Chapter 14
Chad
T he minute the truck pulls away with Iggy and Darcy inside, I’m on my feet, agitated and pacing. As long as she was near, the wrecked-to-my-core feelings that overtook me last night when she headed into the house instead of upstairs to our apartment eased up just enough I could ignore it. It’s something I’m good at. I can ignore most unpleasant feelings, especially if it helps me hold onto even a scrap of contentment.
But there is no contentment without her.
It’s a realization I’ve been coming to for awhile now. Over the past few months, I’ve explored and discovered Iggy, from the way she'll throw sparks if she's excited or laughs too hard, to which of her grumpy faces respond best to my methods of de-grumping her. And each new discovery is like a bright new star I’ve had the privilege of hanging in the night sky. Any one of them will make me smile, but when I step back and try to take in the beauty of all of them at once, I’m struck dumb and flooded with wonder.
When I thought she was like morning air and my lungs were going to burst, I had no idea how much more overwhelming it could get.
She’s not just the air I breathe. She’s the light in the darkness. She’s all that I want and everything I need.
I love her.
And I am not going to lose her.
“Come on, Haisley. We’ve got stuff to do.”
T wo weeks later.
A few days before Christmas, I head to Luís’s office and shut the door.
“It’s Iggy’s last day, huh?” he asks once I take a seat.
“Yep. As soon as I scan her out, she’s all done.” Iggy’s probation won’t be up until January, but she’s put in the work and hit her two hundred and fifty hours of community service ahead of schedule. And boy can you see the effect of her efforts all over this place.
Apparently, we’d been thinking about Winter Bliss State Park all wrong. It’s not a park at all, she said. It’s an adventureland full of natural dangers that can only be explored safely thanks to a team of highly experienced and fearless park rangers. Our faces, mine in particular, are plastered all over the new posters, flyers, and whatnot. She insisted on using both my titles, too. Park Ranger and Search and Rescue Leader.
“That's a volunteer position,” I tried to point out, but she gave me a quelling look and asked what I was trying to imply about the importance of volunteer positions. I dropped it.
Once her new ad campaign went into full swing, I started to get recognized by strangers. As someone who’s done more than my fair share of approaching strangers, it’s a bit of an eye opener being on the other side. Someone will make eye contact and start heading my way, and what pops to mind is, Uh-oh, how weird is this going to be?
Is that what women were thinking when I approached them?
Iggy wanted to do even more. She proposed billboards and wrapping the station’s trucks in advertising. She even went so far as designing both, but when she presented them to Luís, he took one look at the price point and laughed so hard he cried. Thank goodness. I did not want to be driving around in a truck with my face on it.
“Good for her,” Luís says, and I narrow my eyes at him. He sighs. “I tried to apologize. I did! She wouldn’t hear me out.”
“What did she say?”
“That if there was anything going on between the two of you, it was very personal, and she absolutely would not be talking to me about it.”
I try to hide my grin as a warm feeling squeezes my chest. She’s a demon and keeps things private, I know that, but that’s not all there is to it. She’s also protective of me. She’s never said as much, but she doesn’t have to because I’ve seen it firsthand. She looks out for me, and, well, it makes me feel things I don’t have words for.
“And you? Are you still sore too?” When I confronted him, he swore he didn’t know it was supposed to be a date. Babs wanted me to meet Grace, that’s all she’d said to him. “A few months ago, you would have been over the moon and thanked Babs up and down for doing something that nice for you!” He’s not wrong.
“I know,” I mutter. “I’m not holding anything against her.”
“Good. Because if that night was anyone’s fault, it was yours, tonto . You’re the one who kept telling me things were temporary, not exclusive, no attachments, puras mentiras . You were still hitting up Under the Volcano every Friday for shit’s sake. When did things get this serious?” he asks, looking equally baffled and hurt. He has every right. He’s my best friend. I should have told him a lot more than I did, but I guess I’ve come to understand a demon’s instinct to protect certain thoughts and feelings, to keep them private so that nobody can tell you you shouldn’t be having them.
“I should have known it was serious from day one,” I answer truthfully. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I felt about Iggy the first time I saw her. It scares me to think how easily that could have been the end of it. If fate hadn’t intervened, I’d have walked away with nothing but a burning memory of the most painfully stunning woman I’d ever seen and a pair of her torn lace panties shoved in my pocket. Thankfully, I got a second chance. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“So this is it then, huh?” He frowns down at his desk, looking unhappy.
