He chuckles as his hands shift over the steering wheel. “How’d I end up with such a perfect mate?”
I smile, because I was thinking the exact same thing. “Prison. Apparently, all the awesome people are in prison,” I say with a playful shrug. “I met this hot prison guard in there, and it worked out for me.”
He snorts. “How convenient for you.”
“Yep. Now let’s go play convicts and captors. Naked,” I say, wagging my brows.
“Youneed a bath and a healer,” he counters.
“Ugh, Rook, don’t get stingy on me now,” I whine.
He gives me thealpha eyesthat radiatewhat I say goes.
“Fine,” I relent. “I’ll take a bath...but you have to take it with me.”
“Done,” he agrees. So easy.
“Ooh, we can totally play hide the submarine,” I announce with a clap. When he doesn’t reply, I spell it out for him, thinking maybe he doesn’t know this game. “You know, hide the submarine? The submarine would be your dick. And it would be hiding in my pus—”
“I got it,” he drawls with a smirk before reaching over to lace his fingers with mine. In a tender move, he brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. “I love you, Sunrise.”
“Love you, Glow Worm,” I chirp back, a smile overtaking my face.
Who knew prison would be the best thing to ever happen to me? Me, actually. I totally called it.
Best idea ever.
Epilogue
Three months later
I’m dead asleep, drooling into a silk pillow and living my best life when a rooster crows loudly enough to make me jolt awake. I sit up so fast my head spins. Disheveled and out of it, I swipe my hair away from my face just as anothercock-a-doodle-fuckin-doosounds out.
With a squeal, I slam my hands over my ears and glare over at the wide-open doors. The whole damn wall is made up of accordion-style sliding doors that lead to a massive balcony. A balcony where my mate and fearless lounge leader is currently perched, making that god-awful sound in all his cockatrice glory.
I glare at him. I’m not even distracted by his super pretty green and blue comb on the top of his head or the matching feathers at the end of his long tail right now. It’s too early for this shit.
“You asshole, the sun isn’t even up yet!” I tell him crankily.
In response, his head wobbles at me. I scoff. “Don’t try to be cute. You woke me up.”
He lengthens his neck and lets out another ear-splitting crowing noise. I lift a pillow and chuck it at him, proud when it smacks him right in his face. He looks down at the silk fluff and then steps right over it, heading inside.
Eyes wide, I scramble off the bed and try to rush toward him, shaking my head with my hands out. “Oh no you don’t. We’ve talked about this. No coming into the bedroom in your cockatrice form!” I tell him.
He stops in front of me, but he’s already crossed the barrier. He has to duck down so he doesn’t hit the ceiling and tuck his wings in since his beast is so massive. The once giant room now seems way too small with him in it.
“Out,” I say sternly, pointing toward the door. His cockatrice gives a sad little trill, but I hold firm. “Your claws are wrecking the hardwood, and your feathers are—wait,” I stop, my eyes narrowing. “Do you have something in your mouth?”
His head bobs excitedly, and then he leans over, tipping his beak open. Huge rocks come spilling from his mouth and slam onto the floor with loud cracks, as pieces of sand fall down with them in a dusty rainfall. I have to jump back before any of the big rocks land on me and crush my toes.
Now the hardwood is definitely wrecked by the damnbouldersthat he just dropped at my feet like an offering. But honestly, these rocks are dope.
I gasp when I spot one in particular. “Oh my God, is that a basanite?” I ask, leaning down to snatch it up.
Itryto snatch it up. It’s really fucking heavy and big, so I have to settle for wrapping my adoring arms around it and giving it an appreciative hug. “Pretty,” I purr as I stroke the rock. My cockatrice is so flattered right now.
I stare at the boulders dreamily for another second and then look back up at Rook. “That’s super sweet, but seriously, no cockatrices in the house. You know the rules. Either shift or get out,” I remind him, my arm extended and my finger pointed out toward the balcony. “And take your rocks—”
