Confused, I shake my head and try to pull her to me. I’m almost convinced she’s hallucinating until she places a hand on my chest, pushing me away.
“You promised you wouldn’t do that again, and after last night…” She says, her words trailing off in embarrassment as she looks to the fireplace.
Tilting my head, trying to catch her eye, I say, “I wasn’t abandoning you, Little Wisp.” She crosses her arms and refuses to look at me. The pink painting her cheeks is proof of her discomfort at her own outburst.
I cup her jaw and turn her face to look at me. “I went to open the library. I’m always the first one in on Saturdays.”
“You left,” she says again. Her voice is smaller, more raw and vulnerable.
“I did,” I agree and slide her body closer to mine. “But I didn’tabandonyou. There’s a difference.”
She bites her lip as a tear slides down. “It felt like you might.”
I let out a dry laugh and wipe under her eye. “I would be a stupid man to leave you.”
“Or maybe a smarter one,” she whispers. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me, waiting for the blow that isn’t going to come.
“Intelligence has nothing to do with our fate,” I remind her. “ For the first time in my life, I have something to truly live for—no matter how long that may be.”
Silent tears fall down her cheeks and she wraps her arms around my chest, holding me close until her anxiety begins to fade. She begins to pull away, but I stop her.
“I’ll wake you up next time,” I promise her. “ If I’m going to be home late, I’llca—”
She chuckles when I cut myself off. “Yeah, it’s pretty old-school around here. Did you know they were still using dial-up until it was officially canceled?”
Leaning back on the bed frame, I keep her close and laugh. “No, I didn’t. I can send Whisper next time I stay late.”
Nodding, she lays her head on my chest and watches the fireplace. “That would be good,” she agrees. “We probably should get landlines orsomethinghere at some point.”
I want to tell her that we will make sure the Dreaming Willow Inn is everything the coven hopes for it to be, but I might not be a part of it in a few weeks.
Theywill make it happen.
From the way Renata’s body begins to lock up again, she’s realizing the same thing.
“Hey,” I murmur against her neck and place a kiss there. “Let’s take a shower and finish my dinner.”
It takes her a few moments, but she slowly stands, leading us to the connected bathroom. Neither of us push the physical boundaries while we shower, reveling in the simple intimacy of the moment. When we crawl into bed, we spend the next few hours lost in each other again. We share our bodies and explore each other in more ways than just sexual, and I silently curse the fates for their cruelty.
Chapter 40
Renata
It’s late, well past dinnertime, and Archer still isn’t back.
A week has passed since we first had sex, and this is unusual for him. Whisper came to the inn earlier as promised, but left soon after to go back to the library with his Bonded. I’m worried about Archer and for once, it’s not for his physical safety, buthismental state.
Archer has been honest about the research he’s doing at the library, skimming through any text that speaks to his magic. He hasn’t been there this late in the past few days, but he always lingers an hour or so after his shift.
The restlessness still grows in his lingering absence.
Not able to sit for another moment, I get out of my chair and grab my cardigan. Slipping it on and peeking into the empty hallway, I do my best to avoid the loose wood and sneak down the stairs. Stopping briefly in the kitchen I grab a leftover tart from dinner and mindlessly make my way to the conservatory.
Before the glass cracked and the furniture rotted from humidity, it was a gorgeous room. The appeal is still here though—the white and teal checkered floor, the chandelier with small pieces of rose quartz raining down, and carcasses of plants that fill every open space of the room. It’sbecome one of my favorite places to come to, and the one I’m the most excited to see in all its former glory.
If I ever have the chance.
Twirling in a slow circle, I tilt my head back and soak in the energy from the full moon through the glass ceiling. Coming to a stop, I take a deep, cleansing breath, and open my eyes.
