened his mouth. Shut it again.

He needed the gift to tell her. But the gift was inside.

Fuck.

“Is it because I fell asleep?” she asked sharply.

“No, although that—”

“Are you bored with me already?”

“No—”

“Iknewthis was a mistake.”

Oh no…

“You’re being weird, and it’s making me weird, and I don’t like being weird, Skye. It’s not a good look on me.”

Shit, this was going in a direction he hadn’t anticipated.

“Seriously, just be honest with me. Are you having second thoughts?”

“No,” he said, willing her to believe him. “If we could just go inside.”

He’d left the mating giftinside. Like an idiot.

Taly snarled, shoving off the swing. She stalked to the stone half-wall circling the rooftop. “You do realize what this looks like.”

“Not… really.”

“And the more you push back, the more it makes me think there’s something horrible you’re not telling me?” Her eyes snapped to his. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He couldn’t make himself saynothing—because that wasn’t entirely true.

“What is it, Skylen?”

“Nothing bad, I pr—”

“So, thereissomething then.”

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

And now she was angry—looking more pissed off by the second.