11
BENJAMIN
This feeling of deep connection wasn't new for me. I had been mated to Charles for nine years. The feeling of emptiness I'd had for the last six months had been stranger for me than this new connection to Kurt. Even though the sense of being so united with another person felt normal, the texture of my connection with Kurt was entirely different than with Charles.
Charles had been as open as the prairie sky—I never had to wonder what he was thinking. Kurt was more like a craggy mountain, with valleys and caves to explore. Charles's anger burned bright and quick, snapping into and out of existence like a match. Kurt was slow to anger, but like an ember, he kept it banked until it was useful.
As much as I wanted to explore the pools and eddies of my new mate's emotions, I had
