I went still, my tail freezing mid-twitch. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My breath vanished, forced from my lungs like I'd been punched.
"Aurle," he repeated softly, gazing out at the shimmering lake, his eyes sad. His ears drooped, and he sighed, lifting his hand from my thigh and clasping it in his lap, leaving chills where his fingers had been.
His eyes turned to me, a light, gentle gray. I'd seen those eyes before. And his tail...it had brushed against mine and lingered, pressing against me. Soft and warm. Such a beautiful, silky red color, tipped with white. This wasn't the first time I'd felt it.
The shape of his face, the way his ears twitched when he was happy, even his very scent...everything. How could I not have seen it before? Maybe I had, and simply been unable to believe it.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, his brow creasing worriedly. Just like hers always had.
