“Of course it does,” I laughed. “Must be nice being royalty.”
“It has its advantages,” he acknowledged. “Though none so valuable as the privilege of being bonded to you.”
Through our connection, I felt the absolute sincerity behind the somewhat formal declaration—the depth of emotion that sometimes still caught me off guard.
“Smooth talker,” I said, leaning in to kiss him.
What started as a gentle kiss quickly deepened, his cool tongue sliding against mine with familiar intensity. After three months, we knew each other’s bodies intimately, yet the desire showed no signs of diminishing—if anything, the bond had intensified our physical connection, each encounter enhanced by the emotional feedback loop between us.
“Perhaps we should continue this discussion inside,” Thalen suggested when we finally separated, his pupils dilated and the patterns beneath his skin pulsing visibly through his shirt.
“Excellent idea, Your Highness,” I agreed, deliberately using the title that never failed to affect him.
His eyes darkened predictably as I led him up to my apartment—soon to be our former apartment, apparently. The thought of creating a real home together, a place that bridged our worlds just as we did, filled me with unexpected joy.
As Thalen closed the apartment door behind us and immediately pulled me into another kiss, I reflected on the strange path that had led me here. From one bad decision after another to the best decision I’d ever made—following Pix into that strange café and serving tea to the untouchable prince.
“I love you,” I murmured against his lips, feeling the words echo through our bond.
“And I love you,” he replied, the patterns beneath his skin brightening with emotion. “Across realms and centuries.”
As we moved toward the bedroom, already shedding clothing with practiced efficiency, I found myself looking forward tothose centuries—to building a life that spanned worlds, to all the adventures yet to come.
Not bad for a guy who’d been crashing on his cousin’s couch just a few months ago.
Not bad at all.
