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I look at Nero quizzically before picking up on the modern reference for a relationship. I laugh and shake my head. ”Ship, my dear. It is the short form of relationship,” I explained. ”But I do agree with you. I think the two of them could be good for each other. However, I won’t push it. Kiki is rather stubborn.”

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I wrapped my arms around Nic and shook my head. ”You’re reputation is safe with me. Besides, I like to form my own opinions rather than listen to others,” I said.

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I finally finish building the new garden boxes and I wipe my arm across my face. I’m definitely going to have to shower again. I finish my water and walk around the side of the house. I glance towards the pool, thinking I could sneak in a swim, but I see the pool isn’t unoccupied. Although you can barely see her, I recognized Kimiko’s hair.

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“Ohhhhh, that makes so much more sense now!” I say. “I was trying to figure out what water transportation had to do with couples… Also, don’t worry, I won’t push Kiki’s buttons - I’ll help Avery do it instead.”

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“See? I knew there was a reason I liked you.” I tease before kissing her nose. I pick her up off the ground a little bit and kiss her lips next. I’m almost tempted to spin us around, but I’ll save that for after we fix the fountain. After a bit, I set her down and let her have her lips again despite how I would like nothing else but to kiss her more.

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When I finally rise above the water to breath again, my nose catches a whiff of wolf and I immediately spin towards the smell in a panic. Had Avery heard any of that conversation? Do I need to find a new cave to crawl in an die? “H-hey there doggy.” I say in an overly cheerful voice to Avery, throwing a couple finger guns his way.

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I laughed and scooped Nero up to keep them from tracking dirt all over the house. ”I wouldn’t expect anything else. Now, what shall we do with the rest of the afternoon?”

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I smile, feeling myself get wrapped up in the moment with Nic. Sometimes, he was so excitable that it was not hard to feel that way, especially when he kissed me like this. Nic ends the kiss sooner than I want, but it’s for the best.

”Hopefully that’s not the only reason,” I said, feeling flushed. I fix my hair and walk around the SUV to get in so we can continue on with our task.

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I’m just about to turn and leave when Kimiko calls out to me. At least, I think it’s me since I’m the only werewolf in Caden’s house. I turn back and give Kimiko a look.

”Doggy?” I questioned, and what was with the finger guns? Why was she acting so weird? I walk over to the pool but stay off the cement that surrounds the pool. ”I was just coming to see if the pool was empty. I’ll let you get back to it,” I said, pulling the working gloves off my hands.

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I happily beam at Caden, settling easily in his arms. “I think it’s been too long without a musical performance by you.” I say. Although, I kind of want to go into deep research mode to see where Mundus might have ended up and how I got away from him, but I don’t think either of us could handle that right now. The thought reminds me of a question I had though.

“I know you said we probably can’t communicate with our minds like you and Avery can, but if I have another repressed memory, will that affect you now too? Because of the bond?”

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I laugh. “There’s several reasons.” I assure her with a head pat before we get back in the car. We probably could have walked to the temple, it’s not that far, so we arrive there shortly by car. I grab both signs from the back on my way to open Cass’ door for her.

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”Doggy.” I say with a nod, not elaborating any further. I swim over to the edge of the pool closest to Avery and pull myself out to sit and kick my feet in the water. “So when did you get over here? Have you been eavesdropping?” I could not be less subtle in how I ask this. Instead, I grin widely to show nothing’s wrong.

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I chuckle and start walking towards the music room. I nod when Nero asks if I would be affected. ”Yes. Strong emotions are felt through the bond unless you block me out. We’ll have to teach you, especially when it comes to our sessions in the bedroom,” I said with a wink. ”I keep Avery blocked all the time unless I need him. After the branding, you’ll be connected to him, too. So anything that you feel that you don’t block, he will also feel. Like the other day when my dragon rose to the surface. Avery could feel some of that because the emotion was so intense. I couldn’t block him from feeling my dragon coming forward so quickly.”

