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keep from brushing his fingers across her cheek. He needed the anchor of touch right now. Figured she needed it too even though he suspected it wouldn’t be welcomed. In the moment, the best he could do was be sincere. “I’d recognize it for what it is. A gift.”
    She sighed, running one hand through her dark hair. “Whenever I’d ask about her, he’d change the subject. He used to tell me stories.”
    “What stories?”
    She gave an uncomfortable shrug. “Fairytales. You know, humans that turn into animals, knights fighting dragons, that kind of thing.” Her tone became wistful. “There was this one about a guardian angel who could only be seen as a wolf. Unless you were dreaming. In your dreams, you could see him and he looked like every other person, so you never knew…” Her voice faded and she dragged her hands down her face.
    “Never knew what?”
    “If he was real, or if there was more out there somewhere,” she muttered.
    “More wolves?”
    She nodded, chewing on her lip in frustration.
    Her dad had told her about shifters. She didn’t realize it, and Drake could only guess at why the old man had pretended her history was only a fable, but it didn’t matter. She knew things. Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as he’d thought.
    “I know what you’re feeling, that gnawing inside. I’ve been there. And it’s okay to feel it. It’s actually good to feel it. It is not good to ignore it.”
    “How could you know anything about what I’m feeling right now?”
    Her voice was small and uncertain but that hint of bravery had Drake taking a cautious step forward.
    “I told you, I lost everything in the fire. My...” —he couldn’t mention his wolf yet— “…the part inside of me that makes me who I am, it just…” he brought his hand in front of him, grabbing a fistful of air and twisting it, “… churned and churned. It couldn’t rest no matter what I tried.”
    Her eyes lit with understanding. “How did you make it stop?”
    “I let it out.”
    Ella frowned. “Let it out?”
    Drake nodded, inching closer. “Let go,” he murmured. “Release it. Free yourself.”
    She dragged a hand through her hair, pulling at the thick strands. “How? I don’t know how.”
    The hopeless look on her face tore at his heart, making his wolf crazy. He needed to help her turn. He needed to bring her animal out. It was the only way to make things better, to help her heal, but he didn’t want to scare her.
    Aw, fuck it.
    Drake closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms. She fell against his chest with a shuddering breath, and something clicked inside him. Like the tumblers of a lock slipping into place. His heart was opening right up.
    Was it supposed to be this easy? Was he supposed to care this much for his mate this quickly? Because it was happening, and he didn’t want to slow anything down. He wanted to be so invested in her that their needs were one and the same. He wanted the mating bond and every fucking thing that came along with it.
    Drake breathed her in, imprinting her scent.
    Shit, if he was really going to do this, just shock her into shifting, they needed privacy.
    His chest squeezed in trepidation. What if this was a mistake? What if she wasn’t ready?
    He sighed. No, she needed this, to be one with her animal.
    Gently, he cradled her jaw, tilting her face to meet his. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip and she gasped at the tender contact. Slowly, giving her every chance to stop him if she wanted, he bent and tugged her lip between his, sucking and licking, before pressing his mouth more firmly to hers.
    She tasted warm and decadent. She reminded him of hot fudge and cinnamon.
    He wanted so much more.
    Sliding his tongue along the seam of her lips, he begged admission. Tasting his mate seemed like the most important thing in that single moment. Showing her, shifter to shade, what they could be if she let go.
    She opened a fraction and he took every advantage of