Chapter Six
Kivani examined the damage more closely. “I’ll replace the whole frame if I need to. Make sure it’s stronger than before so nothing like this can happen again.”
He ran his fingers along the splintered wood, assessing what he’d need to make this right.
The door hung at an angle, the deadbolt mechanism completely destroyed where he’d forced entry.
His tiger had taken over the moment he’d scented Bennett’s presence through the door, heard the fear in Dakota’s voice.
No thought, just action. Protect mate. Remove threat.
Now he had to deal with the aftermath of that instinct.
“I need to go to the hardware store to finish the repairs properly.” Kivani straightened, meeting Dakota’s eyes across the small apartment. “But it won’t open until six in the morning. That’s another seven hours.”
Dakota wrapped his arms tighter around himself, his gaze darting to the broken door. “So what am I supposed to do until then? Just sit here with a door that doesn't lock?”
The fear in Dakota’s voice made Kivani’s tiger rumble low in his throat, demanding he fix this. Make his mate safe. But he couldn’t repair what he didn’t have materials for, and breaking into the hardware store would create more problems than it solved.
“Come stay at my place,” Kivani offered. “Just until I can get the door fixed. You’ll be safe there.”
Dakota’s expression shifted, something between relief and wariness crossing his features. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“It’s better than staying here with no lock.” Kivani kept his voice level, reasonable, even though his tiger wanted to just pick Dakota up and carry him to safety. “Bennett knows where you live now. Knows you’re alone. I’m not leaving you here vulnerable.”
“Right. Because he's a vampire who could probably just walk through walls or turn into mist or whatever vampires do in the movies.” Dakota’s laugh came out hollow, his hands rubbing at his face. “God, I can’t believe I just said that sentence like it’s normal.”
“He can’t walk through walls.” Kivani moved away from the door, giving Dakota space. “And the mist thing is mostly fiction. But he is stronger than a human, and he clearly has no problem forcing his way into places he's not wanted.”
Dakota’s hands dropped, his eyes finding Kivani’s again. “And you really think your place is safer? What if he follows us there?”
“Then I’ll deal with him.” Kivani let some of the tiger bleed into his voice, the protective growl that lived under every word when it came to his mate. “Permanently this time.”
Dakota studied him for a long moment, teeth worrying at his lower lip.
Kivani tracked the movement, his tiger purring at the sight of his mate even while his human side tried to maintain appropriate distance.
This wasn't how he’d wanted Dakota to find out about the mate bond.
Wasn't how he’d wanted any of this to happen.
“Okay.” Dakota’s voice came out quiet, resigned. “But just for tonight. Tomorrow, you fix my door and I come back here.”
Kivani nodded, relief flooding through him even though his tiger protested the temporary nature of the arrangement.
His animal wanted Dakota in their den permanently, wanted to surround him with their scent and keep him safe forever.
But permanent wasn't something Dakota was ready to accept, not after the revelations.
“Just for tonight,” Kivani agreed, though the words tasted like a lie. Once he got Dakota into his space, his tiger would fight tooth and claw against letting him leave.
Dakota grabbed his phone from where it had fallen earlier then looked around the apartment like he was trying to figure out what else he needed.
His hands shook slightly as he picked up a charger from the counter, and Kivani had to force himself not to reach out and steady them.
Touch would probably be unwelcome right now after everything Dakota had just learned.
They crossed the hallway together, the distance between their doors barely ten feet. Kivani had been hyperaware of that proximity since Dakota had moved in, his tiger constantly tracking his mate’s movements through the building. Now Dakota would be even closer, separated by rooms instead of walls.
Kivani unlocked his door and pushed it open, stepping aside to let Dakota enter first. His apartment looked the same as it had that morning when they’d kissed in the kitchen, but somehow it felt different now.
Charged with tension that hadn't existed before Bennett had destroyed whatever careful foundation they’d been building.
Dakota walked inside slowly, his eyes moving over the space like he was seeing it differently now.
Looking for evidence of what Kivani was, maybe.
Signs that a predator lived here. But Kivani had never kept anything obvious around.
No mounted antlers or animal pelts. Just normal furniture and copper pots and windows that let in too much light.