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I smile as we drive to the temple, happy to here there are several reasons why Nic likes me. I know he’s informed me of some of them, but I wouldn’t mind hearing them again. I suppose I liked hearing compliments because it wasn’t so common for me.

We reach the temple, and its quieter than it was yesterday. I relax and follow Nic down to the fountain, glancing around to see if we are going to come across any of the temple’s keepers and get in trouble.

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I frown, not liking that doggy thing. I was hardly a dog. I advert my eyes when Kimiko gets out of the pool, and the memories from the garage come rushing back. I should have just ignored her when she called out to me. I try not to stare at Kimiko’s bare back when she asks me if I have been eavesdropping.

”What? No. I was working in the garden and just came to see if the pool was free. Were you talking to yourself or something?” I asked.

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I cover my face with my hands. “I would definitely like to learn how to block first and foremost.” I say, decidedly not wanting anyone else peeking in on our bedroom activities. “Is there a way to start learning that now?” I ask with a hopeful smile. If this mating thing is anything like an engagement or wedding, that probably means a rambunctious night is in store.

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I can’t help but notice how quiet it is compared to yesterday at the temple. “Well, I’m glad we went with plan B now.” I whisper while leaning down closer to Cass’ ear. “I wonder where everyone is though.”

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I turn quickly to stare at him to check if I can catch him in a lie, instead I swear I catch him staring. “Never mind - why do you need the pool to be empty to enjoy it?” I ask, turning back around so he wouldn’t see me blush. Yeah, he definitely couldn’t have been staring, it was probably just the light or something.

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I think about Nero’s question as we walk into the music room. I set them down on the couch before I shift to kneel on the ground in front of them. I rest my hands on their knees and look up at them.

”We might be able to…Although, until our bond snaps into place, it will be difficult to find what I need you to look for,” I confess.

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I hear a bell toll from the temple and gesture towards it. ”Prayer time,” I determined. ”That’s good. That’s really good actually,” I said and hurried to the fountain.

My mind was already racing with what to do and where I needed to go. There were only a couple of people by the fountain that I had to ask to move on due to the fountain needing to be inspected and turned off momentarily. They didn’t seem entirely convinced, considering my attire, but they didn’t question me. They looked like tourists, so I hoped they didn’t go to the temple to question it.

I left the sign placements up to Nic and set to work laying out the candles in the proper positions.

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Because you’re a distraction, I think to myself. I shuffle my feet and look away from Kimiko. ”I don’t. I need to go shower anyway. I can’t get into the pool after working in the garden,” I said lamely.

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I rest my hands over Caden’s and lean forward. “Well, how did you figure out how to block Avery?” Maybe if he explains it, I could figure it out from there.

“Because we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other for even a day so far.” I say with a wink. Wait, would we need to be celibate until I figured it out?

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I grin at Cass about our absolutely perfect timing. While she tries to get the tourists out of the way, I quickly set up one of the floor signs to keep people from walking in at least. Once the confused visitors are gone, I set up the other one before I move to be with Cass. “Alright, anything I can do to help?” I ask.

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Once I’m convinced I have my face under control, I get the rest of the way out of the pool to turn towards Avery. “Well, I can head inside. I’ve been in here for so long I forgot how many laps I did.” I awkwardly laugh louder than I should. I didn’t lose count.

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’Through a lot of trial and error,” I informed Nero. In response to their other statement I bend my head down and kiss both of Nero’s hands. No, I couldn’t keep my hands off of them. Whenever I did something without my hands being on them, I could only think about touching them again.

”For me it was visual,” I said and shut my eyes. ”There are lines, cords. I have several of them. I have some connections to my remaining family members: one to Cass, one to Avery, and one just waiting. That one’s new. That one’s yours,” I say with a smile. I squeeze Nero’s hands, and the floating cord pulsates. ”When I’m blocking, I picture the cords and tell them to be quiet. I build a bubble around me and keep what I need contained there.” I open my eyes and look at Nero. ”Avery tells me his is a wall. And I’ve spoken to others who don't find visuals helpful. They used words instead. You’ll have to discover what works best for you.”

