Elysia's
I was drowning, not in water, but in the space between truth and lies, between what I was supposed to feel and what I actually felt every time Kael looked at me like I was something worth keeping.
"It's just the bond," I whispered to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My lips were still swollen from this morning's kiss. "Just the stupid mate bond messing with your head."
But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself.
The bond was real, yes. It pulsed between us like a living thing and impossible to ignore. But this? This ache in my chest when he smiled at something I said? The way my heart stuttered when he cooked breakfast just because he knew I liked it? That wasn't the bond. That was me and I hated it.
My phone buzzed on the counter. I already knew who it was bef
