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“Busy. Better now.” I went in for a kiss, smiling as his lips met mine. “Where we headed? Our usual spot?”
“You know it,” he answered. “Want to walk there?”
“I think I’d rather hitch a ride if that’s okay.”
“For you? Always.” Damien let go of my hand and waited until the street cleared of traffic before he turned to his dragon form. I’d never get tired of seeing him in all his scarlet-scaled glory. He was a king, horns crowning his powerful head, a smile curling on the elongated snout as he dipped down so I could climb on. I no longer fumbled, moving with the supernatural grace granted to me by my second chance, jumping onto him in a fluid movement, the picnic basket in my hands now.
I leaned back as Damien took off, gaining height at an impressive speed. I was so used to flying with him that I no longer grabbed onto the spikes in front of me, instead leaning back as if I were sat in a chair, my legs holding on and keeping me steady.
A sense of freedom flooded over me as we flew toward the twinkling ocean. I felt like I could see all the way to the end of the world. Seagulls cawed and dipped in the air around us, a pod of dolphins leaping from the water, a spray of ocean water splashing in their wakes.
Of course, life wasn’t made up of all these perfect, peaceful moments. There had been an astronomical number of challenges placed in front of me ever since I came back from the dead. The biggest one was dealing with the existential weight of knowing I would never die of natural causes. That was a lot to chew on, and I knew I’d need time to grapple with the true weight of that fact. It was something Benjamin had warned me about when I’d asked him to bite me were I to die in the battle. He warned me that seeing everyone you love grow old and die was a burden that could not be understated.
I didn’t care. All I wanted was more time with Damien, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from that.
Then there was the occasional craving for warm blood. That was another burden that wasn’t easy to describe. It didn’t happen often—about every other month—but when it did, the cravings needed to be fed, or my impulse control would severely suffer. And a vampire with a lack of impulse control was not one you wanted to cross paths with.
Thankfully, Ben also helped me out with that, hooking me up with a supplier of synthetic blood. I kept them stocked up in the fridge and poured myself a glass whenever I felt like I needed it. Other than that, I could still enjoy regular food. In fact, I think I actually enjoyed it more now that I was able to taste every single ingredient and seasoning that went into making it.
Minutes later, Damien was making a graceful landing on our secret beach spot, up high above the water and secluded from prying eyes. It was the perfect escape. Somewhere that felt truly us—only ours. It was special, reminding me of the earlier days, when I was still unsure of what Damien wanted or even who he was.
I can’t believe I had a moment thinking this would just be a hookup.
I helped him set up the picnic, spreading the thick blue blanket down on the smooth stone underneath a shadier spot where the large obsidian rock blocked out some sun. There was a spread of tasty cheeses, flavorful olives, salted hams and salami, and sunflower crisp crackers that I had become obsessed with recently. Damien uncorked the bottle of rosé with a celebratory pop and poured some into both of our glasses.
A cheers and a drink later, and we were settling in, sitting side by side on the blanket, facing out to the ocean. Silence lapped over us like the tide. It was comfortable. I never felt like I needed to fill space with needless words when I was around Damien. I didn’t need to waste time or keep us busy. Sitting together quietly was just as fulfilling as having an hours-long philosophical conversation with him, and that was something that I truly loved about the man.
The silence didn’t last too long, though. A rush of gratitude overtook me, the next words just falling out of my mouth. “You know, I really wish I could go back in time and tell that terrified Robby you protected down in the snake-way that it would all turn out okay. That it’s okay to feel it all—joy, pain, sorrow. But to always know that it turns out okay.” I looked into Damien’s eyes, never having said more truthful words. I’d burn, burn, burn down with him and still know that everything had turned out okay because in this moment, there was nothing inside me but pure happiness and love.
