“Deal,” Mercedes said in exasperation. She took the vacuum into the guest room, plugged it in and started cleaning up the mess, which didn’t take long. Magnus got the pillowcase onto the newest pillow and set it on the bed.
“There,” he said. “Good as new.”
“Just don’t let me touch it.”
“Are you worried about something?” Magnus asked.
“Why?” Her spine straightened. “Should I be?”
“There’s smoke coming out of your ears.”
Mercedes touched the side of her head. “I was told the explosions were a form of protection for me, and they do seem to manifest when I feel strongly about something or someone.”
Like, the fact she hadn’t told him she was supposed to be the vessel for the spirit of the very woman he hated, and that her family still might come for her and try to make that happen, and that’s why her explosions were her safety net.
“Someone?” A note of hopefulness lived.in that single, huskily spoken word. “Would that someone be me? We never did talk about the other night.”
“We haven’t had time.” She smiled and blushed. She was pleased he seemed to be thinking of her. One less thing to worry about. “I have been thinking about it a lot.”
She’d been dreaming about it all, if she was honest, especially his magic tongue.
That night had been amazing and she wanted more, but would he still love her when he found out about her secret?
“You’re smoking again,” Magnus said gently. He placed his hands on her arms. “What is going on with you?”
“I want to make sure everything is perfect. I mean, you’re not limited because the curse has been broken and…things are exploding and…” Only she couldn’t form the words to say that she was in love with him, or who and what she really was, and that she wanted to be with him.
Long term.
She didn’t want who she was originally born to be, be the thing which drove him away.
Magnus tipped her chin so she looked up at him. “Everything is going to be okay. I swear. We’re going to get through these next few days.”
Mercedes sighed and laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was comforting to hear. She wrapped her arms around him, snuggling in close. “I know.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“I’ve exploded two pillows; I’m trying to remain optimistic,” she muttered.
Sven’s head popped up from the floorboards. “Hey, you two. The guests just pulled up.”
“The room is ready,” Mercedes said, stepping out of Magnus’ arms.
“Then come downstairs,” Sven stated, before disappearing back through the floor.
Magnus sighed. “He seems on edge.”
“I think we’ve established we all are.”
Magnus stroked her cheek. “You okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Are you?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “This is something Sven and I used to dream about while we were huddled in our damp cave, hiding from the rest of the world, before the great revelation.”
“You dreamt about a dead-and-breakfast?” she teased.
He laughed softly. “Well, no, but we wanted to be out and not hiding. We wanted a place to call home and we made that happen.”
