“You know you’re more than a client to me, Junie.”
More than a client, more than a friend, and forever less than a mate.
“I do know,” I whisper. “Thank you for protecting me, Marcus.”
* * *
Luca leadsme into his room, and my nest is just as beautifully made up as it was the second time I joined him back here. Candles glow from atop every flat surface, warm light flickering around the room. He takes my hand and draws me forward, sitting me down on the edge of the bed, then plucks a small box up off his desk. “This was my capstone project in Transmogrification. I… I spent most of fall term designing it and then making it for you.”
He pushes the box into my hands, ducking his head, a blush fanning across his high cheekbones.
I pull apart the bow and tear off the rose gold wrapping paper and then open the velvet jewelry box.
Inside the box is a dainty silver ring, shaped by magic into an intricate tiara. A tiara for a princess.
Tears spring to my eyes. Aside from brownies and a bawdy song, no one’s ever made anything for me before. I carefully take the ring out of the box and turn it over in my hands, my tears now running down my cheeks. “You made this? It’s so beautiful, Luca. How?”
He shrugs, abashed. “Transmogrification is basically just advanced transmutation circles, manipulating materials like metal. So, magic, metal, and a lot of failed attempts before I got it right. May I?”
I give him the ring and then my hand and he slides the ring onto my left ring finger. It’s so like the way betas get engaged that a fresh wave of tears wells in the corners of my eyes.
“My present is so stupid compared to this,” I mutter, admiring the ring and the alpha who made it for me. “I’m tempted to try to distract you by taking my clothes off. Would it work?”
“Princess, we don’t have to hop right back in bed. We can take all the time you want.”
“We already have,” I say, and I mean it. I have no hesitation when it comes to being with Luca again.
“Presents first,” he teases.
I blush and pass him the paper-wrapped package. “I’m warning you. It’s silly.”
He tears the paper away and stares down at the scrapbook I made him. It’s a small album, made of up envelopes and pockets, with room to glue in photos and write about our adventures as we take them, a location from his list topping every spread. He flips through it slowly, looking, for all the world, like I’ve given him a gift as precious as the one he just gave me.
“There are more places than what was on my list.”
“I added a few things on the mainland I thought we could visit. I mean, if you want to. I even got us a pair of ferry tickets and we can use them whenever we want.”
He flips to the little envelope I’ve enclosed the tickets in and smiles a small, musing smile. “This isn’t a silly present at all, Juniper. It’s everything I want, and practically everything I wished for when we caught the meteor shower on New Year’s.”
“I’m what you wished for?”
He frowns. “You sound surprised.”
“I’m just… Me? Really? I’m your wish?”
“You, Juniper. All I want in this life, all I wished for, is to see the world with you. If you were safe and we were checking things off our list… I’d have everything I want.”
I throw myself into his arms. “Saints, I’m so sorry I doubted you.”
“You were right to. Iwaskeeping something from you, and it was… it was eating me alive the whole time. I wanted to tell you, but Cassian, he found the leverage over me he needed to make me fall in line.”
“Me.”
“You. He knew I’d do anything to keep you safe, to make you happy.”
“Are you still spying?”
“I’ve attended a few more meetings.”
