“I won’t,” I vowed, and it was an easy promise to make.
He picked me up and my legs wound around his waist. He carried me the short distance to the bed and laid me down on it. He kissed a leisurely trail between my breasts, which heaved against the confines of my strapless bra, and down to my stomach. His hot breath hovered above my panties and I whimpered.
He smirked slightly and bit his lip, drawing his lip ring into his mouth before letting it go.
“You can touch me,” I murmured, encouraging him to not hold back. “I’m yours.”
He growled and kissed me again. The kiss was rough, possessive, as he took hold of what he wanted.
Me.
I loved feeling him come unhinged and lose his mind. Even in his asshole moments, he was always very much in control, but now he was reckless and wild, a cannon on the loose.
My fingers found his belt and this time he didn’t stop me. I undid it and he stepped back to take his pants off completely. I barely had a moment to catch my breath before his large body was looming over me again. He enveloped me like a shadow.
The rest of our clothes disappeared and he peppered my skin with kisses. I sunk my fingers in his hair, my body wiggling. I felt like I was going to combust from all the feelings coursing through my veins. He was killing me, but oh what a way to go.
He pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you,” he murmured, and I jolted as he slid inside me.
“Oh, my God,” I breathed.
There was pain, sure, but more than that I felt whole. Like two puzzle pieces had finally clicked into place and now I could see the whole picture.
My fingers raked across his back as he moved his hips. He made love to me slowly, beautifully, playing my body like a musical instrument. He kissed me and breathed those three incredible words again—words I never believed he’d speak so openly to me.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I nearly cried the words.
I didn’t understand how something that was supposedly wrong, us being together, could feel so incredibly right.
It felt like a lie, to keep us apart so we would never experience bliss like this.
In a new world, where I was learning magic, and to fight, and that my real dad was an evil monster, and innocent enchanters were slaughtered, this was ours.
This moment belonged to us and no one else.
Chapter 27
I RESTED MY HEAD ON Theo’s chest, our legs tangled together and twisted in the sheets. I felt whole in a way I hadn’t felt in months. He smoothed his fingers through my hair. I was sure it was a mess now but I couldn’t bring myself to care. This moment was too perfect.
I glanced at the clock and smiled.
“Happy birthday, Theo,” I murmured and kissed his cheek.
He smiled back. “Best birthday I’ve ever had.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips and my heart skipped a beat.
I kept waiting for this moment to disappear, to slip away like a dream. I had to keep reminding myself it was real.
“Do you think anyone’s noticed we’re gone?”
“Adelaide, probably.” He twisted my hair around his finger and the firefly in the necklace buzzed. I always felt like it got more excited when Theo was near me, as if it sensed his presence.
He brushed his lips against the top of my head. “We should sleep.”
“I can’t,” I admitted.
I was far too keyed up to think about sleep anytime soon.
His chest rumbled with a chuckle. “Me either.”
“Can we stay here forever?” I whispered. “Never leave this room?”
I was scared once we left, the spell would be broken and we’d act like this never happened. I wasn’t sure my heart could bear that. I was only so strong.
“I wish,” he murmured. “But morning always comes.”
“Will morning change this?” I asked hesitantly.
“No,” he vowed. “It won’t.”
I felt a little better at that.
Theo stiffened against me. “Did you hear that?”
“What? No.”
He sat up, so I was forced to as well. I clutched the sheet to my chest, silent as he listened.
“Get dressed,” he demanded. “Now.”
He was out of the bed in one breath and started pulling on fighting clothes. A pair of pants that boasted loops for weapons, a tight long-sleeved black shirt that I knew was made of something meant to resist tearing, and finally, he strapped his sword across his shoulders in some kind of carrier.
I did the same, pulling on a similar pair of pants and shirt. I pulled my hair back as Theo pulled something out from under my bed.
It was a long wooden container, almost the size of a coffin but flat. He popped the hinged lid and I gasped at all the swords and weapons.
“Theo, what’s going on?”
“They’re here,” he hissed.
“Here?” I asked.
“They’re on the grounds. They’ll be in the manor any minute.”
“How’d you know that?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Take these.” He thrust several daggers at me and a sword, though this sword wasn’t nearly as large as his. The blade was only as long as my arm, where his was at least four feet—or at least it looked like it to me.
I fit the daggers into the loops on my pants and then he handed me a strap similar to his to house the sword.
I’d forgotten shoes so I quickly put on a pair of heavy duty boots.
Suddenly, his words hit me.
They’re here.
They’d come for me.
Theo closed the weapon holder and shoved it back under the bed. He had several items in his hands and shoved them in his pocket before I could see what it was.
“Grab your bag,” he commanded. “We have to go now.”
I scurried into my closet and grabbed the backpack. I gasped when I spotted Nigel.
“Theo,” I called. “We can’t leave Nigel.”
“We have to leave him.”
“No,” I pleaded. “They’ll hurt him.”
He appeared beside me and shoved his fingers through his hair with a groan.
“Fine. Put your backpack on and I’ll stick him in there.”
I did as he told me and he opened one of the zipper parts and stuck Nigel in, leaving a hole big enough for him to poke his head through.
We heard a blast and both of us stiffened. “Shit,” he cursed. “We have to hurry. Come on.” He took my hand in one of his and grabbed one of the daggers, clutching it in the other.
We ran down the stairs into chaos.
The front doors were blasted open and enchanters ran for their lives. It was so chaotic I was glad Theo held so firmly to my hand or I was afraid I’d get lost.
Someone screamed, and Theo cursed before throwing a dagger.
I followed its path and saw it sink into the neck of an Iniquitous. He looked normal, which was the scariest part of it all.
He fell to his knees and blood pooled around him.
He was dead.
Theo pulled me along, people screaming and running and trying not to die.
“Theodore! Mara!”
“Shit,” Theo’s voice was pained.
I turned and saw Adelaide and Winston running toward us.
“What’s happening?” Adelaide asked.
“We have to go,” Theo told her. “Hurry.” He pulled me along, and the four of us ran down a hallway.