He tilted his head to the side. “We have been well provided for.”
I glanced around, just now taking in the whole of the space. We were near the edge of a clearing about twice the size of the bathing chamber. Flowering trees and shrubs spilled unhindered from all sides, forming a natural barrier. To one side stood a table, laden with platters of food and ornate silver pitchers. Near the back, smooth stones bordered a large pool of water. Opposite the table, a sleeping pallet rested atop a frame of roses.
Hazy sunlight filtered through the vegetation as though near twilight. It looked mystical and dreamy, and if faeries ever existed, this was where they would live.
“We could stay here indefinitely,” I breathed.
A slow grin spread over his mouth. “That is my intention.” He tucked his nose into my hair and inhaled deeply. “Are you hungry?”
I leaned into him, encouraged by the gentle press of his hand on the small of my back. Sparks glimmered to life in my core, and any thoughts of food were soon forgotten. “Not so much.”
“Good.” Henry skimmed his hands up my bare arms, making me shiver with delight. “When I first saw you on the docks in the Colonies, I had the strangest notion that we were somehow linked together.”
I arched a satisfied brow. “And now you have me for eternity.”
He cupped my face. “Not yet, Selah...not fully.” Love darkened his eyes, and a desire so intense, I could feel it on my skin. “I need all of you...for you to be mine in every way.” His voice dipped lower. “And I vow to give you everything in return.”
Warm blood flooded my heart. Flames licked the inside of my rib cage. We had eternity together, but it was this moment I wanted most of all. “I... I need you too, Henry.”
The next second, my feet left the ground as he cradled me against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips to the thrumming pulse in his neck. “I love you, Henry,” I murmured against his skin. “So much my heart hurts from it.” It ached and pounded, and would cease beating if he ever let me go.
The distance fell away to the sleeping pallet, and he eased me onto its downy softness without breaking the contact between us. “I love you, Selah.” His breath brushed my mouth. “In this world or any other, I will love you forever.” He kissed me, drawing the fire to an inferno just beneath the surface.
Together, we were stronger. Complete.
I tilted away until our lips just touched. “You are my forever.”
Henry deepened the kiss, and the fire leapt through my skin into him. One last thread pulled tight, the final binding as his wildness met me, entwined with my flames in sacred communion.
*
Acknowledgments
This series has been a joy to write, and I am thankful to the many people who helped realize what would have otherwise been an impossible dream. To the family and friends who stayed with me through each and every page; Dale Miller, Dan Edgren, Rebecca Jones, Tom Miller, Tonya Edgren Bindas, Cindy Burt, John Burt and Megan Curtis. Your support has sustained me. To my editor Deborah Nemeth for believing in this series and asking hard things, and my agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan, for keeping me faced in the right direction. To Francesca Miller and Brienne Frank for their encouragement, and the Savvy Seven who rode the roller coaster, hands up and screaming. To Hailey Boren and Allie McKay for keeping the wheels on so I could write. And my deepest gratitude to those who gave the most; Grace, Ethan, Connor, Elsa, Caelen, Vigo and Gedde. You are my greatest joy.