Arrowan

Was Luin asleep? I didn't want to wake him if he was, but my leg was starting to fall asleep from holding this position for so long. Maybe if I just shifted a little – very slowly –

Luin sat up with a little gasp and I winced. "Sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

He sat up and blinked sleepily. He looked almost as tired as he did in the mornings, I thought, amused. "No, it's fine. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that."

"It was nice."

His cheeks grew just a bit darker and pinker as a blush spread. I loved his blushes, though they had been an unexpected source of difficulty in my life. They made me want to grab onto Luin and hold him, made me want to kiss his pinkened cheeks and see if they'd go even darker.

Well, I had just spent the past hour cuddling with him, hadn't I? Surely a harmless little kiss on the cheek wouldn't startle him too much. I leaned in slowly, measuring his reaction as I did, and pressed my lips against his hot skin. I leaned back and watched as the pink spread to his neck and ears just as I'd hoped, but what had my heart picking up pace was the way he looked at me. The only word for it was awe.

Luin leaned in toward me and his lashes fluttered shyly before he lightly pressed his lips to mine. It was quite possibly the most innocent kiss in history and when he pulled away, he looked bashful but couldn't seem to fight back his smile.

Well, if the door was open to kissing, I was going to use it. I cradled the back of Luin's head and kissed him again, much more firmly this time. His lips moved with mine, hesitantly at first but growing bolder as the seconds passed.

A shock reverberated through me at the deepest level and I accidentally bit Luin's lower lip, hard. We stared at each other, wide-eyed, while a bead of blood formed on his lip and started trickling down. That galvanized me into moving, and my fingers gently traced over his lip as I healed the cut. His tongue darted out and swept up the smeared blood, and still we stared at each other.

I always wondered what it would feel like when our bond strengthened. I had imagined it as a gradually-increasing warmth, since that was how it felt when our bond was first forming. This wasn't like that at all. It was sudden and jarring.

Luin was the first to break the silence. "What was that?" he asked. He looked almost afraid, which was confusing when he should have been waiting for this just like I'd been.

"That was our bond," I answered, and we watched each other in mutual bafflement for a few moments until Luin frowned.

"Is... is something wrong with it?"

He sounded so afraid that I took his hand in mine and squeezed. "No, nothing's wrong. Think of that like a growing pain." He continued to stare at me, so I added, "It's completely normal. You should have learned about this."

And then it hit me – of course the Seelie hadn't taught him about his bond, just like they didn't teach their children about the Unseelie until after anyone with an Unseelie bond mate had already chosen whether to stay or go. The Seelie might be the more merciful division of the fae, but they weren't without their underhanded tricks.

I took in a deep breath while I sorted out my thoughts. "Let's take this from the beginning. When we were teens, a bond formed between us, connecting our souls. Everyone has a bond mate, one person they're perfectly compatible with. The bond we had until today, it was weak. Enough to let us find each other, but that's all. It's capable of so much more, Luin."

I paused to give him a chance to process, and his lips twisted into a rueful smile. "I've been wondering about that. I know werewolf mate bonds can do a lot more than ours can."

"There are different stages. Not everyone's bond develops the same, but they follow the same general pattern. As we connect more emotionally, we feed our bond and it grows too," I explained.

I reached for the bond between us and found that it felt more substantial than before. Luin sat up straighter and gasped as I did. "I felt that!" he said, and then I felt the bond light up between us – he must have fed it magic from his end, too. I didn't bother fighting back a smile. This was new – we couldn't tell, before, when the other was focused on our bond. This might not be much, but it was progress.

--

"Hey, Arrowan?"

I looked over at Luin, who had been reading next to me. I set down my own book so I could focus on him. "Yeah?"

"Could you teach me how to make that stew? You know, the one from yesterday? I want to learn and it would be perfect to bring to the dinner later."

I managed – barely – to bite back a few foul words at the remind we were having dinner with Luin's friends in a couple of hours. Not that I didn't want to get to know the people in his life – of course I did. I just wanted him to myself for a bit longer first. Was that so much to ask?

Luin's eyes saw too much, and before he could comment on how his innocent question had upset me, I said, "Of course. Do you want to get started now? We'll have to go without the bread. We don't have time to make it right."

