His lips were on hers. Heat blasting between them. Nico clutching at her like he was afraid she might disappear. It was heady stuff. And the kiss, it was so good, but Gigi’s mind was whirring. What did this mean for them now? How would they make this work?
Nico broke off the kiss, staring down at her, smiling. “I can almost hear your thoughts going a mile a minute. Would you like to start making some lists?”
“Sweet Lady, yes.”
“I’m sure I have some crumpled napkins you can use around here somewhere.”
“You.” Punching his arm before going up on tiptoes to kiss him quickly. “You know, I wouldn’t mind spending a few weeks out at sea occasionally, learning how to treasure hunt.”
“I would enjoy teaching you. And if you need to travel as you continue on the path to global chocolate and cookie domination, then I would happily come along so we can discover new cities together. And I could hand you napkins when you need to make notes.”
“It might be nice to have someone around to bounce my ideas off of and test new recipes upon, now that Canary’s retired.”
“I happily volunteer my tastebuds, I have complete faith in your magic and kitchen skills.”
Ah, that was perhaps the sweetest thing any man had ever said to her. “Do you think that you and I should—”
“Meld? Absolutely. Let’s head down to the High Council Registry office in the morning, I have plans for the two of us tonight.” He was about to swoop in, kiss her, pick her up and carry her off to the main cabin, but there was a dazed look in Gigi’s eyes. “You don’t want to meld?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but yes. Yes!”
“So if you weren’t about to suggest we meld, then what were you going to suggest?”
“Well, I was wondering if the two of us shouldn’t combine our catering businesses into one, offering both savoury and sweet options. We’d totally own the local party circuit.”
“I think we already do, but yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”
“And considering our list of previous clients, we shouldn’t have any problems when we decide to expand in the future. Hey, how does - catering company to the Gods - strike you as a tag line?”
“Gigi.” He kissed her on the lips but ever so briefly. “Let’s plan all that at some later date. Say after we spend a few hours tonight getting reacquainted.” Planting a kiss on the side of her throat. “And after we’re officially melded. Then we can talk business plans, as long as you do so naked, in our bed, I promise I shall be punctual each and every session. Manic deities couldn’t keep me away.”
Gigi held a hand up, stopping Nico from leaning in to kiss her again. “I know you fought hard against this. Are you really okay with being cursed by love?”
“I don’t think I ever knew what real love was before I met you. That it would be like the deck beneath my feet on a perfect sunny day at sea; reassuring, comforting, exciting, full of potential and sheer joy. For generations my family have hunted treasure and lost civilisations, but we’ve always recognised that the most important riches in life are found amongst family and friends.When you find that home. I get it now…” Nico patted his chest, over where his heart was located in time with Gigi’s heartbeat. “… all material riches pale in comparison. You’ll always and forever remain my greatest and most treasured find. If, as you say, we’re cursed by love. Then it’s a curse I crave with every atom of my being.”
“Oh, that’s really sweet. But you don’t intend to put me on a pedestal, or anything, do you?”
“Not with the way you kick ass, I wouldn’t dare. Equal partners in all things. And speaking of your spectacular ass, I’ve missed it, badly, I think it’s past time we got reacquainted.” Nico sweeping Gigi up into his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Casanova.”
In Nico’s arms, anything, everything, felt possible to Gigi. The balance of elements was imperfectly perfect. Yes, they would bicker, he’d get grumpy occasionally, she’d get overly fixated now and then, but together, they could do anything they wanted.
Hopefully that would include defeating a Cabal of Deities intent upon claiming the Earth for their own playground. But the entire Southern Sanctuary and all their resources were combatting that threat. Those deities didn’t stand a chance.
In the meantime, she would focus on her and Nico. In love. Melded. Hah, cursed by love for the rest of their very, very long lives, to be together. Yes, that was absolutely one curse she craved.
Epilogue
Alma Richart, High Council Member, official matchmaker of the Southern Sanctuary, glanced back and forth between the two spreadsheets before her. She should be feeling elated, two more matches under her belt. More melds. More magic to fill up the reserves powering the protective net that covered the Sanctuary.
But one of these matches, it should have been impossible for her to foresee and track. A melding between two magical constructs; a taste testing bunny rabbit, and a mottled swamp green sentient bridesmaid dress. Two and a half years ago she couldn’t have done it. But since the recent influx of higher powered beings melding into the family, and the subsequent power surges in the magical net that covered the Sanctuary, more and more residents were discovering that their magic was evolving, changing, and new abilities were emerging for long time magic users set in their ways.
Case in point, Alma being one of the them.
Matchmaking was all about the connections between a couple, the nuances. Recognising them. Exploiting them. Tweaking. Manipulating. Of course the classics never got old. Provoke a little jealousy. A united threat. A common enemy. But with all these power surges, and shifting magics, Alma was finding her job both easier and that much harder.
Identifying the little nuances, the milestones that each couple had to experience that would slowly, incrementally, lay down the foundation for their relationship, their love, their future - it had never been easier for Alma.
