Blanca lay looking up at his strong, harsh, uncompromising features, the warning in Dimitri's furious eyes. "I don't even know what it means to be your mate, Dimitri. You know, I want the best for you, I want you well and whole again, but I can't be with all these people. I need time to sort out what's happened here. What I am. I can hardly breathe right now, let alone think things through."
She was telling the truth. Merged as he was with her, Dimitri could feel the familiar pattern in her brain, her intellect leaping forward to protect her from any overwhelming emotion. She was too tired and drained to succeed at her attempt. He struggled once again to reassure her. "You are my mate. It means we belong together, never apart."