Luin's hopeful expression fell. "It's not the same without that bread!"

I scrambled to come up with some alternative he might accept, but Luin reined himself in before I could. He smoothed his expression and rolled his shoulders back in that way of his, the one where he made himself look proper and upright with seemingly little effort. Then he smiled and said, "We'll just pick up a baguette at the bakery down the street before we head over."

"If you're sure," I agreed reluctantly, though I was still stuck on trying fruitlessly to come up with a better solution. I liked Luin best when he wasn't acting all proper and like everything was okay. I liked when he blushed and got a little bit awkward and let me see how he was really feeling.

And if he wanted an Alterran bread, I wanted him to have that bread.

"Next time," Luin said with a gentle smile. Great, now he was comforting me. Still, when he stood and offered me a hand up, I took it without complaint.

Luin and I started pulling out the ingredients we would need, him following my directions while my hands moved automatically in the kitchen that had been unfamiliar territory just a few days ago. This space I shared with Luin, it already felt homier to me than my apartment back in Alterra ever did. That was because of Luin, of course. I'd probably feel at home in a cave if he was there with me.

While Luin chopped the beef chuck into small, neat cubes, I started mixing spices in a bowl. I liked to balance the spices out in the beginning, before they were muddled up with any other ingredients, so I knew exactly what mix I was cooking with. When I was satisfied, Luin leaned over and smelled the seasoning.

He shook his head and stepped back, his posture going rigid.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Fine," he answered as he went to the sink and started scrubbing his hands clean. "Um, do you mind handling this? I'm going to run out for that baguette."

"Sure, no problem," I said, and Luin strode quickly out of the kitchen. As he left, I caught the sheen of tears in his eyes and I looked back down at the bowl I was holding. Cautiously, I took a sniff, but it smelled fine. In fact, it smelled a lot like the finished product. What could have bothered him so much? Why would he ask for something that was going to upset him?

I shook off those thoughts and got on with cooking. Maybe later, Luin would explain himself, but I didn't expect him to. He wasn't comfortable making himself vulnerable to me yet. I got the stew simmering, then headed back to the refrigerator to brainstorm something else I could make. Just in case it was the stew that had upset him so much, I wanted Luin to have another option.

Luin didn't get back for nearly an hour – much longer than I would have expected if he was just going down the street. When he strode into the kitchen looking uncomfortably stiff and reserved, I didn't pry. Instead, I told him, "The stew's going to be ready in another half hour. I also have a chicken alfredo casserole in the oven in case you want to freeze the soup for later."

And just like that, some of Luin's walls melted away as his eyes filled with gratitude. "You didn't have to go to all that trouble. Maybe we'll save the casserole for tomorrow? I really do want everyone to try the stew."

"Sounds good."

Luin leaned against a counter and studied me. "Were you a cook back in Alterra?"

I laughed. "I hardly ever cooked. I ate out most nights, had leftovers for breakfast, and had fruits and cold sandwiches for lunch."

"But you're so good at it!" Luin protested.

I shrugged. "I took cooking classes every year in school growing up." At his adorably confused expression, I laughed and explained, "I didn't enjoy cooking, but I liked the other class options even less."

"Oh. Well, maybe I should handle the cooking from now on," Luin said. "I didn't realize you didn't like it."

"I like cooking for you, Luin. And I really like cooking with you."

Just as I'd hoped, his cheeks darkened and his eyes slid away from mine in embarrassment. I kissed his cheek and left the kitchen so he could collect himself. I needed to change for dinner, anyway.

I reached my bedroom and almost choked on my own spit laughing so hard. Luin had laid out an outfit for me on my bed. I wasn't sure anyone had ever done something like that, not even my mother. I changed into the pants, which were stiffer and more uncomfortable than I'd expected. The sweater Luin had laid out was rich blue in color and it was much softer against my skin. I didn't remember this from our massive shopping trip, but then again, there had been too many things for me to keep track of.

When I got back to the living room, Luin was standing at the door with the stew pot held between heart-printed oven mitts. He had a bag slung over his shoulder with two baguettes peeking out the top. He grinned when he saw me and said, "You look great!"

