“Oh, hello little friend. Were you looking for me?” I asked the floating burning orb.
It bobbed in response and I followed it, playing our usual game all the way to the balcony.
The balcony doors opened on their own as I approached. Dusk had painted the sky in the warmest shades of pink and copper. Titus stood casually with his back turned and hands in his pockets, presumably admiring the sunset, until he turned to the sound of the opening doors.
He looked…wow. He was beautiful.
He was in a black suit tailored to perfection that made his already intimidating frame seem more powerful. His luscious silken waves were brushed back with a couple rogue strands that graced his brow. He was clean-shaven and I swore I could smell his scent from over ten feet away.
The warm glow of the retiring sun illuminated his golden shimmer in his tan skin. I was quite sure my ovaries had started screaming for him. As handsome as he was, nothing was better than the look he gave me. It was hungry and intense, like he was drinking me in with his eyes. I felt like I could sense his heart rate increase and then I knew—we were feeling the exact same thing.
“Delilah, wow, you look, incredible,” he said like he was almost out of breath.
“I know how much you like me in red,” I replied a little shyly.
He closed the space between us, placed his hands on my hips, and pulled me in close. I could feel his body heat through the thick fabric of his suit. He traced his thumb down my lips.
“Is it crazy that I missed you already?” he asked softly. “No,” I said simply, breathing heavy. My body reacted to his touch; just being in his proximity and him not touching me drove me to the edge of madness.
“Are you still upset with me? Because I would really like to kiss you, Pickles,” he whispered.
My body felt like pudding in his hands. All that existed right now was him and me, as if the sun and moon decided to orbit us instead. I wanted him so bad it hurt.
“Kiss me and find out, Lord of Flame,” I said, and then his lips crashed onto mine. Time felt like it stopped. The memories of all our time together as Danny and Delilah, as Titus and Delilah 2.0—they all collided and I relived every emotion, every laugh, every embrace, every kindness all in the span of one kiss. I held him tight for fear of losing him again. There was no denying it, I was in love with Titus.
“You can’t kiss me like that if you want me to behave,” he said wickedly, but then he cleared his throat and quickly composed himself. He took my hand.
“Come, I have something to show you,” he said eagerly.
We turned the corner and on the edge of the balcony were five dozen or so uninstalled firefly lights that glowed with the trapped insects inside.
“Iassumed you would like to have the honor of freeing them, since they owe their freedom to you,” he said warmly and the smile on his face told me he took joy in making me happy.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
“Thank you for this,” I said as my heart raced in excitement. This whole time I had hated how these small creatures were held prisoner. I picked up the first glass orb—it was the size of a beach ball—I unscrewed the top and hundreds of fireflies filled the dark sky around us. Then I opened another and another, until I gave Titus a nod. He read my expression perfectly and used his magic to open the remaining forty-some lights at once. Thousands of fireflies danced around us and began to swirl around me, as if to thank me. Then they flew in a tight circle, pushing the High Lord and myself closer together. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close before suddenly dipping me back and kissing me deeply while thousands of fireflies wrapped us in a cylinder of twinkling light. He kissed me like he was starving, like he’d been carrying regret in his chest and didn’t know how else to set it down. The heat of it felt like a quiet promise pressed into my mouth—I’ll do better.After a few moments, the fireflies flew off, creating a river of light that crossed the moon’s glow until they could no longer be seen.
Still dipped back in his arms, my eyes fluttered open slowly. “You better not kiss me like that, or I’ll fall in love with you,” I whispered, mesmerized by the golden specks in his eyes.
He gently helped me to my feet and softly traced my cheek with his knuckle.
He chuckled menacingly. “That was the plan, princess.”
A fire sprite approached and announced, “Your table is ready, My Lord,” in a polite manner.
Titus took my hand and then respectfully linked his arm with mine in a refined and courteous gesture. Who was this male? I had never seen this respectful, romantic side of the High Lord—but I wasn’tgoing to question it. I was just going to soak in as much of this magical night as possible for fear it would be short lived.
“Come, Lady of Flame. Our table awaits,” he said in his deep charming voice.
I felt like I was dreaming. Was this really happening? Had he just called me Lady of Flame? Did I have a title now because he had marked me? God, he was devastating and so very sweet and regal. I just kept waiting for this to all be a prank or something.
He escorted me to the far side of the balcony where a table for two, bathed in candlelight, awaited us. Hundreds of candles framed the table and flowed into a centerpiece. He pulled out my chair and I took a seat. The fire sprites removed the gold dome lids from our plates, and the smells of the meal had my mouth watering in seconds. Steak, shrimp, roasted veggies, some kind of mashed potatoes, and garlic bread—I could not wait to dig in. I grabbed my fork when I saw Titus, fist over heart, praying. I placed my hands in my lap and bowed my head until he finished.
“Do you pray to Eloria before meals?” I asked curiously. “Yes, and the Guardians, to give thanks for the power we have and the power we receive in all forms—even nourishment,” he said plainly.
I nodded as I cut into a piece of asparagus, noting the eerie similarity between his words and what Gleeda had stated earlier.
“How is your mate mark healing?” he asked.
