Chapter 43
Forty-Three
HAVEN
Becks pulls out my chair, and I settle into the cushioned seat, smiling up at him in thanks.
It still feels a little surreal that this is a date. Our first, officially.
No demons. No running. No blood or fire or fear pressing in from every side. Just us.
After three days in the human hospital, followed by an extended stay in the medical center in the Order headquarters, Becks was finally cleared a couple days ago.
The first thing we did when he got his clean bill of health was—with Kade’s and Jade’s blessings—go to the creature world, where I was reunited with my parents and introduced to the couple who raised Locklyn, Braxton and Zia Belcourt.
I find them to be some of the warmest people I’ve ever met, and they instantly treat me like one of their own.
Instead of feeling like Locklyn’s presence in my life meant I’d lost something, I now feel the opposite. Through her, I haven’t just gained a sister, I’ve gained so many other people I love and care about.
Becks and I haven’t made any decisions about the future, but once we were in his world, he wanted to show me his home and introduce me to his parents, which was one of the most intimidating experiences of my life.
Becks’ parents are highly successful and deeply respected in their world.
After chastising their son for leaving without warning, they welcomed him back, and me by extension, with open arms. They’re not quite as relatable as Locklyn’s adoptive parents, but there is a quiet warmth beneath their formality that puts me at ease.
After making all the rounds, Becks announced that he wanted to take me on a date.
I couldn’t have said “yes” faster. The day started with him bringing me on a tour of all his favorite and most memorable spots in his town of Everton, which reminds me a bit of a cozy New England town, with a touch of magic.
We had lunch at Sloan’s Diner, where he talked me into ordering a chocolate milkshake that turned out to be the best I’ve ever had.
We toured Nightshade, the high school he and Locklyn went to, which looks more like a castle than an actual school.
We passed by the gym Locklyn practically lived in, Pete’s Gym, before he took me just outside of town, where we spent the rest of the afternoon flying side by side over the creature realm, cutting through open sky.
It was the first time I shifted since that horrible night. I worried it might be difficult to do again, but now that I’m not running from or trying to hide my powers, it all comes naturally.
As we soared through the air, watching the sunset, wind rushing past my wings, cool and steady, the land below glowed with rivers of light and forests that shimmered like living things.
Becks kept pace with me the entire time, never pulling ahead, never holding back, just there, matching my speed, like it was exactly where he wanted to be.
The flying was a dream come true, and something we would never have been able to do together in the human world.
Kade would have had our hides if we had tried pulling something like that.
As it is, he and his members have been working overtime trying to quash and discredit the demon sightings that occurred right before the blood moon.
Luckily, for most people the idea of the supernatural is too far-fetched, and the world seems content to accept the lie that the “demon sightings” were just elaborate pranks staged by hackers.
After our flight, Becks drove me back to Locklyn’s parents’ house and told me to get ready for a night out. I didn’t bring anything formal with me, but apparently Becks gave my parents a heads-up, because they’d already purchased the most beautiful silver dress for me.
Delicate and frothy, with a soft V-neck that adds just enough allure, it instantly became my favorite thing to wear.
And if Becks’ reaction was any indication, I’d say he agrees.
When I came down the stairs to meet him, he was talking with my dad and fell silent the instant he spotted me.
I’ve never felt more beautiful or more cherished than I did in that moment.
As Becks settles across from me at the small round table, I take in the wonders around us. He was mostly right when he once told me the creature world wasn’t so different than ours. But places like this steal my breath and leave me in awe in a way the human world never has.
The restaurant rises from the forest like it grew there, tables nestled among ancient roots and glowing leaves, soft faelight drifting through the branches overhead.
It’s elegant without being stiff, magical without trying too hard.
Enchanting is the word that keeps coming to mind.
It’s easy in this setting to imagine myself a princess and Becks my noble prince.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Becks asks, his eyes alight with curiosity.
I duck my head, a little embarrassed by my whimsical thoughts.
Reaching out, he captures my hand and pulls it to the middle of the table so he can brush his fingertips back and forth over my knuckles.
He does things like that a lot. An arm around my shoulder, a soft kiss on the mouth.
He seems to always want to be close and touching in some way, and I don’t mind at all.
“I was just admiring this place. It’s magical,” I say, admitting some of the truth, if not all of it.
The smile that spreads over Becks’ face lights it up. “I’m glad you like it. Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
It’s a small distinction, but it feels deeper since he says how beautiful I am, not just how beautiful I look. Like he’s seeing all of me and not just the shell. I can’t help but melt a little more every time he says it.
“Only three times since you picked me up.”
