"Please, don't do it again," Nathaniel says, his voice gentle. There's a visible relaxing about his posture, and he finally lets go of Asher's hand. Slowly, he comes over to Anita, takes her hand instead. "I love you just as much now as I did last night, but... I do have limits, and I can say no. I'm learning to say no, and I'm doing it now. I will feed the ardeur. I will have sex with you. But never, ever, will I do either as a leopard or half-shifted."