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Once the candles are set, I start to throw the jasmine petals into the water. Nic comes over and asks me if he can help. I smile at him and shake my head. ”Stay out of the circle and enjoy the show,” I tell him honestly.

Once I’ve filled the water with the dehydrated jasmine from India, I set the empty bag down and pick up the bag of sand. I pass Nic and kiss his cheek. ”I’m sorry. Much of my work doesn’t allow for outside help.” I start to trail the sand around the fountain, connecting the candles as I go. Once the circle is complete, I snap my fingers and the candles light. I pull out the yellow sapphire and approach the fountain. The sapphire starts to glow, and I smile.

The wind starts to pick up, but it doesn’t touch me, the sand, or the flames. In the air, I can smell the oils and flowers native to India. I can hear the bells and the chimes. I can hear the voices calling the stone home. I shut my eyes and start to chant in a different language as I approach the fountain and climb inside. I’m soaked again, but I could care less.

Once I put the stone in place, the noises I hear increase in volume, the wind picks up again, the candles flare briefly before they burn out, and the sand is wept away. I stand in the fountain for a minute longer before I crawl out and stand back to look at it. ”It feels different. It feels complete.” I don’t know if Nic will be able to tell. It’s more of an intuition-based feeling and an innate connection to land around me that tells me I succeed in my task.

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When Kimiko gets out of the pool, I can’t help but stare at her. My eyes trace the natural curves in her body and how she stands. I note the way the water seems to cling to her before losing its battle to remain and drips down her body to pool on the concrete around her feet. I’m staring at a drop of water as it rolls down her legs when Kimiko’s laugh hits my ears wrong. I snap my attention back to her face and frown.

”Oh, okay. I guess that’s fine then.” I pause awkwardly after that, not moving to leave. And then I realize I’m staring again. ”Well, guess I’ll just go shower.” I turn around and march across the yard to staff housing. What the hell was that? I’m not usually that awkward around women, and Kimiko has never been that awkward around anyone.

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I tilt my head as Caden explains it to me and a grin forms when he says ones of the cords is now mine. “Wait, you have a connection to Cassi? How? Will I be connected to her too, then?” I ask, tilting my head the other way. For once, I’m not jealous of their relationship, but that could also be because it’d been a few days without seeing her.

Everything Caden said was beyond interesting and I’m dying to discuss it more. Closing my eyes, I try to remember the warm soup feeling I had experienced when Caden and I started the bonding out in the gazebo. That doesn’t lead to anything however, so I reopen my eyes to peer at Caden instead.

Mika and Luci choose that moment to come running into the music room to say hi to us. Mika is sniffing me a bunch, something unusual for her. Could she tell that Caden and I had bonded? She pauses in her smell quest to look at me as if saying, ‘Duh’.

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I frown, but take several steps back and out of the circle she’s created. When she comes by to kiss my cheek and explain, I feel a little better. Nodding, I give the area a wide berth, not wanting to disrupt the spell.

When the wind picks up, I’m reminded of the kiss we had in the nature preserve and watch in wonder as the sand stays put. A glow emits from the sapphire as Cass approaches the fountain and steps into it. I swear I can hear chimes, but I can’t quite figure out where the sound is coming from. When Cass steps into the fountain, I’m glad I had grabbed a few towels and put them in the SUV. Hopefully this time we can get her a little closer to dry.

The sand circle disappears and I raise an eyebrow, looking at Cass to see if it’s over. At her words, I close the distance between us and hug her close. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt this time.” I tell her honestly.

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Unable to look Avery in the eye, I almost don’t catch his staring. I flush, not believing what I’m seeing when Avery agrees to go swimming. For a moment he doesn’t move and I hold my breath, waiting to see if he’s going to do something, but then he just storms off. I frown as I watch him leave before I grab the towel from where I had hidden it and head into the house. What the hell was that?

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I smile and shake my head. ”With what Cassi and I shared and how long our history is, we have our own bond. Our own connection. The only bond you'll receive from me will be Avery's because he is pack and so will you be.” I look down to see the cats running around and I smile to scratch them before I stand up.

