His thumb brushed my hip and my magick sparked around us. I gasped, and he flinched.
“We have to be careful,” he whispered, almost pained. “The bond is too new—it reacts to everything.”
The elevator dinged open, but he didn’t set me down. He walked straight into his apartment—past the darkened living space, past the half-carved statues that cluttered the area—and into his bedroom.
He placed me on the bed like I was breakable. I wasn’t, but the way he did it made me melt.He straightened but didn’t step back far. His broad frame filled the room, shoulders tight with something trembling between restraint and wanting. I reached for him and his breath shuddered.
“Hanna,” he said softly, “I’ve never—nothing has ever felt like this. The bond… it’s so loud.”
I slid my palm up his arm and along with my green magick, the bond was flaring now, golden, flickering around us.
“What does it feel like to you?” I whispered.
He hesitated, then sat beside me slowly, bracing his elbows on his knees. His hands hung between them, shaking faintly.
“Like I’ve been half-dead for years,” he murmured. “And suddenly, someone turned the world back on.”
My breath caught at his words and he lifted his gaze to meet mine—bare, vulnerable and raw.
“And being near you makes it quiet. You feel like my safe space.”
My heart twisted in my chest, aching for him.
“Come here,” I whispered.
He didn’t move for a moment—as if afraid he’d break me or himself—but eventually he slid closer, slow as sunrise, leaning back on the pillows until he was stretched beside me. I curled myself into him.
Magick flared between us—gentle, green and golden perfectly mixed, slow waves pulsing like shared breath and he let out a soft, broken sound.
“You’re warm,” he whispered into my hair. “And your magick… it wraps around me like a caress.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
He nodded against me. “From the time I lost my parents, nowhere ever felt safe again... But with you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of my head, “It’s as if I’m finally home.”
I rested my head on his chest. His arm came around my waist, strong, protective and trembling slightly as if he was still afraid this wasn’t real. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and everything inside me melted.
We lay like that for a long time, wrapped in blankets and each other and the soft thrum of the bond. Savla’s fingers traced lazy circles on my back. My fingers played with a hair on his arm, my magick making it flicker from side to side.
“We’rereallybonded,” I whispered.
His breath caught and his hand slid up to cradle the side of my face, thumb brushing my cheek with devastating tenderness.
“I’m yours,” he whispered, voice shaking. “Completely.”
My heart burst open and I lifted my face and kissed him. Soft, slow with magick humming under my skin. He kissed me back like he’d waited a lifetime and didn’t quite believe he finally got to. It always felt like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to touch me. When we parted, our foreheads touched again.
“Are you sore?” he asked me, running his hand down my side.
I felt my face flame and I hesitated. I could tell the truth, or I could lie and then possibly get caught. Sighing, I gave a slight nod.
“A little,” I murmured, running my cheek against his chest.
“Okay,” he whispered, pressing his lips against mine. “Can you sleep with me?” he whispered. “Just sleep. I want… I want you here when I dream.”
My chest tightened. “Yes,” I murmured, disappointment filling me, even though I knew I needed another night of recovery time. We curled together under the blankets, the bond warm and steady—no longer searching or strained or uncertain.
Just right.
