Page 64 of Balance

“I’ve brought you food,” Titus replied.

Spots dotted my vision as I sat up quickly, but I shook my head, pushing past my dizziness to meet Titus’s amused gaze.

“Where?” I was starving. I hadn’t been hungry last night, and then had fallen asleep on Damen after our discussion. It was probably for the best. I might have been sick if I’d eaten anything then.

But now? It was a new day.

The dragon’s eyebrow rose, and he slowly reached out, dropping a wad of beef jerky in my outstretched hands.

Again? My heart sank at the peppered teriyaki meat. Why couldn’t they have just chosen one? “Didn’t we have this for lunch yesterday? What about eggs?”

“It’s October,” Titus said with a shrug. “Do you expect to find any around right now?”

No. No, I didn’t, and I supposed this was better than the MREs.

“Thanks…” I muttered, nibbling at the edges. Titus didn’t respond, and it took a second for me to pull myself away from my food to notice him watching me with a curious expression. “What?”

“How did you sleep?” he asked, gaze carefully moving over my crumpled clothing and tangled hair. Normally I tried to keep it back when I slept, but last night I hadn’t, and I was stuck with a waist-length mess to deal with.

“I slept fine…” I answered slowly. While I felt refreshed, albeit a bit mentally worn, his features were tight, while his own hair was loose and almost as wild as I knew my own to be. There was a darkness written in his expression. For an instant, I imagined that something otherworldly moved under his eyes.

If I hadn’t been so used to him at this point, I might have run away in fear.

“Are you all right?” I asked, lowering the remaining jerky into my lap.

He startled at my question, blinking quickly, and the look was gone; replaced with an expression of grim determination. The hard lines of his face set, he leaned forward, covering my hands with his own. “Damen talked to us.”

My heart lurched, but surprisingly, the panic didn’t cripple my senses. “S-sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” His tone was firm, steadying.

“I mean, for not telling you myself,” I clarified. “But I did warn you before.”

“I know you did.” And for a second, I wondered if he was talking about the same thing as I, because how could he recall such an unimportant conversation, but then he continued. “When we first met, you told me you were ‘damaged.’”

My eyes lifted to his once more, my pulse soaring and face flushed. “I didn’t think you remembered.”

“I remember everything you tell me,” Titus responded, turning my palm up and setting the food back into my hand. “Eat. I’ll talk.”

I took a bite, just to appease him.

He sat back and studied me with a terrifying intensity. “You’re my mate,” he declared without any preamble.

A piece of dried meat lodged in my throat, but I managed to catch myself just before choking. He was still watching me in that careful way, clearly expecting a response.

But what could I say? “You keep bringing that up…” I ventured, recalling the numerous occasions he’d used the ‘M’ word. “Why?”

And whynow, at this ungodly hour of the morning? I hadn’t even had a coffee yet, and considering that we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, I would probably not be having some at all today.

“I like saying it,” he answered, naively unaware of how creepy—and a tiny bit cute—this statement actually was. “Here.” He pulled a thermos out from behind him. “I’ve brought something for you.”

My heart raced as I accepted the thermos. It was warm in my hands, and even through the closed lid, I could smell the life-giving goodness.

“I brought coffee for you,” Titus grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know you like it.”

Like it? I couldn’t survive without it.

“There’s even some powdered cream and sugar in there,” he continued, dropping his hand and peering at my face. “I stole it from my office.”