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I lift my arm with the basket a little, but I’m not willing to let him go yet. I hated being away from him, even if it was for just a few minutes.
“I just want to stay like this. Together. All the time.” I hold him tighter. “You’re not allowed to do anything without me. Going to the bathroom? Hunting? You’re going to have to figure out how to do it with me plastered to you.”
He chuckles. “Your desires are natural, darling.”
“It’s supposed to be like this?” I murmur against the skin of his bare chest, getting light-headed from the intoxicating scent of him.
“Intense?” he asks, sounding amused. “Yes. Being together will give us a constant sense of euphoria. In fact, being apart for long periods would make us ill. It could even kill us eventually.”
“Is it this way for all fated couples?”
“I don’t know enough about mates in general, but I think our connection is greater than average.”
“Why? Because of the blood stuff?”
“In part. But also, I think we’re stronger because of what we’ve been through together. I know what it’s like to lose you, Hannah. I’ve held you while the life left your body. That’s not something I’ll ever forget, and I’ll cherish every breath you take, every heartbeat, for the rest of our existence. Every part of you belongs to me, just as all of me belongs to you.”
“Everything,” I whisper, understanding.
He nods, his chin rubbing the top of my head. “Everything.”
HANNAH
It’s been a day since we came back from my farm. The concerns Ellister had about not being able to travel through time again were valid, but unnecessary. His vortex still had enough oomph to get us here, but once we returned, his exhaustion put him in bed for a good fifteen hours.
Areally goodfifteen hours, if you get my drift.
For him and for me.
In between naps, we touched each other everywhere. We explored ticklish spots and pleasure zones. We fed and fucked. We slept some more, then we started over again.
I’m sore between my legs, but I like the pain. Every movement I make causes a little twinge, and I’m reminded of what he and I did.
I want a repeat, but there’s so much work to be done.
“Tell me about your childhood,” I request as Ellister and I work side by side on the chicken coop.
Years of neglect have caused some of the wood to rot, and we’re figuring out how much needs to be replaced before we can house some animals. As luck would have it, we found some spare wooden boards in decent shape in the barn, and I think we’ll be able to patch the coop up well enough.
“My childhood was so long ago, details are fuzzy,” Ellister replies, using a crowbar to pry up a splintering board. “My memory has been permanently affected by the stretch of nothingness in the Lost Land, so I’m not even sure if recalling it is possible.”
“There has to be some things you remember. You told me you grew up in a place with lots of stars.” I glance up at the constantly sunny sky. “So, it obviously wasn’t here.”
“Correct. I was born in the Night Realm.”
“Is it always dark there?”
“Yes. There’s a brief period of light during dawn and dusk.” He points to the direction I know to be east. “When the suns collide there twice a day, they’re so bright they send some light all the way to the Dream Realm.”
“Why didn’t you take us to the Night Realm? Don’t you miss it?”
“You deserve the sun. And now I’ve given you two.”
My heart warms all over again at the reminder of how much thought he put into our relocation. “But the stars are good, too. Isn’t there any place in this world where someone can have both?”
“Yes. That would be in the Dawn and Dusk Realm. It’s a strip of land between Day and Night,” he explains. “Unclaimed territory. Unpopulated and sacred. Ceremonial grounds for royal weddings and funerals are there, and it’s a refuge for the sprites. And it’s beautiful. Not too hot, not too cold. Not overly bright, but not dark either. There’s a constant peachy glow.”
“It sounds amazing. Why can’t we live there?”
