I snake an arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against me, my lips brushing over hers lightly. Her hands slide up my chest, gripping the back of my neck, pulling lightly as she presses her lips more firmly against mine.
Then Cornelius interrupts, “Get a damn room.”
“Yeah,” Jacob adds. “We don’t need to see this.”
A frustrated laugh falls between us, and we draw apart, though it’s obvious neither of us wants to. She releases me, andafter a final squeeze, I allow her to step back, taking her hand in mine because I’m not ready to let her go completely.
Intertwining our fingers, she turns a glare back at Cornelius, but I see the corners of her mouth twitching. “Well, if you insist.”
She starts walking, and I fall into step beside her, leaning in slightly as I whisper, “So you’re saying we have the possibility of almost a full twenty-four hours of alone time?”
She smiles coyly, waggling her brows. “I am.”
The familiar heat in my chest ignites. “Wanna go scorch some earth with me?”
She stops in her tracks, drops my hand, and turns sharply back to Cornelius and Jacob. “I almost forgot.” She raises her hands in front of her, tapping the gold bracelets lightly before adding, “For the sickness.”
Both men freeze, wide-eyed as a gold flash zips toward them, hitting them both directly in the forehead. There’s that moment where time stops, silence echoes, and then, it all moves at once.
Cornelius and Jacob look at each other in confusion, but then Cornelius laughs almost gleefully as her words sink in. “Have I mentioned how much I love you, Vivian Jones?”
She rolls her eyes and snorts, then waves a hand dismissively before intertwining our fingers again and walking away.
I follow her, unsure of where we’re going, but after a while, she stops and turns to face me. I eye her suspiciously. “Where are we going?”
Silently, she grips my shirt in one hand, yanking me down as she drops to her knees. I go willingly, watching as she uses her other hand to free her sword, twirling it skillfully at her side so its tip is down.
She smiles up at me, a hand now gripping the back of my neck, her sword hand lifting sharply before falling, driving the tip into the ground as she whispers, “home.”
FORTY
WHERE THE CLIFF ENDS
Zion
It has beenan interesting few months.
Interesting more in the sense of taking some much-needed R&R, and less in the sense of taking care of any devil business.
It was with some trial and error that we figured out how to have sex without it becoming a natural disaster. Not that it won’t still happen on occasion, but learning how to control our bond is slowly making it all the stronger.
One might think that being fated mates eliminates all the other problems that couples may have. I, too, thought this may be the case; however, it didn’t take me long to realize the error of my assumption.
Because having an intense bond that’s been written in the universe doesn’t eliminate the possibility of miscommunication and scratched egos. It also makes the whole absence makes the heart grow stronger a bit more strenuous. While we’ll likely be able to stretch our time apart little by little, most often there ends up being a point where I have to go out in search of her.Sometimes she pretends to be annoyed, but I can tell that the time away also puts a strain on her.
A few times, I’ve found her checking up on Gemma. She told me that she tends to, typically from the shadows, as she works to knock loose the last threads of that familiar bond. I don’t pretend to understand.
My true sense of family didn’t begin until I was an adult—a found family of my own making, a love built and maintained on survival. Not even the hard truth is enough to sever a tie that had been reinforced over decades, whether genuine or through manipulation.
I know part of it is her reminding herself reality and the truth often don’t match. That two things can be similar but also different, and just because you’re told the same thing over and over doesn’t make it truth.
I can tell that she’s there now. The slight moroseness in my chest indicates that she’s facing a situation that causes her unease, and the most obvious one is Gemma.
With a sigh, I finish mucking Seamus’ stall. With a few pets and last-minute checks, I exit the stable and then slowly make my way up through the woods to our clearing. It's not required that I come here to access the other realm. But in some scenarios, it brings me comfort and also works as some sort of doorbell, so I’m not taking her off guard.
I drop down without fanfare, and luckily also without pain.
She had every opportunity to change her location before I arrived, but still, I meet her in the shadows of Gemma’s cell. Leaning back against the wall, I wait patiently for her to acknowledge me. After a time, she does turn, and though her gaze is slightly sad, her eyes are still full of warmth.
