Drakein smiled at me. “This, right here, this is why I want you not just my bonded.” He traced over my shoulder with gentle fingers as I shivered at his touch. “You have every reason to be mad but you’re trying to understand. That was what I saw in the reports. You don’t trust easily but you try to be kind anyway. You’ll stand up for another. I’ve seen you give a homeless person a burger you bought for your own lunch. Offer a hand or a smile when others don’t even see a person before them.”
“You make me sound like a saint and I’m far from it. I just try not be an asshole.” There was no way I could live up to this idea he had of me. I felt like a fraud. “You know how I grew up. I have no idea how to be a dad.”
“That makes you more amazing to me.” He shook his head. “I never said you were
