My ears perk forward. “Huh?”
He grins at me, but it’s a smaller grin than usual. He holds out his hand and a small blue-gold magic ball forms in his palm, glowing soft. My ears stay up but my lion doesn’t flinch.
“He’s been coming to me,” he says.
“Who?” My tail curls tighter against my leg.
He keeps watching the ball. “My sperm donor. Aka my birth father.”
My lion freezes, every muscle locking in place.
“The Witching Glen father?” I ask him.
“Yes.”
I stare at him, searching his face for any sign that this is some kind of joke. The trees are quiet around us. The magic ball in his hand hums louder, the blue-gold deepening, brighter at the edges than it was before.
“I thought the Witching Glen was sealed off.” I keep my voice level. “I haven’t seen a witch or warlock from the Glen in years.”
“It’s still locked away,” Aaron answers, gaze fixed on the magic ball. “Eric’s managed to keep contact with me anyway.”
I wrap my arms around myself. The Glen has always been the place witches went to keep their distance.Dark magic users.The lionesses I grew up with saidgood riddancewhenever the topic came up.
“I never understood why the Glen was locked,” I tell him.
He doesn’t answer me.
The magic ball lifts off his palm. It rises slowly, gentle, like a dandelion seed catching wind, and floats in the air. I watch it climb, my lion stretching forward inside me to look. Then I notice Aaron isn’t looking at the ball.
He’s looking at me.
I turn my head and meet his eyes and my tail goes limp behind me, the slump traveling all the way up my back.
“What are you doing?” My voice trembles slightly.
He doesn’t answer, just keeps watching me with that strange, soft intensity.
“Aaron. What?—“
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”
“I highly doubt?—“
His mouth crashes to mine, cutting off my words.
His lips are sweet and warm and tender against mine. My tail comes up on its own and brushes his temple. He keeps it brief, gentle, his thumb stroking the soft skin under my ear.
He pulls back and kisses my nose, searching my face.
“Sorry, baby. You just look so adorable when you get distracted by my magic.”
He kisses my forehead.
“Not to mention, you are incredibly beautiful.”
I start to purr. I can’t help it. He has me and he knows it. I pucker my lips for another kiss. When it doesn’t come, I open my eyes. He’s already focused back on the floating ball. My mouth pulls into a pout.
He taps my nose. “Don’t give me that lip, beautiful. I’ll kiss you silly later.”
