CHAPTER 110
DAKOTA
Both women stare at me like I’ve grown another head.
“You still have a mental link to your mate?” Gwen asks, her expression a mixture of both surprise and vague hurt. “How is that possible?”
“I…I don’t know how it’s possible. The same as all other mental links, right?
We only met after the Rift closed, and Murr was convinced that he was cut off from everyone entirely.
We mated just because it was important to share each other’s traditions.
” I touch my neck, thinking of his bite.
“We didn’t think it would do anything. But after a while, we noticed that each other’s thoughts were leaking… It’s hard to explain.”
“Try,” Gwen presses. Her hands are clasped under her chin, and she leans in against the table, intent. “I want to know what you’re doing.”
I feel weird about this. They’ve been mated to their dragons for much longer than I’ve been with Murr.
How is it that no one else has noticed the thought swapping?
“We didn’t think we had a connection, but I noticed after a while that we kept ‘guessing’ what the other was thinking.
Then I’d notice that a thought would cross my mind that didn’t feel like me, or would think of things in a way that I didn’t.
It wasn’t until I was in danger and Murr showed up without me saying a thing that we realized he’d somehow known that I was in trouble.
He’d picked up on my fear and came to the rescue. After that, we tested things.
“We tried a blindfold to see if removing one of the senses helped us lock in to what the other person was thinking. I don’t think we believed at first that we were really connected, but the blindfold allowed us to realize that it really was a thing.
” I touch my temple. “It’s not like speaking to each other directly.
It’s more that you’re sensing what the other person is thinking or feeling.
You have to really lock in to it…but not, if that makes sense.
The more you focus in on trying to hear, the more you won’t hear anything.
It’s almost like you have to meditate and let down your barriers.
I only ‘feel’ what Murr is thinking when I’m not expecting it, and it’s not every time. ”
“But it’s something,” Gwen says softly.
“You used a blindfold?” Melina asks. “Can you tell us exactly what you did?”
Blushing, I try to recount how we tested things without getting into the nitty gritty of our sex life. My explanation is weak, but the two women are thoughtful once I finish talking. They exchange a look.
“You don’t believe me,” I state, noticing their expressions. “I don’t blame you, but I’m not lying.”
“I believe you,” Melina says, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s just that I don’t know if it’s going to work for everyone.
Some of the drakoni have stronger mental connections than others, my husband says.
It stands to reason that some might have their thoughts leaking through even if they’re not connected like they were before the Rift. ”
“There’s one way to find out,” I joke. “Get a blindfold and test your partner.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gwen says, her face thoughtful. “We’ve tried so many times to get in touch through the mental link like we used to and it’s never worked.”
“We never had a mental link in the past,” I say. “Maybe that’s how we were able to notice the little things. We never had anything to miss.”
“And maybe that’s how we’re overlooking it,” Gwen agrees.
She fiddles with a lock of her hair, considering.
“I’m going to give it a try. I miss feeling him.
I can’t imagine what it’s like for the drakoni, being completely cut off like that.
I know it’s necessary because the Rift was making them crazed, but it hurts to lose that closeness… ”
I nod, thinking about Murr and how devastated he was to not have a link to the other drakoni.
How he’d been in hiding, surrounding himself with cats because he’d thought he was broken the whole time.
It took meeting Thess and realizing that all of the drakoni were suffering from the lack of connection to heal his emotions.
He’s never been broken. He’s just been muted, like a radio dial turned all the way down. “Just get a blindfold and get your mate and give it a try,” I tell them. “And don’t chase it. Just let it happen.”
“Like an orgasm,” Gwen says.
All three of us break into laughter.
I wonder if Murr can feel my happiness in this moment, and my love for him. I hope that he does.