“You go,” Edith said.
Spencer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Why was this harder than any job he had done before?
“I know it’s fast,” he admitted quietly. “Probably too fast. But…” He looked at her fully then, at the purple hair blowing softly in the sea breeze, at the freckles across her nose, at thefemale who had somehow become essential to him in what felt like moments. “I have feelings for you, Edith.”
There it was, honest and raw as well as terrifying. Edith’s expression softened immediately, then she smiled at him. Small to start with, and yet real. It reached her eyes and he watched them sparkle.
“I know,” she said softly.
Relief hit him so hard he nearly staggered as Edith stepped a little closer. “And honestly?” she admitted, “I have feelings for you too.”
Spencer stared at her. This was his Mate, definitely mate. Edith’s smile turned gentler then.
“And thank you,” she said quietly. “For coming for me.”
The words landed deep, because there had never really been another option. Spencer moved before he could overthink it. Slowly and carefully, giving her every chance to step away, only she didn’t. His hand lifted to her cheek gently, thumb brushing softly against warm skin as he stepped closer.
Edith tilted into the touch immediately. Gods, that action very nearly ruined him.
“I’ve wanted to do this,” Spencer admitted quietly, “since you almost fell off that path.”
Edith snorted softly. “Good to know my near death experiences are romantic.”
Spencer laughed quietly, then finally he kissed her. It was gentle at first, tentative only for the first heartbeat, then Edith made a soft sound against his mouth and suddenly restraint became significantly harder. The kiss deepened naturally, warm and aching and filled with every moment they hadn’t gotten until now.
Spencer cupped the back of her head carefully with one hand, while the other wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her closer against him. Edith’s fingers tangled instantly into hisdamp hair and the world narrowed down until only she existed in this world for him. She kissed him back fiercely enough to steal every coherent thought directly from his brain.
And when she sighed softly against his mouth, Spencer was fairly certain the sea itself purred around them.
40
Maeve was beginningto suspect the spell book enjoyed causing problems, it was either the book or the Gate, she was yet to determine which one. It wasn’t little problems either. Not “oops the tea exploded” problems.
No, it was life-altering, reality-bending, and potentially catastrophic problems. Which, admittedly, did make it more fun. The new spell room glowed softly around her, Merlin’s Gate pulsing faint blue-green beneath the cavern floor while candles flickered along the stone walls.
Arietta and Isabeau had gone upstairs to “grab snacks”.
Maeve had not trusted the suspicious amount of whispering involved in that announcement.
Still, that left her alone with the spell.
Righting the Wrong.
The page shimmered faintly beneath her fingers as she reread the final lines for perhaps the tenth time. Everything else had already been prepared; the grounding sigils were done, the protection circles were protecting, honestly, she was feeling extremely professional about the whole thing. Maeve reachedfor the final ingredients laid neatly beside the small well connected directly to Merlin’s Gate.
Amethyst crystal chips.
Rose oil.
And fragments of Kraken eggshell gathered carefully after the recent hatchings. The moment she dropped the crystal chips into the glowing water, the Gate stirred and magic pulsed outward softly.
Maeve smiled at the reaction and tipped in the rose oil next. The scent bloomed instantly through the cavern, floral and warm, reminding her of her mum. Then, finally, she added the eggshell fragments and watched as the waters glowed brighter.
With a deep inhale followed by a heavy exhale, Maeve began reciting the spell.
“From guardians new, to magics old,” she recited carefully, voice echoing softly through the cavern. “Merlin’s Gate deep within our fold.”
The waters stirred, like someone was stirring it with a giant teaspoon and the magics of the Gate crackled faintly beneath the floor.
