AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wooden cabinets were topped with honed stone counters and there was a large window over the sink. Hand-carved open shelves housed fresh produce and seemingly endless glass jars of spices.
“This is lovely,” I told him honestly.
“The bedroom and bath are back here,” he said, heading through another doorway at the back of the kitchen. “It’s only the one bedroom for now, but one day I’ll add on.”
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the room. It was the size of the front half of the house with a canopied bed, a wall of large windows and a glass ceiling revealing a jaw-dropping view of the stars. There was a sitting area on one side with a desk and chair and more bookshelves. And there was another crackling fireplace.
It was a far cry from the cramped cave of our first night together.
He led me to the other side of the room and pointed to an open door.
“That’s the bathroom, I tried to think of what a mate might want.”
I stepped inside to find a huge soaking tub and every luxury I could have imagined.
I reemerged, shaking my head in wonder.
“You thought I lived in a cave, didn’t you?” he asked, one eyebrow arched.
“No,” I lied, and then laughter bubbled up in my chest and I couldn’t hide my smile.
“Liar,” he said, shaking his head. But he was smiling too.
I stood in the middle of the room, feeling his pull like a magnet. I pictured the two halves of Lark’s metal ring, clicking together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Come,” he said. “Let’s sit by the fire and talk.”
I willed myself to sit and soak in the warmth. I would not meet his eyes, I would not touch him.
We sat on the fur rug in front of the fire and for a moment, the crackle and hiss of the logs was the only sound.
I swore I could feel his heartbeat, and his own musky smell, mingled with the woodsmoke, was incredible.
“What were your dreams?” he asked quietly, his deep voice playing over my senses. “Before… all this?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again.
I hadn’t thought about dreams for myself in so long. First, it had been worries for Jon, and then this business with magic, and now the mating.
“Is that a hard question?” he asked.
“The last time I thought about my own dreams I was seventeen years old, sneaking out to a party,” I admitted.
“What were you dreaming about then?” he asked.
“Some dumb boy, probably.”
I shook my head and watched the flames dance.
“Lucky dumb boy,” he said.
“I never made it to the party.”
“Why not?”
“I fell out of my window and barely survived,” I said. “I only didn’t break my neck because of my magic, though I didn’t know it at the time.”
“Incredible,” he whispered. “But you didn’t even suspect?”