“I’ll make tea,” Kivani said, moving toward the kitchen. His hands needed something to do, and Dakota looked like he could use something warm to hold. “Help you relax.”
“I don’t think tea is going to fix the fact that my entire understanding of reality just got demolished.” Dakota’s voice held an edge of something that might have been humor, but his expression stayed tight. “But sure. Tea sounds great.”
Kivani filled the kettle and set it on the stove, his movements automatic while his mind raced.
Dakota was here. In his space. Safe. But also terrified and confused and probably regretting ever moving to Crimson Hollow.
The mate bond pulled at Kivani’s ribs, demanding he fix this, make it better, prove that he wasn't a threat.
The kettle whistled, and Kivani poured water over chamomile leaves, the floral scent filling the kitchen.
He added honey without asking, remembering how Dakota had taken his coffee that first day.
Sweet. Everything about his mate was sweet, from his scent to his careful way of organizing things to the soft sounds he’d made when they’d kissed.
Kivani handed Dakota the mug, their fingers brushing in the exchange.
Dakota’s skin was cool against his, and Kivani’s tiger rumbled disapproval at the temperature difference.
A mate should be warm, and he should be comfortable and safe, not standing in the middle of the room like he was ready to bolt at any second.
“You can take the bed,” Kivani said, gesturing toward the bedroom visible through the open door. “I’ll stay out here on the couch.”
Dakota took a sip of tea, his eyes closing briefly as the warmth hit his system. “You don’t have to give up your bed. I can take the couch.”
“You’re not taking the couch.” Kivani kept his voice firm but gentle. “You've had a terrible night. You need actual rest, not whatever sleep you'd get on that thing.”
“Right, because I’m definitely going to sleep soundly after finding out vampires and shifters are real.” Dakota’s laugh came out strained. “Maybe I’ll just stay up all night having an existential crisis instead.”
The humor was deflection. Kivani recognized it now.
Dakota’s way of coping when things got too heavy, too real.
He’d done the same thing at dinner when Bennett had called, made jokes to cover the fear in his voice.
Kivani wanted to pull him close, wrap around him until the shaking stopped, but he settled for drinking his own tea and giving Dakota space to process.
They stood in the kitchen drinking tea in silence, the only sound the occasional clink of mugs against the counter.
Kivani watched Dakota’s face, tracking the emotions that flickered across his features too fast to name.
Fear. Confusion. Something that might have been curiosity buried under layers of shock.
Dakota finished his tea first, setting the empty mug down with careful precision. “I don’t want to sleep alone.” The words came out quiet, almost too soft to hear. “After everything Bennett said, everything I saw, I don’t think I can be by myself right now.”
Kivani’s tiger surged forward, pleased and protective. “Okay. We can both stay out here. The couch is big enough.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make things weird.” Dakota’s arms wrapped around himself again, that self-protective gesture Kivani was learning to hate. “I know you said the mate-bond thing isn’t a choice, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”
“I don’t feel obligated.” Kivani set his own mug down and moved closer, stopping just outside Dakota’s personal space. “I want to stay with you. Want to make sure you’re okay. That’s not obligation. That’s just caring about someone.”
Dakota searched his face, looking for something Kivani hoped he’d find. Truth, maybe. Sincerity. Proof that this wasn't just about the mate bond, even though the bond thrummed through every cell in Kivani’s body demanding he touch and claim and protect.
“Okay,” Dakota said finally. “The couch then.”
They moved to the living room, and Kivani grabbed the throw pillows from the chair to make the couch more comfortable. His tiger paced restlessly, wanting to shift and curl around Dakota, but that would definitely be too much right now. Human form would have to be enough.
Dakota sat down first, tucking himself into the corner with his legs pulled up. He looked smaller like that, and Kivani’s protective instincts kicked into overdrive. He settled onto the couch beside Dakota, leaving space between them that his tiger hated but his human side knew was necessary.
“You can get closer,” Dakota said after a moment. “I’m not going to break.”
Kivani shifted over, closing the distance until their sides pressed together.
Heat radiated from his body, the tiger running warmer than human normal, and he felt Dakota lean into it slightly.
Seeking warmth or comfort or maybe just the presence of another person after Bennett’s invasion of his space.
