“That’s all right. We’ve got time.”
Callum tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, crimson eyes burning with an intensity I feel squarely in the center of my chest.
“Yes, my star. We do.”
“Good.” I lean in, nuzzling against him. A strong, steady purr kicks up behind his breastbone. “So let’s enjoy it. Maybe in a few decades we can even think about settling down, but until then…”
A hand at my nape, strong fingers squeezing, anchoring me to him.
“Until then?”
A laugh, light and free and wild, more sparkling than anything in any of the thirteen realms. “Until then, we can do whatever the hell we want.”
The idea is heady, wonderful, like the first deep breath after being underwater.
“Where would you like to go tonight?”
I think for a moment. “Your place. And this time we can share the bed.”
He grins and picks me up, my legs wrap around his waist, and something hard in his pocket presses against my inner thigh.
I shift against him. “Still just happy to see me, or…”
Callum huffs a soft laugh. “I was wondering if you were going to notice that.”
“Notice what? What is it?”
“You don’t remember? You’ve sought it once before.”
Puzzled, I give my seeking instinct a tug, and—
“Oh.” It comes out in a soft, tight-throated gasp. “Why’d you bring it here?”
“Why do you think, star?”
He sets me back on my feet and reaches his hand into his pocket. When he draws it back out, he’s holding a familiar ring box, one I’ve seen before, back in his apartment.
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
Goddess, it’s too fast for that, isn’t it? I’ve known this demon for all of a month and…
Callum chuckles again. “If you want.”
“IfIwant?”
His tail wraps around my waist and pulls me in.
“Yes, if you want. I said it before and I still mean it now. I’ll follow you to any corner of any realm. I’ll be anything you want. Your lover. Your husband. Your mate. Say the word and that’s who I’ll be.”
Callum pulls out the ring, and even in the dim of the forest it still shines.
“I just want you to be mine.”
“Then that’s who I am, star. Always.”
The ring slides onto my finger like it was made for me. Heavy and solid, a promise I trust him to keep for the rest of our forever.
Epilogue