”What instrument would you like me to play today, mein kleiner Kobold?”

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The space around the fountain seems more somehow. I smile, and close my eyes to really take it all in. I feel strong arms encircling me and warmth starts to seep into my bones. I had forgotten I was now wet again. Nic's words have me wrapping my arms around his neck, and holding him close.

”I wasn't hurt for long,” I reminded him.

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I head straight to my room and close the door quickly. I'm breathing heavily and I can't think straight. I hit my fist against the door before I marched into my bathroom and turned the shower on.

Cold water hits me as I step inside, but the thoughts and images of Kimiko don't slow down. I need to relieve the pressure I'm feeling somehow so I allow myself some indulgences with the images that plague me.

By the time I'm done the cold water actually feels cold, and I'm more settled. I scrub the rest of my body clean before I shut the water off and grab my towel. Once I'm dried, I pull on my swim shorts, thinking the pool should be fine now that my mind feels more settled. I debated on bringing my towel but ultimately decided to leave it behind. I didn't want a certain fox or imp getting any ideas.

I head back to the main house to find the pool now empty. I grab some water from the cooler that sits outside before sitting on the edge of the pool.

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I rub my hands together as I think, looking around the room at all the instruments. “The pianoforte please.” I finally chirp. Luci hops into my lap and starts purring as soon as I touch her. Mika decides to follow Caden and wrap around his leg.

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“I still didn’t like it.” I tell her honestly, just holding her for a moment. I know my pants are starting to get wet from hers, but I don’t mind. I can’t explain it, but the vibes around the fountain have shifted - the atmosphere more pleasant and inviting. I briefly wonder if it’s just placebo or if I’m actually noticing a difference.

I kiss the top of Cass’ head“You’re absolutely amazing, by the way.”

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Once I’m safe in my room and the door is locked, I put my head in my hands and groan. I can’t get Avery out of my mind - can’t stop the image of him staring at my legs out of my head. There’s no way he was checking me out, right? My face flushes all over again as I hop into my shower to rinse off the pool water from my swim suit and body.

I lean my forehead against the shower wall and breathe deeply as now Caden’s words replay. Would you like my blessing? “Fucking shithead.” I mumble to myself before getting out and putting a robe on. I flop onto my bed, suddenly too focused on images of Avery to do anything else.

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I chuckled and walked over to the piano. ”Something new or something older?” I asked, as I played a few bars to warm up my fingers.

One of Nero's cats came and curled up beneath me. I reached down and scratched them as best I could before focusing on the task at hand.

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I hold Nic a little tighter. A reminder that I'm okay. I laugh when he compliments me and I pull back to start gathering my candles. ”If you keep complimenting me, it's going to go straight to my head.”

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I tilt my head as I think about it. “Do you have anything you composed yourself?” I ask, swinging my legs a little from my perch on the couch.

“How hard is it to learn an instrument?” I ask. It’s thrilling to me that being with Caden makes me want to learn more, to catch up to the many talents and knowledge he has. I don’t know what instrument I would want to start with, but I know I want to learn.

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“And what a pretty head it is.” I say, sad that I can’t run my fingers through her hair while I compliment her more. I go and gather the signs, folding them under my arm before making my way back to Cass. “I stole some towels from Caden’s place for you, by the way.”

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”Ah,” I said and my fingers shifted on the keys to dive in from chords to an actual melody. ”I've never recorded, but I've written some things.”

The melody flows out of me, like an extension. Some people wouldn't necessarily consider the music I choose to write uplifting but it meant something to me all the same.

[color=#0064]”Learning an instrument can be hard if you don't already have the natural ear for it. I'm self taught and it took me quite a while to understand the way music works. I felt I could play anything but it took me a while to truly understand what I was playing and put it together in a way that worked. Cassi has a natural gift for it, but she never learned beyond the piano,”[/color] I informed Nero.