I hesitate just a moment before I nod. I hate to have to tell him, and he’s not going to like hearing it, but, “I got the job.”
“That was quick.” His frown deepens.
“I guess they’ve had trouble keeping the position filled. A lot of turnover,” I say.
“Bodes well,” he snorts. “I can’t believe you’re going to be working in a pinche municipal park.” He sneers over the word municipal and shakes his head.
“It’s what I’m qualified for.” Luís taught me everything I know about caring for a park, but on paper, I don’t exactly shine. I’ve got a high school diploma and no formal education or training.
“Watering potted plants and raking cigarette butts? I think you’re selling yourself short, tonto .”
“That's just the opening duties,” I say defensively, suddenly glad I didn’t share with him how much of my day will be spent manning a ticket booth. “A job’s a job. It gets me to Boston, and I can always get a better one later.”
“ Si pero . Are you really gonna be happy? ?De veras? ” He just keeps shaking his head like he can’t wrap his mind around it.
“I’m not going for the job. And yes, I’ll be happy.” I smile, and I know it’s true. “Wherever she is, that’s where I’ll be happy.”
“Why not tell her, then?” he asks.
“I’m going to, tonight, but I wanted to have something lined up first so she doesn’t feel pressured to take me in, you know?”
“You mean like how you took her in?” he asks, crooking an eyebrow at me.
I roll my eyes. “This is different. I'm moving to be close to her, not to invade her life.”
A somber silence settles between us, and there’s no putting it off any longer. I place my ranger badge on the desk along with the keys to the truck and slide them toward him.
“Thank you for everything,” I say, voice cracking on the last word. Shit, that’s embarrassing.
He nods. “Do me a favor. Try not to end up homeless on a beach, ok? But if you do—I drove cross country to pick you up once. I’d do it again, no questions asked. ?Me entiendes? ”
Well, fuck. I’m up out of my chair. Luís is getting a hug whether he wants one or not.
“ Y ou changed clothes,” Iggy says as soon as she sees me. She’s changed as well. Neither of us will be needing our uniforms anymore.
“Had to. I have a date tonight,” I say, smiling as I approach. She’s already turned off all the lights. The welcome center would be dark if not for the last bit of daylight coming through the frosty, rice-paper-covered windows. I wrap one hand around the small of her back and pull her close. She melts against me, lifting her chin to rest on my chest.
“I like looking at you,” she murmurs, and there’s a softness in her eyes as she gazes up at me.
“I like looking at you,” I murmur back before bending my head to brush my lips against hers in a light kiss. “You ready?”
She hesitates before she nods. “Not as ready as I thought I’d be,” she admits. “But, yeah, scan me out, boss .” She tags on the last word just to tease me, and for that, I squeeze her ass.
Her eyes light up in surprise. “So inappropriate,” she mutters, arching a brow at me in a way that makes me want to bite her.
I lift my wrist and tap my bracelet against her monitor. There’s the familiar buzz of connection, but then the bracelet makes a series of beeps it’s never made before. The clasp unlocks, and I have to catch the device as it falls from my wrist.
“All done,” I say, hefting it once before I slide it into my pocket.
“Your part is,” she says, her hand lifting to feel where her monitor is still in place.
“You're almost there,” I say and press a light kiss to her forehead.
Outside the sun is setting and the temperature has dropped. The air is biting cold. When we get to the station wagon, I pull out a spare coat and hold it open for her. “I brought this for you. You’re going to need it.”
“Oh really? Tell me more.” Her eyes sparkle. She's intrigued, and she should be.
“Nope. It’s a surprise,” I say as she slips into the coat. I zip her up with possessive satisfaction, then nuzzle my nose against her cheek. I don’t think I'll ever get over seeing her in my clothes. It both soothes me and riles me up at the same time. I like it.
We head up Last Hour Road for a few miles before turning onto a maintenance road that loops around the far side of the mountain. When I hear the ping of a cell phone, it surprises me. I’d have thought we were out of range by now, but I guess not.
It’s Iggy’s. She pulls it out to read a message. I glance at her a few times, and as she reads, something changes. Her eyes and her posture all tighten until I can almost feel vibrations coming off of her, but without a word, she takes a deep breath and relaxes. There’s a slight shake in her hand as she carefully slips her phone into her bag.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you later,” she says.
