He lowers his head, nose running up the side of my neck and to my cheek. The hand on my thigh goes still before it moves to cup my thigh and pull me closer. I can feel his hard length between my legs.
“You are my life. I will not forsake you. So long as my heart beats I will always be at your side, Meadow. Even if hell opened itself up to claim me again, I would fight my way back to you. I will always fight for you, my heart. I will never leave you. I swear this to you as a vow.”
Tears prick my eyes and I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “I know,” I whisper. “I know. I love you.” The bond that binds us together pulses before it falls silent and Jaak kisses me. “
I love you. Forever, Meadow.” When Jaak moves I meet him eagerly. He thrusts into me with a moan. “Meadow,” he whispers and again we move together. I wrap my legs around him and pull him as close as I can manage while our bodies become one. Jaak kisses me, thrusts faster and not nearly fast enough for the way my body craves him. I roll my hips and keep up with him as best as I can. The pleasure takes my breath away.
“More,” I gasp, “I want all of you.”
We move together as one and when the pleasure comes crashing down on me again, it’s Jaak that I hold on to as I cry out his name. I’m still holding him tight when he finds release and moans my name.
“Meadow.”
Tears overwhelm me and I don’t hold them back. I let them come and smile up at Jaak when he wipes away my tears and kisses my cheeks. I’ve never been this happy. Never this cherished or protected. Nothing can happen to me as long as Jaak is with me. Nothing will ever touch me again but him.
“You are my heart, Meadow.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
The morning starts lazy enough, with warm morning sunlight pouring in on Jaak and I while we sleep. I roll over and look at my husband. He’s human again. I reach out and run my finger lightly down his nose before I trace his lips.
I can see him as he was last night if I look hard enough. There’s hints here and there of what he looks like as a minotaur. I wonder how long it will be before I can convince him to stay that way. I lean over to brush a kiss over his lips and he catches me then. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in close.
“Where were you off to, witchling? To cause mischief?”
I grin and kiss the tip of his nose. “No. To eat something. We got distracted last night and I’m starving. I’ve been starving,” I tell him and put my hand to my stomach which follows my stage cue and growls. “The things I would do for a cheeseburger are ungodly.”
He raises an eyebrow and looks up at me. “A cheeseburger? Just one? I’ll get you a dozen.”
“I want a restaurant," I joke.
“Done. Shall I buy you the restaurant in this town or would you prefer another?” The demon is dead serious about us going into financial ruin as restaurateurs. I better knock it off.
I swat him and sit up. “I don’t really want a restaurant,” I tell him. “They have terrible overheads. Everyone knows they’re nightmares. If I was going to own anything it would be a bookstore.”
Jaak props himself up on one arm and watches me scrounge for clothes in the dresser we filled the day before. The ones I wore yesterday are on the floor in a tattered pile along with his. I toe the edge of what I think is the remnants of his pants, could be mine though. I pull on another sweater and am working on pants when there’s a booming sound. I freeze and look at Jaak. The sound is loud but it sounds a distance off.
“What was that?” I ask, looking up at the ceiling. “Was it the house?”
Jaak gets out of the bed and shakes his head. “No, that was outside.” He goes to the windows to look while I hop around with one leg in my pants. I’m about to get the other leg in when I hear a rattling sound. It’s like the frame of the house is vibrating. I can feel it in the floorboards.
I lift my head and look at Jaak. He’s still at the window. “Do you feel that?”
Jaak doesn’t answer me. Instead he turns to me with a shout. “Get down, Meadow!”
“What? What’s happening?”
Jaak rushes towards me and wraps himself around me. “Getdown!” He drops to the floor and holds me tight while he covers me with his body. A fraction of a second later the windows in the bedroom explode. Glass shatters and flies across the room. Furniture goes flying and something big hits Jaak in the back. I can feel the blow through him even though he’s taking the brunt of the explosion.
Everything around us goes still as suddenly as it began. Wind blows into our bedroom, knocking loose pieces of glass and wood from the window the blast hadn’t broken entirely. Jaak is the first to move.
“Are you all right?”
“Jaak!” I turn to grab my husband and check him for wounds but he stops me because he’s already doing the same with me.
“Answer me, Meadow.”
“I-I’m fine. Nothing can hurt me, remember?”