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I smiled, blushing of course, and shook my head when Nic complimented me again. I gathered all the candles, deciding to leave the jasmine in the fountain. It added a nice touch. After the prayer ceremony, I think everyone would appreciate coming to the fountain. I hope the luck of this place has changed now. ”Did you! Oh bless you, you smart man.”

I follow Nic to the SUV and eagerly grab a towel.

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I close my eyes, listening to the notes play from the piano. The song isn’t overly cheerful or bright, but it also isn’t dark. It’s a nice, steady song that plays beautifully. I think it perfectly captures his essence and I find myself swaying my head a little as I listen silently.

The final note plays out and I open my eyes, thinking on what Caden said. “Well, so many great composers came out of Germany, so I should have some talent hidden away, right?” I say with a sly smile before I put Luci down on the couch and make my way onto the piano bench next to Caden. I don’t notice the little dirt footprints I leave in my wake.

“Can you teach me piano?” I ask, playing a note before peering up at Caden.

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I grin lopsidedly, dimples showing when she calls me smart. “See? I am smart.” I tease, kissing her head as we make our way back to the SUV. As I put the signs in the back, I pull out a couple of towels. I hand one to Cass before I kneel on the ground on one leg and start patting her pants.

“See, on my knees for you and everything now.” I say, throwing a wink up at her before concentrating on getting the moisture out of her clothes.

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I smile at Nero as they join me at the piano. I pull them onto my lap and nod. ”I would love to teach you,” I said. I kissed Nero’s cheek before I pointed out C and then the rest of the main scale on the piano. ”It seems tedious, but once you know the scales, it makes learning the songs easier.”

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I laugh, brushing my thumb along Nic’s dimple. I snatched my hand back after I realized what I was doing. It was hard not to be memorized by Nic when he smiled like that.

I take the towel from Nic and start drying myself off. I pause when Nic kneels though to dry the bottom of my pants, and I can’t help but stare at him. He looks up at me, and I have a desperate need to run my fingers through his hair, bend down, and kiss him. My fingers twitch on the towel I hold, and I bite my bottom lip when he winks at me.

”I feel very much like Cinderella at the moment. Should I misplace one of my shoes?” I joked.

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I giggle when Caden pulls me into his lap, happy to have his arms around me as he walks me through the basics. I notice how easily his long fingers are able to play notes and move across the keys. Stretched as far as I can with my thumb on middle C, I find that my pinky can barely play the G.

“Can pianos come in smaller sizes?” I joke, turning my face to look up at Caden from his lap.

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I laugh, grinning again. “If you want - we should find a big set of stairs for you to leave it.” I say, joking along with her. I catch her biting her lip and lose focus on it for a moment, my hands slowing on drying her pants before I catch myself and clear my throat. I concentrate back on her legs, looking down as my ears grow hot.

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I chuckle as I watch Nero stretch their fingers as much as they can. ”Unfortunately, no. They are all relatively the same size. Keyboards might be a bit smaller, but not by much. You might have more success with a string instrument, like the violin or viola. The guitar wouldn’t be easy, as there are some notes that require your fingers to be pretty spread out as well,” I explained, and started looking about the room for something else Nero could try.

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I watch Nic as his eyes flicker to my lips. I like how much he’s attracted to me as I am to him. He focuses back on drying my legs, and I force myself to look away and dry off the upper half of my body. ”I think that’s okay, Nic. I can sit with the towel wrapped around my feet and ankles while we drive back to Caden’s,” I said.

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I pout. “Curse these tiny things.” I say to my hands and I try stretching them out more. That causes the cut on my left palm to crack a little and bleed again. I quickly put my palm on my mouth to lick away the blood before it can get on anything while I think over Caden’s words.

“Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?” I ask him, curious, my voice slightly muffled by my hand.

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I nod, realizing Cass is right. I straighten and put the towel I used in the back since it was more wet. “We can drive with the windows down or blast the head on your feet if you’d like too.” I offer with a smile before shutting the back door and leading Cass to her seat.

“Are you hungry at all? Should we find somewhere to go for lunch?”

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