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He hadn’t asked her if she’d spoken to her mother or father today; the former granted permission to visit the latter where he was under “house arrest” in a safe house in Ifera’s countryside.
Though a different kind of hurt, this holiday held a bitter undercurrent for her as much as it did for him.
Last Equinox, he and Ameera had needed to sneak away from the soiree his parents had thrown for the pack’s upper echelons to meet Jonah and Rhydian—who had been weeks away from meeting Davina, little did he know—at this festival in the city. In hindsight, maybe they should’ve stayed those few more minutes his mother had requested, again and again, every time the seconds had run down. Maybe he should’ve smiled wider for that final family portrait that had been taken down from the House’s walls and brought to his mother’s new estate.
So many maybes. So many things he could never change. So many regrets he had no room for.
Isla’s touch drew him from his dark thoughts, featherlight over the skin of his hand where it rested beside her. She must’ve felt his impending spiral.
“You’re so nosey, you know that?” she teased, distracting him, though she didn’t seem to mind his closeness with how she leaned back.
Her body molded perfectly to his, the curve of her ass pressing dangerously against him in a way that made the fresh mark on his neck throb. He honestly wasn’t sure how he could be this close to her with this deep, nagging desire to tear her clothes off again. It wasn’t like they hadn’t just fucked until they were sweaty, exhausted heaps on the study floor, their “pillow talk” slipping into meandering conversations about the dark moon, the coronation, the ceremonial dagger, Isla’s nightmares, his own whirlwind of feelings, and the open tunnel…
Messes. All their damn messes and the mysteries they couldn’t explain. Kai shouldn’t have expected or been surprised that she wanted to talk about nothing else. They never let themselves rest, no matter how much they craved reprieve.
Eventually, they’d tracked down some presentable-yet-simple clothes, leaving behind their adornments, so they could easily blend into the crowd but stand out when they needed. Then they’d tracked their friends down to one of Rhydian’s favorite eateries.
He twisted his hand around, capturing hers and interlocking their fingers. “I can’t know what you’re grateful for?” He leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder, nudging her head with his own, earning that laugh that he scrambled for and tucked away.
Isla’s voice was a seductive coo as she answered, still not revealing the parchment fully, “Davina.”
“Davina?” Kai lifted his lips to her ear, whispering, “Was that her name you were crying out a couple of hours ago?”
Isla bit her lip, her hips kicking back, involuntarily or not, making him curse softly. Another sultry laugh. “I don’t rememberanythingI was crying out a couple of hours ago.” Her hand lifted to give two taps on his cheek. “I guess that’s good on you.”
He certainly hadn’t forgotten. The keen of her moans, the look on her face, and the feel of her body against his. All of it.
He found one of his hands lifting to draw a trail over her stomach, wrapping around her waist. Isla let out a deep sigh. “You’re relentless.”
Kai only hummed in answer, giving her the softest kiss on the skin of her neck. She shivered, and…maybe this wasn’t the best idea; his pants started to feel a bit too tight. Goddess, he needed to have better self-control than this.
Isla finally pulled her hands back, and Kai stood taller, trying to distract himself with the ink across the canvas. Three lines sectioned off for each part of the custom, her handwriting neat and precise.
I'm grateful for my family.
I’m grateful for my home, old and new.
I'm grateful I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend…even if he likes our house freezing.
A warmth bloomed in his chest at the last fragment, and he couldn’t hold back his laugh or resist the urge to kiss her again. “I love you,”he murmured, though those words didn’t feel nearly enough to capture how he felt.
He continued reading.
I want to accept I may never be as I was.
I want to think more before I act.
I want to become a better cook.
“A better cook? What do you mean? You’re perfect.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.
She lightly pinched his hand that lay at her middle. “Oh, shut it.”
The last time she’d attempted to prepare a complex meal, she’d nearly burned the House down.
“I was perfectly content subsisting on chicken, rice, and noodles,”she’d argued as they wafted away the smoke. She’d apparently never found the time to learn to cook much else.
Finally, Kai’s eyes dropped to the last lines—hopes.