“Then I must be slacking. You’re stunning.”
I laugh softly, because although he hasn’t taken his eyes off me once, I haven’t missed the appreciative glances the women in the restaurant keep sending his way.
He’s looking extra handsome tonight in black slacks and a gray button-up with the top two buttons undone.
With or without a shirt, the guy is beyond hot, so I understand the stares.
I don’t care if they look, because he’s all mine.
“I can’t believe I’m so lucky to be here with you,” he says, and it reminds me of how he once described his version of our ideal first date.
I would have taken you on a date, our first real one, and told you how beautiful you looked, and spent the entire evening half in disbelief that I was the one sitting across from you, pinching myself that I was with someone not only achingly beautiful but also brilliant and kind.
Today has more than lived up to my expectations.
My favorite part has been getting to know Becks better and experiencing everything with him.
The restaurant we’re at is a dream, but we could be eating leftovers at home and I’d still feel just as happy and content as I do right now.
What makes all of this special isn’t the scenery. It’s the man I’m with.
Even so, we proceed to have one of the most delicious meals of my life.
I let Becks order for me because I don’t recognize all the menu items, and he picks the perfect dishes.
By the end of the main course, I’m more than full, but I still can’t help sharing the chocolate cake dessert with him.
It arrives beneath a transparent dome no thicker than a sugar bubble.
When we pierce it with our forks, it bursts with a soft pop, showering the cake in edible sparkles that drift down like stardust.
As the night winds down, Becks grows quieter.
There’s a faint edge of nervous energy about him that feels so unlike him, I almost convince myself I’m imagining it.
When he pulls out my chair after dessert and suggests a short walk to a nearby lake instead of heading home, I readily agree. I don’t want this night to end.
He holds my hand as we amble through the trees. It’s chilly this time of year, but the restaurant and surrounding grounds are enchanted to feel like a mild summer evening, and the night breeze brushes warmly over my skin.
We wander in companionable silence, and the forest slowly parts to reveal a lake. The water stretches out like glass, broken only by soft ripples that catch the silver glow of the moonlight. Fireflies hover near the reeds, drifting lazily as if they, too, have nowhere else they’d rather be.
Becks slows, his fingers tightening around mine, and for a moment we just stand there, breathing, listening, existing in the stillness.
“You know I love you,” he starts, and I glance up to find him watching me. “And I know you love me. You said it out loud and I’m not letting you take it back.” He says it with a grin.
A laugh escapes me, light and breathless. “Fair enough.”
He turns fully toward me then, the humor softening into something deeper, steadier. Something certain.
“We haven’t talked much about the future, but I want you to finish school. I know how important it is to you, and if you want to become a pediatrician in the human world, I’ll support you every step of the way. Your dreams are my dreams now.”
My heart stutters. Not because of the words themselves, but because of what they mean. He isn’t asking me to choose. He isn’t asking me to give anything up. He’s making space for every version of me.
Letting go of my hand, he reaches into his pocket and then drops to one knee.
The world seems to tilt.
The breath catches in my throat as he stares up at me with all the love in his heart shining from his eyes.
“I don’t care where we live,” he says quietly.
“I don’t care which world we’re in, or how long it takes to get there.
I just know I want to walk through all of it with you.
” His voice is steady, but his tight grip on the small box in his hand betrays him.
“So I’m asking, no pressure, no timelines, no expectations beyond us . . .”
He opens the box, the ring catching the moonlight.
“Will you marry me?”
For a second, I can’t speak. My chest feels too full, my eyes burning as I nod once, then again, laughter and tears colliding all at once.
“Yes,” I manage. “Yes, Becks. Of course I will.”
The relief that floods his face is almost comical, until he’s on his feet, hands framing my face as his forehead rests against mine for a beat before he claims my mouth.
As with every time Becks kisses me, I lose myself, and when he finally pulls back, my mind is foggy.
Taking my hand, Becks slips something onto my finger. I was so caught up in the moment that the ring barely registered, but now, as I look down, I see a delicate platinum band set with a dark purple stone, ringed by tiny black gems.
It’s beautiful and unique. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Lunacite and tamalite,” Becks murmurs, and I flick my gaze up to him.
Those aren’t just two of the rarest gems. They’re what’s needed to pass through the portals between worlds.
With this ring, Becks isn’t just proposing, he’s sending a message.
Wherever I want to build my life, he’s willing to build it there with me.
Overcome with emotion, words escape me, and so I pull Becks down for another kiss, losing myself once again.
As the lake glimmers behind us, and the night hums softly around us, for the first time the future doesn’t feel scary or uncertain.
It feels like home.