We fall quiet, calculating this.
“Because we’ve beenatthe lair for several minutes now without realizing it,” he continues. “She might make us forget that you said you love me.”
“I’ll tell you I love you again, after this,” I promise. “It’s inevitable, because that’s how I really feel. You will hear it again.”
I watch as an emotion rises within him and he steels himself against it, swallowing hard. “You can go in there if you want to, but I’m not. I won’t trade the first time my Zelda says she loves me for anything, not for all the magic in the universe. I want to remember this forever.”
My lashes clump together with hot tears. “You have to risk it, though. This is your chance. It’s everything you ever wanted.”
He shakes his head solemnly. “Not anymore. I’ve just gotten what I wanted most, and I’m keeping it.”
My heart dips and rises and dives. Hurricanes in circles.This man.
T I
A S H
N M
This mythical, marvelous, made-for-me man.
I suck in a deep breath. “You saying you love me right back is the best discovery I’m ever going to find out here,” I tell him. “I’m not giving that up, either.”
Morgan’s mouth presses together in a crooked half smile, and then that smile falls gently against mine. I open to him at once, melting.
He’s got a kiss that grabs you right by the lungs, but he doesn’t use that kiss here. This one is soft and lush. It feels likeIsn’t this wonderful? Let’s never do anything else.All points of light in my periphery slide into holy crosses, and my whole body pounds, and I can’t stop thinking,How are you real?
“Did I tell you,” he murmurs, “that I got you a present? It’s back at my apartment.”
Now is hardly the time. I don’t care about presents.
Although…
“What is it?”
“A book about huldufólk, the hidden elves of Iceland.”
My grip on him tightens. “Really?”
“First edition, printed in 1908. It’s got illustrations and smells like a wood-burning stove.”
I sag in his arms. “Goodness. Hold me up, I’ve gone light-headed.”
He lays a kiss to my temple, a wicked grin in his voice. “Somebody who owned it in the 1930s used its title page to keep records of their family tree. It’s got tons of names and dates.”
Kill shot.
“You’ve finally done it,” I mutter woozily. “I’m seduced. You can have anything you want. I’ll find a dozen witches and steal all their magic for you.”
He laughs.
“After we get out of here, my stunning star,” Morgan tells me once I’ve regained my bearings, “I’m going to put on my finest breathable nylon tracksuit and let you sweep me off my feet, just as you’ve been dying to do.”
So we double back to find our friends and family, holding hands.
—
We haven’t beenwalking for six minutes when we collide with the others. “Why’d you run off?” Luna screeches, pink face sweaty.
