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“Sweetheart…”
“Never. I’ll never take what we have for granted. I’m so, so sorry you got hurt along the way, Riley. I am. I wish I could take that back. But I know I can’t take it back without causing harm. Because you and me? We’ve learned how important it is to take care of one another, Riley. We both learned that, didn’t we? You malfunctioned and got locked out of your own body and that taught you things, too. All this time you’ve been doing all these good things for your pack, taking care of people, being a good man, good friend, good son and brother. We’ve been on this journey that has been the hard apart, but we know what’s important now. Imagine how much good we can do together? We’ve earned this. And we wouldn’t know how easy it is to lose it, to lose everything you care about without going through what we’ve gone through. Especially me.”
I let out a heavy sigh and watch him steeple his hands over the bridge of his nose.
After a long moment, he speaks, eyes fierce with emotion. “I don’t give a fuck about me. I want someone to pay for putting you through that, Erica-baby. There had to be another way, a way that wasn’t so fuckin’ cruel. I can’t stand what they did to you. After losing your parents violently like that. After all that pain and loss and then you learn you’ve got magic, which makes you feel happy and alive and then you get to dabble a little and then they pull that shit on you just in case you handle it wrong? Guilty before proven innocent? I hate that.”
“I think it really was necessary, Riley.”
He points at me. “I think they accomplished their mission of breaking you down so that you’re so fuckin’ humble that they can now use that to their advantage. Use you and your well of infinite energy. They wanna draw from your well of infinite guilt.”
I flinch.
“But hear this: if all this shit was meant to be like they say it is, then one of the reasons you’re fated to be mine is so that I…” He thumps his chest with his fist – “can make sure nobody fucks with you anymore. Nobody’s gonna take advantage of that beautiful heart you’ve got, little witch. I won’t allow them to mistake your goodness for weakness. I’ll be your strength.”
I face-plant into his chest and his arms immediately go around me. “We’re so lucky to have a love like this. We’ve earned it, Riley. I really feel like we have. I’m never gonna take you for granted. Never ever.”
“We have earned it,” he says, taking hold of my face and tipping my chin up. “Nothing will ever get in our way again, Rikki. Never. I’ll bust my ass to make sure it doesn’t. And I’ll damn well make sure people don’t exploit the goodness inside you.”
He marches me to the couch, sits and then pulls me down to snuggle.
And then he does exactly what I need without me having to ask for it.
He purrs for me for a solid half an hour.
***
I want Aunt Mimi to have more good years. I want all of us to get more time with her. I want Greyson to have as much of her guidance as possible. I want to hear more about the potential for training, so I want to take Aviva up on her offer.
I talk Riley into arranging for them to be brought to the spot where I vanished off the side of the cliff so we can have our three-coven circle for tonight’s eclipse. He doesn’t like it, but to his credit he does what I ask. He sees how important it is to me.
Riley wants to go there first to scope things out and I decide to go with him, thinking maybe we can exorcise some demons for both of us.
We start off by walking down the long dirt road behind the Drowsy Hollow water tower, taking the same journey I took that night so long ago.
“The field of wildflowers isn’t here,” I say.
It’s a forest that looks much older than seven years. And I’m confused.
“Was it magic?” I ask aloud.
“Maybe. Don’t know. I haven’t come back to this spot either. Not in almost seven years.”
I’ve been here. But I never looked for the field of flowers like I’m doing now.
“Are we in the right place?” I check.
“Oh yeah,” Riley says with certainty.
We keep walking, hand-in hand, Riley carrying my shoes, which I find so chivalrous and sweet it’s made me melt. Even though I don’t need to connect with the earth to find energy anymore, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I love how it feels. I feel the energy. I feel things sprouting, blooming, growing.
