“You have somewhere to be?” I ask, tracing the lines of power on his chest.
“In fact, I do. The IBMA are coming to my bar to release the imprisonment wards,” he says.
I frown. “If they had wards to keep you in, how did your magic get out? I mean, I definitely felt you when I was fighting the overlord.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead.
“No magic can stop me from getting to you.”
I smirk and cozy into him. “You could get out this whole time, couldn’t you?”
He hums in confirmation. “I used my own magic as a barrier, just in case.”
“Is that why it always burned when I tried to leave in astral form?”
“Indeed, it was my magic fighting my own magic back down. A precaution. I didn’t want to accidentally break parole, especially when I was so close.”
“But you broke it for me,” I whisper.
“And I would again,” he says. “But this is why you’re never leaving my side again, so I don’t have to.”
Suddenly, a barrage of questions pummels my quiet mind. Are we going back to Boston? When will I see my parents again? What’s the plan with Zhao?
Too many unanswered questions.
“I sense that you have things to take care of, too,” he says.
“Yeah, first up is a shower,” I say, looking at the black smudges across my arms.
He chuckles. “I would join you, but I’m not certain I would fit.”
“We’ll have to get a bigger shower,” I say, looking up at him.
“I’ll make one for us in the bar.”
He kisses me slowly and I sigh into the bliss that is his love.
“I’ll see you later?” he asks.
“I’m sure you’ll see me before I do,” I say.
He smirks. “Undoubtedly.”
I kiss him one more time, relishing the sensation of his heat, and his adoration. I pull back, and embers swallow him up, disappearing him to the other side of the veil.
I flop across my bedroll and sigh. I’ll need to wash all these sheets, too. They’re a mess like me. I check the time and see it’s only five-thirty, so I have more than enough time for a luxurious shower.
I wash off all the sweat and Halloween paint, taking my time to exfoliate and clean between every crevasse. My butt is still a bit tender, and while it definitely intensified the orgasm, I think it’s a special occasion kind of play.
Nai Nai makes an almost American breakfast of fried pork belly and eggs with rice. We eat in quiet peace, and at six-thirty, I go down to the shop and flip the sign.
The rubber plant has moved back down to the café with me since the Zhaos’ capture means it’s safe here. I pad over to the plant and sprinkle some of the used espresso grounds in its pot, then give it some water.
“You should get better with your messaging. That warning was confusing.”
The plant shivers and I feel it cursing at me.
I chuff and give it a little more water.
