Zav pouts. “Never. We’re just going through a rough patch. I told him it was an accident that I got the wrong flavored food. It’ll never happen again. I thought he might be bored and want to try something new, but I was wrong.”
I smell Celine enter the hallway, probably in search of her missing mate.
Celine meanders in with an amused smirk, her glossy dark brown strands pulled back in a ponytail. I’ve rarely seen her with her hair down.
“Zav, get back home and stop bothering these two.” She gives my familiar a gentle kiss on the head before depositing him in Ava’s awaiting arms.
Midnight must sense it’s time to go home, because he hops from my shoulders to wander back through the apartment and over to theirs.
“Ugh, fine,” Zav groans, turning toward the door. “Ava and Valen sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Zav singsongs as she quite literally drags him away by the collar.
Shaking my head, I catch Ava’s eye and smile, both because of the chaos of our found family and because of the bond we’ve further solidified. She holds my gaze and gives me a tiny smile in return. I pocket that smile like a treasure, solely mine for the keeping.
CHAPTER 17
AVA
The wind flowsthrough my fingers and teases my hair as Valen coasts down the street. I’m amazed at how quickly he’s picked up driving, but I also wouldn’t expect anything less. He’s like a sponge and wants to soak up as much information as possible. Never one to complain, Valen takes my critiques in stride and corrects himself.
We moved on from the practice field after he aced multiple lessons and progressed from the suburbs to downtown. Driving in Chicago is not for the weak, but he’s a defensive driver and can hold his own. He’s one step closer to riding the horse with wheels he wants so badly. It’s adorable when he says it, and at this point, I don’t want to correct him.
The windshield wipers swipe as droplets of rain start to collect, and I quickly close my window.
“I guess today will be another rainy practice,”I sigh, sick of the gloom.
“Rainy and at night,” Valen counters with two fingers raised. “I haven’t done both together.”
“We’re running out of things for me to teach you,” I giggle at his correction.
A small tug on my braid has me turning to find Valen letting go of the strands with a smile. He’s been doing that a lot more around me—small touches—and it warms my heart that he’s feeling more comfortable with physical contact. He’s still wary around others, so it gives me a sense of satisfaction that he’s different with me. That he feels safe enough to let his guard down.
“I have a feeling I’ll continue to learn from you for the rest of our lives, and I very much look forward to it,” Valen says thoughtfully, and I feel my cheeks warm.
I try not to think about the future, because so many questions come with it when I do. If he’s an immortal vampire who can’t be killed and lives forever, what about me? I don’t know about the life span of witches, and I’ve been too scared to ask.
A car blares its horn behind us, prompting me to whip around and fix the driver with an icy glare.
“If you’re going to ride my ass, at least pull my hair first!” I right myself and cross my arms over my chest. “Idiot,” I can’t help but mumble.
Valen chokes at my comment, and I laugh to myself.
“That mouth of yours.”
Smirking at what I’m about to say, I let him have it. “Want to see what else it can do?”
Sparks glow in Valen’s brown eyes, and the heat in them leaves me wanting more. I won’t push him to do anything until he initiates it, though.
“Oh! Park here really fast. I want to look at their seasonal window display, and this would be a good opportunity to practice parallel parking again.”
Valen parallel parks with an ease that makes me jealous.Ican’t even park that well.
“Isn’t it so beautiful?” I marvel at the creativity of the store. “Maybe I can convince Captain Barnes to let me deck out the precinct this winter. It doesn’t have to be crazy, but in the past, all we’ve had is a sad-looking tree in December. I refuse to let it happen again this year.”
Valen tilts his head in question. “Will you decorate our apartment too?”
Ourapartment, he says like it’s no big deal.
He looks inquisitively at the display, and I realize he probably hasn’t experienced a proper winter holiday. Do they celebrate human holidays where he’s from? I highly doubt it. It’s then that I make a decision.
