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Popping my head out, I asked, “Do you need anything else before I shower?”

She stopped drinking and grabbed her notebook and pen. I stepped back out so I could read what she was writing.

After you’re done, can I take one?

“A shower?” She nodded. “Unless you want to sit on the floor under the running water, it’s a bath for you.”

She rolled her eyes and wrote some more. As long as I get some hot water and soap on me, I’m good. Snacks?

“At least your appetite hasn’t been affected.” I laughed, and she smiled. “I’ll get that going as soon as I’m done. I won’t be long.”

Shutting the door, I stripped down and hopped into the still hot shower. We splurged for the best, refusing to battle over hot showers, clean clothes, and so on.

I scrubbed myself down, washed my hair and face, making sure I got every nook and bit of sweat before turning off the water and getting out. I wrapped a large towel around myself, then turned on the bath, making sure the water was an acceptable temperature.

My closet was not connected to the bathroom, so I had to go through the room to get dressed. I walked out as if it was entirely normal and ignored Mine who I thought was messing around on my computer.

I quickly got dressed in shorts and a loose tank. I knew I was going to have to help Mine get in and out of the bath somehow, and I didn’t mind getting these clothes completely soaked.

“Ready?” Her green eyes met mine, and she nodded. “The bath is filling up and will take a few minutes, so what snacks can I easily scrounge up for you? Oh, and we should probably discuss what to do with your arm.” She looked down at her missing arm, then back at me like I was crazy. “Yes, that one because it’s currently in a bag… in our living room, waiting for you to decide what we should do with it.” This felt like a discussion Cy should be having with her, but I didn’t want the house smelling like a rotting partial corpse if I could prevent it.

Her jaw dropped open before she scrambled for her notebook again.

What do you mean I need to decide?

“Do you want me to dump it in a dumpster, burn it, or plant some bush over it for nutrients?

Similar options for regular burials I guess.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, then nodded before writing some more.

A tree. One that will be big and drop shit on people as a warning.

I sighed. “I should have thought of that. For some reason, I assumed you’d go with roses or something. A pretty bush that will draw blood if you get too handsy.” I shrugged. “I’ll let Cy know so we can at least get it buried while we find a sapling.” I turned to leave, but Mine waved her arm to get my attention.

That motion seemed to make her dizzy. She placed her hand on her head and took a deep breath. I moved over to her and handed her the water bottle.

“Drink. I didn’t want to offer more in case you were against it, but may I give you more of my blood? It will help.” Mine nearly choked on the water as I asked, sputtering and dribbling it all over the place. Thankfully, my laptop was just out of range.

After she collected herself, it was clear she wanted to say no, that her first instinct was to reject the help I was offering, but something switched over, and she agreed.

“Really? That was much easier than I thought it would be. You really aren’t feeling okay.” I went to touch her forehead to make sure she wasn’t hiding a fever, but she batted me away with an eye roll.

I can’t explain it, but I feel like I should say yes. I don’t trust my instincts, but I trust you.

My entire body froze. Apparently, I needed to hear those words from her metaphorical lips, but I didn’t know what to do with them.

I must have been frozen for longer than I thought because Mine started waving her hand in front of my face to get me to snap out of it.

“Oh, sorry, um, thank you. I haven’t really done anything to gain it though.” Before she could argue, I stood up. “I’m going to check your bath. I’ll help you get settled, then I’ll make you some snacks.”

I was a cowardly Alpha who was running from her mate. She didn’t know that though.

The water was rising nicely, and the temp had remained, so I stood here for a few seconds to collect myself. I had to tell her. Maybe in the middle of a calming bath would be the best option. If she had food and some more of my blood in her, perhaps that would help as well.

This was all much harder than I expected it to be. Even if she was aware of her designation and grew within the Primarchy, true mates aren’t common enough for me to have solid answers.

Groaning, I told myself to get it together and grow a fucking pair. The steam was building thanks to the mostly closed door, and the heat helped push away some of the anxiety.