"I can't take any credit," I pointed out.

Luin just shrugged. "I knew that sweater would match your eyes. It makes them look even brighter"

I looked down at the sweater again and realized it was the exact same color as my eyes... and for the first time, I felt bashful. I could only imagine how I looked just then, but Luin laughed in delight and said, "Let's go!"

I followed him to a house across the street, where the door opened before we finished climbing the porch steps. Glenna smiled gently at the two of us and stepped back to let us in. "I'm so glad you two were able to make it!" she said. It was the sort of thing so many hosts and hostesses said automatically out of politeness, but I could hear in Glenna's words and see in her softly twinkling eyes that she truly was glad we could come. Some of my nerves about this dinner washed away.

Then came the sound of Safiya squealing and sprinting into the room with heavy strides, shattering the peace her sister had cast over me in seconds. "You're here!"

Safiya hugged Luin first, and I snickered at the resignation in his expression and at the way he reluctantly patted her back until she pulled away. Then she hugged me just as tightly and it was Luin's turn to laugh. Our eyes met over her shoulder and the bond quaked between us, shivering as it grew just a little bit stronger. I released Safiya quickly and backed away – it felt wrong to bask in our bond while holding another, even platonically.

"It's so good to see you again!" Safiya said excitedly, not at all deterred by my pulling away from her. "Magnus and Lachlan just got here a few minutes ago. Come on, they're in the dining room."

She hooked her arm through mine and pulled me behind Luin, who glanced over his shoulder at us but said nothing about how familiar she was being. Good to know he wasn't a possessive asshole.

Magnus was sitting at the table already, a sheepish expression on his face, while Lachlan was picking up shards of porcelain from the floor. "Aw, Magnus!" Safiya said, sounding both amused and disappointed.

"Sorry! I'll buy you a new vase," he said, wincing.

Safiya tsked, but her scowl melted away and she shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it," she said. "It was a gift from our aunt and I kinda hated it anyway. Now when she comes round and asks why it isn't out, I'll have a good excuse."

"Safiya!" Glenna scolded, striding into the room with a casserole carefully held out in front of her. Lachlan jerked out of the way and slipped, landing palm-first on vase shards. He hissed and Magnus flung himself out of his chair, tripping over the legs of it as he rushed to Lachlan.

"Are you okay?"

Lachlan held up his palms, which were streaming with blood. He carefully pulled porcelain fragments from his skin and I rushed over, holding my hands out and readying my magic to heal him, but the cuts on his palms sealed over before my eyes.

I looked to Luin for an explanation and he shrugged. "Werewolves have accelerated healing."

Damn, that was cool. Lachlan and Magnus left the room, probably to clean up Lachlan, while Safiya pulled out her wand and flicked it toward the mess on the floor. I blinked, and it was like nothing had ever happened – no blood, no vase pieces.

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" I asked. Luin put his hand on my arm and gave me a pleading look. Maybe he didn't like me accusing or questioning his friends?

"He had it under control!" Safiya protested. Then she winced and said, "You're right."

Maybe everything should have been awkward after all the hubbub, but instead it was like a kind of icebreaker. No one made a big deal about me being here even though I was the new guy – instead, they all just went about their business. Glenna made another trip out of the kitchen, this time with two pitchers, one full of water and the other full of lemonade. Safiya got our stew and bread set out, too, and by the time the four of us sat down, Lachlan and Magnus returned.

Then it was a lot of commotion, and I sat back to observe the way Luin and his friends effortlessly moved together, like they'd done this countless times before. Plates were passed around the table with everyone responsible for dishing out whatever was closest to them, and they chattered while they did it. Luin didn't join in the conversation much, so neither did I, but as we ate, he kept stealing glances at me and every time I caught him, his eyes were warm with happiness.

When the conversation got particularly loud and no one was paying attention to us, Luin leaned in and whispered, "Thanks for coming. I know this must be a lot."

"I'm happy to be here," I told him, and it was true. Even though I'd had too much of spending time surrounded by strangers back in Alterra when I was focused on appearing to assimilate into society, this felt different. It felt like a family – maybe even a family I could be a part of.