“Wondering what?”
“Maybe I should try kissing you again.”
“I have no complaints,” I say, smiling.
Hyacinth smiles, too, and her eyes light up with a violet glow, reminding me of the vivid hues in a sunset just after the sun has slipped over the horizon.
She’s so beautiful. But when she’s happy, she’s utterly breathtaking.
Hyacinth gets up on her tiptoes, her hands on my shoulders. She kisses me gently, her lips feather light at first, then gently kneading against mine. I reach for her, holding her waist as she pulls herself closer to me. The kiss deepens, and I fall into the moment, my arms tightening around her as she opens up to me.
“Okay,” she breaths, pulling back and shoving my shoulders. “This is a science experiment, remember—you need to tell me how you feel.”
“I feel great,” I reply, fighting my arms around her waist. “Never better.”
“Is that related to your condition with the curse or…”
“Well,” I laugh. “I might be distracted now because I’m horny as fuck.”
“Exactly my point,” she says, stepping back. “How do you actually feel?”
The moment she steps away from me, I feel it again. The pain in my joints, the weakness of my muscles.
“No, I’m still not right,” I admit. “I can feel the sickness in me. I feel a lot better than before, but not healed.”
“That means the others will still be sick,” she says softly.
I nod. “For the others, the pack didn’t start to get better until another ritual was done—something on top of the marriage bond.”
“Like what?” she asks, looking shocked. “No one told me about this. I’m really supposed to pull off some magic spell?”
“No, not like that,” I reply, frowning. “I don’t know. It’s not like I was there; I only heard about it. But yes, there was something else the girls did to cure the pack.”
Hyacinth shakes her head. “I was told that we have sex and everything gets fixed.”
“Well, no…” I say. “Physical connection was important for the girls to awaken their powers. The rest didn’t come until later.”
Hyacinth crosses her arms across her chest, looking stressed. “I really thought we made something happen,” she says softly.
“We did,” I reply, gently cupping her cheek. “Something powerful just happened between us. Let’s focus on that.”
She raises her hand, covering mine as she leans into my touch. Her violet eyes widen as she looks up at me, the depths of them as dark and bottomless as the infinite abyss.
“Yes, we shared something,” she says. “It was amazing.”
I keep looking at her, and I know she’s examining my gaze, just as I’m falling into hers. I don’t look away; I just let her in, exposing myself in a way I never have before.
I’ve never felt so close to anyone—ever. Come in, Hyacinth, come all the way in. I don’t ever want to let you go.
“Are you okay?” I ask, stroking her cheek with my thumb. “It got pretty wild.”
“Yes, it did,” she chuckles. “I didn’t mind, though.”
“Oh. So… you like that?”
She frowns. “I’m not sure what you mean. That was… intense. I enjoyed myself. I’m not sure what you’re asking.”
Even though I want to go into more detail, I have a horrible, instinctual fear rising in me.
