“It’s not midnight yet or you would have to get home.”
“Huh? Why?”
Sam tapped me on the nose. “That’s when the spell breaks.”
I grinned as we crossed to the waterfront park. Being so late, there wasn’t anyone else around. Even in a big city like Boston, the lack of people made it feel secluded. There were still a few cars driving around, naturally, but the nearby playground was still and the sound of the ocean muffled the rest of the city.
My head was spinning with happiness. We’d survived the third date intact. Nothing crazy or dangerous happened. Just a wonderful,normaldate.
And I wished I’d saved the thought for when I got home.
Chapter 15
Sam
Truth be told, I was enjoying the walk in the park more than I did the trolley business. It was fun, I’d admit, but mentally exhausting. There were so many instances where I’d had to pause time or subtly negate Lexi’s powers when her nerves amped them up.
In Copp’s cemetery, her nervous butterflies came back, glowing in shades of orange and gold. The shadows around the Boston Common had come to life. When we’d stopped at the North End and our gravedigger host mentioned the Angel of Death, Lexi’s intrigue blended with her nerves and shadowy wings started to form behind the man. I’d stopped the last two before anyone noticed, but at least two people had seen the butterflies and kept talking about them through the tour.
Granary was by far the worst. As soon as she’d stepped foot in there, her magic had gotten away from her and every spirit and remnant nearby headed straight for us. I’d had to block hers out for a moment with mine, sending out a warning to stay away. Regardless of what had happened in Hell, I was still too powerful for such minor entities to mess with. They stayed away, and I kept my eye out for any activity in the shadows.
Once the tour ended, the relief pouring from her was palpable. The idea of her supposed curse had bothered her, but I hadn’t realized just how bad. From the way she spoke, it’d happened far too many times for mere coincidence and I was dying to know the truth. Was it truly just her magic, or did she have some kind of supernatural stalker who caused it all?
I figured the former after what I’d seen tonight, but it was still strange.
Lexi curled into my side, and as stupid as it sounded, I was happy. This human life was mundane in a way neither Heaven nor Hell ever would be, but she was worth every minute of it. I made up my mind then—the moment I started moving against Abaddon, gathering allies and planning, I would bring her into the fold.
I wanted to keep her.
There was no guarantee she’d stay. She had family to watch out for, a life to live. Keeping her would mean either taking her with me or neglecting my duties to the throne to spend time with her here. It was worth a discussion, if not all in one night.
“So, what are your big plans for the future?”
She huffed a laugh. “Seriously? You want to talk about the future?”
I shrugged, but I was curious to know what I’d be asking her to sacrifice. “That’s what people do after third dates, right?”
“Not that I’d know, but I’ll give you that.” The power she’d had bound so tightly spilled out around her, flooding the area. With it, her muscles relaxed. “Sorry, I couldn’t hold it together anymore.”
“Give it time. Pretty soon, you won’t even need to think about it.” I freed my arm from her grip and wrapped it around her shoulder. “Practice makes perfect.”
She slid her arm around my waist, her heat pushing into me and putting kinky thoughts into my head. “Honestly, I’m not sure I have any plans for my future. I would love to do what you do, though.”
My eyebrows raised. “Run a bakery?”
“No!” she laughed. “The museum you call a house. I’d love to find and preserve history, translate ancient texts no one has ever laid eyes on before, unspool the origins and mysteries of the religions we’ve wandered so far away from.”
I shook my head. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound anything like what I do.”
Her enchanting laughter rang out across the empty space. “But you preserve it, at least. I’m not sure what you intend to do with it, but I would willingly get buried under the mountains of information that place holds.”
“A translator, a theologian, and maybe some archaeology sprinkled in?”
“Something like that, I suppose.”
Which worked well within the parameters of my plan. My house in Boston was only one of several such stashes I had all over the world. If I brought her in, if she stayed with me, she could be happy doing what she already wanted to do, and she wouldn’t even need a fancy Harvard degree to do it.
“Things are about to get serious, aren’t they?” she asked quietly. Her head shot up, eyes wide. “I-I’ve never had a serious relationship before, so I’m sorry if it’s taboo to ask so soon.”
