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The way she lifted her chin and gritted her teeth when she was about to be stubborn.

Her insistence on helping others, despite the danger to herself.

How she felt, pressed against me — so warm and right.

We stayed there in an awkward silence that seemed to stretch forever as I stirred the simmering stew. But all I could think about was her and how much I wished things were different …

"Oh hells," Kaiya yelled, leaping to her feet and dashing to the stove. "The kettle!"

She grabbed the handle and immediately yelped, her face a mask of pain.

"Witch!" Before I could even think, I'd grabbed thekettle, set it aside, swept the table clear, and lifted her so she was sitting and facing me.

"Tye, wait —"

But I only had eyes for her burned hand. I lifted it gently, staring down at the delicate fingers and palm as something inside me twisted.

"Stop," she hissed, trying to pull free. "It's not that bad."

But she was lying — I could feel her pain through the bond. I knew, even without seeing it there was a searing band of redness across her palm and fingers.

She was trying to hide it, but I knew better.

My mate was hurting and the only thing that mattered was fixing her pain.

Chapter 49

Kaiya

Somewhere in my mind, I knew my hand hurt, but the pain was drowned out by the sound of my heart thrumming wildly.

Tye worked quickly, lowering my hand into a bowl of cool water — jaw muscle ticking, he examined the burn, making sure all the burned skin was submerged.

I tried to pull my hand free, but he held fast.

"If I can stop the heat, we might avoid blistering," he said, voice gentle as he ran his fingers along the uninjured skin.

It was tender and soothing — and it sent a shiver of heat straight to my core.

I swallowed, throat suddenly tight. "I — okay." But my mind was racing.

He either didn't care or hadn't realized yet that our skin was touching — that I could feelhim— feel all those damned emotions he kept locked up — his barelysuppressed desire for me, his betrayal at the Empire and Frexin, his hope at the potential for something more between us … and at the center of it all … the wolf, howling in pain — gaunt and sickly looking, restrained within heavy metal lashings infused with fear and despair.

"You shouldn't be here," the wolf snarled. "He wouldn't want you to see us like this."

I tried to talk, but my mouth wouldn't move, something tugging me deeper, then deeper still …

Memories began to pour over me.

Frexin torturing the memories of our time together out of his mind every night.

The tattoos burning like acid as they were etched into his skin — and despite his screams and the scientists offers to stop, he demanded they continue.

All the sleepless nights as he tried to find a solution for "fixing" himself.

The way worries tore him apart — of the wolf being too dangerous — too aggressive — a monster.

It was almost too much to watch — all that pain and suffering he forced himself through. Yet still he kept pushing. Kept working and resisting and fighting.