“Should I be worried?” I ask.
“No,” she says. “We’ve got a surprise to get to. I don’t want us to be distracted is all. I’ll tell you later, I promise.”
Fifteen minutes later, we come to the end of the road. “We’ll have to hike in from here,” I say. I expect at least a mild protest, but nope. She just licks the air, and I know she tastes how excited I am, because she hops right out and eagerly takes the backpack I’m holding out to her. I heft my own backpack and a duffle too, and we're off.
By the time we reach the spot at the top of a rise, it’s full dark and the stars are out. There’s no sign of movement below, not yet, which is good. We haven't missed anything.
“There,” I say, pointing to the gaping mouth of a dark cave. “Keep your eyes there.”
“What am I looking for?”
“Shhh. Just watch. You’ll see,” I whisper.
It starts with a spark. A torch is lit, then another and another. Twelve shadowy torch bearers converge in the woods, form a line, and then wind their way through the dark woods to enter the cave. From our vantage point, we can see inside. The torches are placed in holders, and the figures form a loose circle. Iggy goes very still and shoots me a nervous glance.
The figures begin to murmur, and as their murmurings grow louder, they raise their arms overhead. Sparks shoot from their hands, trailing wisps of smoke like firecrackers. The torches respond, flames leaping and casting dancing shadows in bright, unnatural colors across the cave walls.
“That’s a very complicated spell,” she whispers, hunkering down behind the nearest boulder. “If they mess something up, if it gets out of control, I can’t protect you. We should leave.” Her breathing is quick, her eyes are wide.
“They know what they’re doing,” I say with soft reassurance. I kneel down beside her just as a loud boom rips through the air like a crack of thunder. She startles and shoots me another uneasy look.
“They’re waking up the volcano,” I say, and I brush her cheek with the back of my fingers. I didn’t expect her to be nervous. “They do it every year. They call it tuning , but I think it’s a practice run.” That gets her attention.
“No fucking way,” she murmurs as she scrambles back up to her feet, apprehension giving way to fascination. As we watch, a glowing red pool bubbles up from the floor at the center of the circle.
“Lava,” she points and sucks in an excited breath. “They’re calling up lava.” Even in a whisper, her voice has jumped an octave. Her eyes are shining, and her hands are squeezing together right under her chin. I’m missing the show because I can’t tear my eyes away from her profile, so I just keep staring at my favorite view in the whole world.
“The cave is a vent,” I explain. “A small access point where they practice without spoiling the big show.”
She gasps.
The pool bubbles and belches hot sprays of molten rock, spreading out and inching toward their feet. Not one of the figures flinches or pulls back, but the tempo of the murmuring changes, slowing to a stop. There’s one more loud crack, and it’s done. The figures confer for a while. Then, apparently satisfied, they take their torches and leave.
“Come on.” I grab her hand. “This is what we really came for.”
T he cave is wide and lofty, but the moment we step inside the air is warmer, and everything is lit by a soft orange glow.
“Is it safe for you to be here?” she asks, eyeing the pool of lava.
“Yeah. They’re careful to put it back to sleep after. It won’t go off again until midnight on New Year’s Eve.”
“How careful?” She grabs my elbow and tugs me back when I try to take a step closer. She’s not worried for herself. Just me.
“Very, very careful,” I say. “Should we set up camp?”
“We’re staying?” She looks up at me with surprise.
“Up there.” I point. There’s a ledge that leads back into a wide open area, flat enough to serve as our bedroom for the night. “Unless you don’t want to,” I add.
“No! I want to. This is incredible.” She looks around again, and I do too. The cave is a natural wonder, and even I can feel the magic here.
Camp is simple, a pile of blankets and sleeping bags, some kitchen gear, and enough food and water to get us through the night. Once that’s all arranged and looking comfy, it’s time to tell her what I’ve been up to. Hopefully, she’ll see it as a good thing, a welcome surprise.
“Iggy, will you come sit by me?” I ask. She takes a seat on the ledge. As she squeezes in tight and twines her arms through mine, a thought pops into my head—she’s the only one for me now.
My mouth goes dry and my heart starts pounding. Please see it as a good thing.
