Before I can say so, the glow beneath our skin surges forward, spilling upwards in ribbons of silver from me and ribbons of gold from her, twirling around each other until they blend together into a silvery golden ribbon. A star blooms above my heart, pulsing a warm light that shines out towards Holly, who gasps.
She pulls up her sweater to find a matching one blinking above her own heart. Twin northern lights pulsing in a perfect rhythm.
Holly’s lips part in wonder, her fingers brushing over the radiant mark above my heart. “It’s…beautiful,” she whispers.
I rest my palm over hers, over us. “It’s forever.”
A lyrical, soft woman’s voice chimes around us. “May each of you always find your way home, no matter how far you stray away from each other.”
The stars above our hearts flare once—brilliant and blinding—before softening into a steady glow. The warmth of it sinks intomy bones, and I swear it feels as though Holly’s heart has nestled next to my own as it beats in sync with my own.
She looks up at me, eyes wide, and shimmering in the light of our joined souls. “I can feel you,” she breathes. “Everywhere.”
I cup her face, my thumbs brushing the tears dangling on her lower lashes. “That’s because there isn’t a part of me that isn’t yours now.”
Her hands slide up my back, her nails tracing the lines of muscles until she grips my shoulders. The world narrows around the heat flaring in her eyes as she blinks up at me. She’s almost ethereal with the northern lights glowing beneath her skin, those caramel eyes twinkling in the glow.
I move slowly, lowering us down until her back meets the mattress. She sighs contently when my weight lowers down and settles between her legs. With each hum from her throat, those soft gasps when I grind against her, pull me further into her orbit.
“Ryatt, we still have clothes on.” She pouts as she glances down at her sweater.
I smirk as I snap my fingers and our clothes disappear, back into the ether where they came from. She gasps as she looks down again at our now naked bodies pressed against each other.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun.” She giggles before she wiggles underneath me, hooking her feet together over my lower back. “Now there’s nothing between us. Nowhere to be, but here in each other’s arms.”
When I rock forward, the glow beneath our skin flares brighter, casting the room in a sparkle of blues, silvers, and golds. Her head tilts back, eyes half-lidded, and the northern star above her heart beats quicker with each movement.
Her whispered praises and soft confessions echo around the room as we move together. The world outside has faded into nothing, with the only thing that matters is the love buildingbetween us. With the full moon glowing brightly through my double window of my bedroom, and the stars twinkling brightly in the sky, it feels as though they too are celebrating our joining. Rejoicing in another successful bond created beneath this very sky.
We spend the night cherishing each other, wrapped in comfort as we chat about all our hopes and dreams.
If only the good times could last more than one night.
Chapter Fourteen
The Morning Before the Storm
Ryatt
The morning feels softer in the warm sunlight glow. The soft light filters through the frosted windows as it twinkles against the snow lining the bottom. The fire’s burned down to embers, and the air is filled with a faint warmth I’ve never felt here before.
Holly’s soft breaths steam against my chest where she lays draped. Her arm is banded across my stomach with her leg laid over mine. I didn’t know what it would be like to share a bed with someone else, but this–the contentment thrumming through me–makes it all perfect.
My northern star thrums slower now–its steady rhythm is a reminder of what changed last night. I smile softly as I strokemy hand along her temple, running my hand against her wild, amber curls that splay in every possible direction.
Holly’s always been a wild, untamed woman–less put together and far freer than me–but it’s this unfiltered moment I think I cherish more. She’s not trying to be anyone, or worried about what I’ll think of her. No, instead her walls are fully down–allowing me a glimpse at the raw, true version of herself. It’s something I’ll always hold close to my heart–the knowledge that only I will ever see this.
Her scent still carries that sweetness I’ve memorized–frosted cranberries, brown sugar, and warm vanilla–but now it’s laced with something deeper, almost richer.
It’s…bourbon.
My magic rises against my skin, confirming what I’m suspecting. I realize with contentment that she now carries my scent. Not just beside her own as a passenger, but braided into her own, creating a scent that is wholly ours.
I wonder if my own has altered too.
Her eyes flutter open as she wakes up, her arm stretching out, a yawn spreading across her face.
When her eyes blink up to mine, I smile warmly at her. “Good morning Berry. Your smell has changed.”
