Her expression gave him pause. People with whom he was comfortable got neither censorship nor pretense from him, and there was no one with whom he was more comfortable than Lu. Typically this was a good thing, but from time to time, he needed a reminder that she was new to the supernatural world, that just a few short years ago she had been a human, and a teenager at that. His smirk eased. What she'd done was impressive, but mauling humans was new to her, not something to be so easily excused. Her treatment of it was probably healthier.
Nik rubbed her calf beneath the quilt, an unspoken apology for being too crass. Her adjustment to life as a shifter was still a strained subject, at times, at least for him. His eyes followed the line of her leg to the rise of her hip, where she bore the scars of one of his greatest regrets.
He made a wordless noise in understanding. "A lot of bitten shifters never get that far, being able to change and stay in control, or not black out." Nothing she didn't know, but it deserved reminding. "It might not feel like it now, but you should be proud of yourself. You're strong."His tongue passed over his teeth behind closed lips. "It was all self defense. That's what I heard. But I wasn't there. I'm sorry." He let that linger for a moment, quiet, to give her space to respond, swat at him, or let it settle.
Rather than leveling their day of exploration with a dour start, Nik rubbed his palms together and changed tack on the conversation. "So. How about Siem Reap for the day? Crickets for breakfast?" He arched his scarred eyebrow at her, a spark of a mischief back in his eye. "Try everything once, right?"