I threw my arms around him. “Yes.” I hugged him tightly to me, breathing in his tonka scent fused with the leather of his cloak. “Yes to all of it. Our work partnership. Moving into this incredible house together. Everything.”
He chuckled and tightened his hold around me. “Wondrous.”
We stayed that way for a while, basking in it, before he eased back to ask me, “Would you like to see our bedroom now?”
“Of course.”
I wanted to see everywhere. Every room. Every inch of this marvelous home he’d created all for us.
For the next stage of our life together.
Our forever life together.
He took my hand and led me upstairs.
A surprised cry escaped me as we reached the landing and I caught sight of images lining the walls, each held in golden frames the precise shade of my magic. The images themselves were spell-formed portraits of significant moments in our relationship.
Twenty years ago—Sylas taking me to the dark sands beach near the cove where one of Ambrose’s black magic protective zones was. We’d had our first interaction—since the Chimera Circle nastiness of course.
Eighteen years ago—Ambrose coming to Haven Initiative to ask for my expertise on a magical problem. He could have asked Cassius or Ariana, but he’d specifically come to me. It had marked the beginning of the friendship stage of our relationship.
Ten years ago—me taking him to Meforian Forest. We’d had a picnic there at the site of a big part of my heritage on my Celestial side. He’d told me to embrace all that I was. I’d then confessed every single part of my Polygenus Entity makeup, something nobody else actually knew about, because I’d keptsome things quiet. Ambrose had shown no fear and he’d actually even helped me to explore which aspects of which species were a part of me, which abilities and powers I had and didn’t have.
Five years ago—enjoying our first date at Wistering Waterfalls, which had included another picnic. I really loved those. And so did he. He needed the quiet, while I liked the simple and pure nature of it. I’d found out that the landmark had actually been named after him, just with a slight variation of his last name. It had been a tribute to him from centuries back when he’d rooted out a nasty sect of corrupted black magic users there and saved the whole village that had existed there at the time, including the four hundred people who’d lived there. That fact hadn’t been in my research about the venue because Ambrose didn’t like notoriety, but when I’d mentioned the similarity to his name, he’d told me the story.
“I take it you approve?” he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes at the awed expression I knew I had all over my face.
“I love it so very much. It’s incredible,” I said, kissing our joined hands.
“Come, treasure. There is more to show you.”
We veered to the left and he brought us to a stop before a pair of black-wood arched doors with golden knobs.
He slid his hand from mine, then pushed them open with a dramatic flourish, and beckoned me on inside.
I crossed the threshold, but pulled up short just a few steps in at the marvelous sight.
“Remarkable,” I breathed.
It was more like a suite than just a room, with tall ceilings and windows dressed in black velvet drapery that fell in elegant lines.
Bedside sconces shaped like stars cast a soft glow over everything.
The rich scent of tonka, amber, and smoked vanilla coming from the many candles positioned around the room filled my senses. He knew how much I loved them.
Black diamond accents were inset into dark wood, the metalwork of the sconces, even along the seam of a long dresser sitting against the far wall that was a sleek matte black. A shallow glass tray sat upon it with little trinkets and fidget toys I liked to tinker with, many of which I had just like it in my room atGlacialis Arx.
There were so many plants, all different species, lining the entirety of one wall.
Adjacent to that was a lovely seating area with a white plush sofa and two armchairs beside a bookshelf full of research volumes, some of my favorite books about locales throughout the supernatural world.
My breath caught when I saw two grimoires of his hovering in the center behind a veil of his magic. He always kept his spellwork closely guarded, so to do this now, to put that on display in a shared space for me, for us, it was a profound thing. And he knew how much I loved magical knowledge and research projects.
There was a mammoth sleigh bed with a dark frame and the headboard carved with lovely flowers, the sheets a deep gray and soft ivory.
I spun to him. “My gorgeous, this is unbelievable. I can’t quite convey what this means to me—the thoughtfulness, the effort, the care… thank you.”
“It was my true pleasure.”
