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His words surprised her. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? Why would I say something like that and not mean it?”
He turned toward the vines. “How many families?”
“A few.”
“Where did they come from?”
“They were always on this land.”
He drew close to the vines and touched them. “I can feel your frequency where my fingers connect.” He continued to touch and pat the vines at various intervals. “And the entrance is somewhere nearby, isn’t it?”
She released a heavy sigh. “Yes, but please don’t ask me to take you inside. I’ve taken a vow to keep their presence in your realm a secret.”
He shook his head. “You said these are full-blooded wraiths?”
She nodded.
“Shit.” She felt his despair all over again as he added quietly, “No wraith is safe in Ashleaf.”
“And that’s why they stay hidden behind my shield.”
He turned toward her, his frown deepening, his expression full of concern. “Is this why I always feel that you’re focused on something else whenever I’m around you?”
She nodded, grateful that he was finally coming to understand. “Yes. I’m constantly streaming energy to the shield.” She almost told him about Axton’s recent attempt to breach the entrance, but was afraid of revealing too much. Besides, if she stayed on alert, she felt certain she could deal with Axton herself. “Mastyr, I can’t be distracted and this is why I’ve brought you here. It takes tremendous concentration to sustain the shield.” She didn’t go into how this had worsened in recent years. “Do you understand?”
“I’m familiar with the feeling.”
“I know you are. We’re alike in that way.”
He nodded, but his frown had deepened. “Critical duties to fulfill.”
She felt grateful that he’d understood her so readily.
“Willow, I think you should know that I’ve come to a decision to begin the relocation process. You’re aware of the controversy?”
“Of course, and I’m staunchly opposed. Why let Axton and his kind win?”
He pressed his lips together. “Because I won’t have another death on my hands. Not one more. Not after witnessing the Birchingwood murders.” He waved a hand to encompass the vines. “And I think these families should be part of that relocation.”
She shook her head. “No. You mustn’t attempt to remove them.” Her gaze dropped to the ground. She felt the heart of the Nine Realms beneath her feet, a soft frequency that also protested his decision. Lifting her gaze back to him, she added, “The wraiths must stay here. I believe there have always been wraiths in Ashleaf and that they serve a purpose here.”
“Children died, Willow. Babies, really.”
She drew close and put her hand on his shoulder, letting waves of compassion flow. He turned toward her, eyes wide once more. “Sweet Goddess,” he murmured. “You have so much power.”
As she stared into his eyes, the affection and admiration she felt for him rose once more. He was such a worthy man and maybe because she’d made physical contact, she couldn’t seem to suppress the desire that swept through her. What went through her mind as her body heated up yet again, was that more than anything in the world she wanted to ask him to come home with her.
And it would involve a lot more than just talking things through.
She opened her mouth to speak and tell him he should leave now and to forget about relocating any of the wraiths and half-breeds in his realm. Instead, other words tumbled out, “Would you like to come home with me, just once? To be with me?”
~ ~ ~
Malik felt Willow’s mating frequency flowing over him in heavy, needful waves. The invitation was clear. And as he stared into her beautiful, hazel eyes, he knew what his answer would be. “Yes, I’d love to be with you.”
For the first time ever he’d be inside her house.
The metaphor wasn’t lost on him, and desire surged all over again. What was it about Willow that had him mad with need?
