“Absolutely.”
Dain, Ailin, and Sebastian kept chatting, and my brother leaned into me, whispering, “The only reason Mom and Dad aren’t in here right now is because the Tower’s being guarded by a billion king’s guard. They keep texting me. So… if you want to avoid them, you need to leave now through the back entrance before the king opens the Tower back up.”
I nodded, and Dain, who must’ve overheard us, said his goodbyes to the Ellwoods, to my brother, and to the rest of the congregation, most of whom were apparently a part of Dain’s family. Which was something to think about. I would be taken into the fold… with the king of Sedoba and the infamous Ellwoods of Brinnswick.
That was… way too overwhelming to consider at the moment, so I pushed that away for the time being. I could freak out about it at another time… when I wasn’t recovering from the horrors of today.
It took us a lot longer to free ourselves than I expected, but luckily, the king waited to open the Tower back up, and we were able to sneak out the back.
As soon as we were free, Dain said, “Um… my car is three blocks away.” He glanced at me. “But I don’t think you’ll fit in that form. I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine. I’ll shift when we get to your car.”
“I think I have some clothes in my car. They’ll be small on you, but they’ll have to do.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Dain sent me a small smile, laced our fingers together, and tugged me along.
He knew I’d follow him wherever he went.
Chapter Eighteen
Lanche
Bringing Dain to my home was a dream come true. After how hesitant he’d been to come here in the first place, I was worried he’d be nervous, but I didn’t feel anything but excitement from him as he parked his car.
He turned to me with a smile. “I know you would never hurt me. Even when you didn’t have control of your magic, you didn’t hurt me.”
I gave him a dubious look. “You could barely make it across the park to get to me.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t hurt me. At all. Everyone else was covered in tiny cuts and bruises from the strong wind and ice. I walked through unharmed.”
I blinked at that. “I tried to keep you safe, but… really? You’re not hurt at all?”
He surprised me by leaning over, burying his hands in my hair, and pulling me into a soft kiss. “Really. You’re my viramore, Avalanche. That means you could never hurt me.”
Which was… true. I just thought the person controlling me—Vanessa—could’ve hurt him through me.
I pressed a long kiss to his lips, lingering there for a moment before I whispered, “Come inside?”
He smirked. “Definitely.”
He turned off the car, and we hopped out, practically running for the front door. Once inside, he shed his coat—I was only wearing a pair of Dain’s sweatpants and a t-shirt he happened to have in the car since my clothes had been torn to shreds from my shift—and I glanced around for a split-second, wondering what he’d see when he looked at my home.
The walls were made of a combination of trees, snow, and ice, all magicked together so the snow and ice wouldn’t melt, even with the heat on. I tried to keep everything homey, adding some pictures of my family and friends on the walls and knickknacks from my travels on the shelves. There was a nice big comfy couch, loveseat, and armchair in the living room, along with some end tables and a large TV. I spent a good amount of time in there, but my favorite part of the house was at the very top of the building, and I couldn’t wait to show Dain.
The space was an open-floor plan, so from the foyer, you could see the living room with the dining room behind it—all dark woods and a large enough table to fit my entire family—and the kitchen behind that.
Since there was so much white on the walls from the sparkling snow, I’d added a splash of color in the kitchen. My cabinets were royal blue with dark trim, and all my appliances were black to make the color really pop. The kitchen island held a basket full of fruit that I liked to snack on and was one of my favorite places to have guests sit while I cooked.
I turned back to Dain as he hung his coat on a hook on the wall, making me swallow as I took in his muscled arms.
As soon as he toed off his boots, he rushed me.
My eyes widened because I didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but then he threw his arms around my neck and tucked his face against my throat. I caught him with ease, hugging him tight to me as I buried my nose in his hair, breathing him in, more relieved and beyond happy he was here—that both of us were here—and that our bond was growing stronger with every passing second.
Dain leaned back, met my eyes for a moment, sending me a tender and vulnerable smile before he leaned up to capture my mouth with his. I eagerly returned his kiss, pressing my tongue into his mouth and licking up his flavor. Dain lifted his leg, wrapping it around my hip, so I bent down and picked him up.
