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Crux was never going to lie again. If that was the only way to make sure he never hurt Courtney, it had to be done. Her face had gone pale and her eyes big. Her hands shook, and he worried that she was about to cry. She hadn't looked so scared while facing down monsters, and he hated that he was the one who'd put the look on his face.
"I'm… I'm your… what? No." She shook her head, and her whole body joined the movement, swaying from side to side.
He didn't take it as a rejection. Of course she didn't believe him. He'd done this to himself. "You're my mate. I regret that it took me some time to understand it. And that I didn't tell you. That's why you could channel my power. That's why you understood me when I was in my dragon form. That's why my heart beats for you."
Her breaths wer