“Can you tell me about it?” Dakota’s voice was quiet, his eyes fixed on the dark window across the room. “The mate-bond thing? How it works?”
Kivani considered how much to explain, how much Dakota could handle hearing right now.
“It’s like recognition. The moment I saw you, I felt the pull, like an unseen hand directing me toward you.
Knew you were mine, that we were supposed to find each other.
My tiger recognized your scent, the sound of your heartbeat, everything about you screamed mine. ”
“That sounds terrifying.” Dakota’s hands twisted in his lap. “Like you didn’t have a choice about wanting me. Like it was just decided for you.”
“It’s not like that.” Kivani searched for words that would make sense, that wouldn't make this sound like some predetermined fate Dakota had no say in. “The bond tells me who you are to me, but it’s up to us to make it work. I like you because of who you are. Because you’re funny and smart and you organize my taffy by color without being asked.
Because you make these little sounds when you eat something good and you get this focused look when you’re concentrating.
The bond just told me to pay attention. Everything else is just me falling for you. ”
Dakota turned to look at him, and something in his expression had softened. “You’re falling for me?”
“Have been since you spilled coffee all over me.” Kivani let himself smile, remembering that first meeting. “I just wanted to make you laugh, see you smile instead of looking so worried.”
“You did.” Dakota’s voice held wonder, like he was reframing every interaction they’d had through this new information. “You made me feel like I could finally breathe.”
“I always want you to feel safe with me.” Kivani’s hand moved without conscious thought, settling on Dakota’s knee.
The touch felt natural, right, and when Dakota didn’t pull away, he let it stay.
“Every time we interacted, I was falling harder. The mate bond told me who you were. Everything else was just learning why.”
Dakota was quiet for a long moment, his hand coming to rest over Kivani’s on his knee. “I don’t know what to do with that information.”
“You don’t have to do anything with it.” Kivani turned his hand over so their palms pressed together, fingers interlacing.
“I told you because you asked. Because you deserve honesty after Bennett used the truth as a weapon. But I’m not expecting anything from you.
You can take all the time you need to process this. ”
“What if I never feel the same way?” Dakota’s voice was small, vulnerable in a way that made Kivani’s heart hurt. “What if the mate bond only works one direction?”
“Then I’ll deal with that.” The words hurt to say, but Kivani meant them. “I'd rather have you in my life as a friend than not have you in my life at all. The bond doesn't entitle me to your feelings. It just means I’ll spend the rest of my life wanting you, whether you want me back or not.”
But Kivani knew the truth, knew Dakota already felt the pull. He was just processing a lot tonight, unsure what to think.
Dakota made a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. “That’s really depressing, actually.”
“Little bit, yeah.” Kivani squeezed Dakota’s hand gently. “But I’ve lived three hundred years without a mate. I can handle whatever comes next.”
“Three hundred years?” Dakota’s eyes went wide. “You’re three hundred years old?”
“Three hundred and twenty-five, technically.” Kivani watched Dakota process that information, saw the moment it clicked into place with everything else he’d learned tonight. “Shifters live a long time. Longer than humans.”
“So I’m going to get old and die while you stay like this?” Dakota gestured at Kivani’s face, his body. “That seems really unfair.”
“The bond changes things.” Kivani kept his voice calm, even though talking about Dakota dying made his tiger snarl with denial. “Humans live as long as their mates. It’s fate’s way of ensuring our bond.”
“As long as their mate?” Dakota seemed to latch onto the words.
“Yes,” Kivani admitted. “But I’m not thinking about that right now. Right now I’m just thinking about making sure you’re okay.”
His mate leaned into him more fully, his head coming to rest on Kivani’s shoulder.
The trust in the gesture made Kivani’s throat tight, his tiger purring so loudly he was sure his mate could feel the vibration.
He wrapped his arm around Dakota’s shoulders, pulling him closer until his mate was practically in his lap.
“This is a lot,” Dakota murmured against Kivani’s throat. “Everything is different now. You’re different. I’m different. The whole world is different.”
“I know.” Kivani’s hand moved to Dakota’s back, rubbing slow circles between his shoulder blades. “But you’ll adjust. Your brain will process the new information and find a way to make it fit. It just takes time.”
And Kivani would give his mate all the time he needed.