“I think he bonded emotionally with you because I imprinted on you.”
My head snapped up. “Youimprintedon me?”
His jaw flexed. “Hanna, I just confessed I love you. I’m fairly certain that you can agree that’s even stronger than imprinting.”
Ribbon croaked approvingly, his chin now resting possessively on top of my head. I laughed—helpless and breathless—my face still smushed into Savla’s chest. His heartbeat thundered under my cheek, warm and steady.
He sighed again—softly this time—and slipped his free arm around my waist, his hand settling against the small of my back.
“You’re comfortable,” he murmured. “Even under our toad.”
“High praise,” I teased.
He dipped his head until his lips brushed my hairline. “The highest.”
My heart melted through my bones.Ribbon croaked in triumph, settled more heavily on us, then immediately fell asleep.
Savla whispered dryly, “We’re never getting up from this couch.”
I smiled into his shirt. “Then I guess we’re cuddling forever.”
His breath hitched—just slightly—and then his hand slid up my back, fingers tracing lazy circles that made heat coil low in my stomach.
“Hanna,” he said softly, voice scraping warm along my skin.
“Yes?”
“If this is forever…” He nudged his forehead to mine, breath mingling with mine. “…I’m okay with that.”
Ribbon snored loudly, and somehow that made the moment even sweeter.
Chapter 37
Hanna
After a solid ten minutes of being crushed under a toad that weighed roughly the same as a small boulder, Ribbon finally rolled himself off the couch with a wet thwump and hopped toward the workbench, where he immediately started sniffing the chisels like he planned to eat them.
Savla groaned.“No. Absolutely not.”
Ribbon opened his mouth wide enough to fit a whole hammer.
“Ribbon!” I yelped, scrambling upright. “Sweetheart, those aren’t snacks!”
He paused, tongue half-lolling out, offended by the suggestion that anything he wanted wasn’t, in fact, edible.
Savla scrubbed a hand over his face “This is why he’s not allowed in here.”
“He followed us,” I said, trying not to laugh as Ribbon nudged a bottle of wood polish with his nose. “He’s protective.”
“He’s nosy,” he countered.
“Yes,” I agreed. “And protective.”
Ribbon croaked triumphantly and knocked over the polish bottle for emphasis. Savla lunged just in time to catch it and I snorted out a laugh.
He gave me a look that should have been terrifying, but only made my stomach flip.“Do you still want me to teach you how to carve?”
I sat up straight from where I was sitting. “Yes,” I gasped enthusiastically—probablytooenthusiastically.