“I’m moving to Boston,” I start, and the rest just tumbles out. I can hardly hear myself because of the ringing in my ears, but I hope I’m saying all the things I meant to say about how it feels like she’s rewritten every notebook I ever tucked into my pocket until every word was about her and every thought behind them a prayer that I’d find her someday. And now that I have, “I can’t stay behind and let you leave without me. I can’t say goodbye.” I nearly choke on the word.
I tell her I have a job, and that I promise to give her space if she needs it. “I won’t try to take over your life, I swear.” But then I run out of words and trip to an ungraceful stop. “I guess that’s it.”
I try to read her expression, but there’s not much to pick up on. She looks, I don’t know, contemplative, I guess, staring out over the glowing orange pool below us. “Please tell me what you’re thinking,” I finally say when I can’t stand it anymore.
She looks at me. “That's a very sweet offer but—” Her eyes drop, and my heart sinks.
Oh fuck , she doesn’t feel about me the way I feel about her. She doesn’t want me in Boston. My head swims. I try to suck in a breath, but my ribs feel like they’re caving in.
“Would you entertain a counteroffer?” she asks.
I choke out a laugh. I’m not reassured, but this is a very Iggy response. I should have seen it coming. “What’d you have in mind?” I ask, clearing my throat, trying to hide the rasp of devastation already straining my voice. I can’t do long distance. I’m sure that would kill me. I need to be with her.
She reminds me of the outing she and Darcy took a few weeks ago. “I’d already updated my portfolio with everything I’ve designed for the park,” she says, and I nod, but I don’t understand the connection. There’s a loud buzzing in my head, drowning out some of her words, and I’m having trouble following. “Do you remember me talking about her?” Iggy asks.
“Skylla Flarelion,” I repeat the name she just mentioned. She nods, but it’s the only part I heard, and the name seems so irrelevant at the moment that I can’t place it.
“I was ready to break into her office, bargain, beg if I had to. Whatever it took. I wasn’t going to leave until she heard me out. But I didn’t have to beg. She’d already seen the park campaign, and that bought me three minutes. Just three minutes, so I had to make it good.” She’s excited about something, but it’s not about me moving to Boston, that much I’ve gathered. She pulls her phone from her bag and, tapping the screen, she hands it to me. “When I left, I thought it’d gone well, but I didn’t know for sure until this email came through on our drive here. Read it.”
I skim, glancing up at her as often as I look down at her phone. “It’s a hire letter?”
She nods, and says, “For an entry-level marketing position, not the one I applied for originally, but it’s a good fit.” For a moment, I assume she’s gotten a new job in Boston. She’ll be too busy for me. That’s what she’s saying, but then I see the signature line.
“The Emberlight Resort.” I pull up straight. My heart throws up warning flags that this is too much to hope for. Don’t believe it just yet, not until she says it.
“You’re staying?” I ask. The words are rough as they tumble out of the cement mixer’s worth of hope and dread churning inside my chest.
“I’m staying,” she confirms.
My heart stops. The world stops. There’s a crack of something breaking inside but it feels good, like something that should break. I lunge at her, toppling her onto the pile of sleeping bags and blankets with a growl. And then I’m squeezing and biting, nibbling her all over, up and down. I'm wildly happy, bordering on unhinged, and she knows it. She giggles and wriggles under me as she laughs her wicked little heart out.
I want to tear her clothes off. I want to touch and taste her. I want inside her so badly I’m nearly blind with it, but not yet.
I pin her body under mine and cup her face with both hands, stilling us so that I can say what I need to say. I’d planned this. I was going to be gentle, brush her lips tenderly and whisper soft things against her skin. But that’s not this moment. I’m wild with joy. It’s rebounding and doubling on itself every moment. My hands are already shaking with it, and if I wait any longer, I won’t be able to speak.
My fingers slide back along her scalp and lace into her hair, tugging and holding her head firmly in place so that our eyes are locked and she can’t look anywhere but at me. She sucks in a sharp breath.
“I love you,” I say and crush my mouth to hers.
I ggy is a demon.
I’ve known that from the moment I first saw her, but when she breaks away from me in the middle of the night, something about that knowledge changes. She throws off our pile of blankets and stumbles forward, falling onto her hands and knees right at the ledge.
She’s completely naked, just how she fell asleep, and she stares into the lava.
I call her name. Her reply is a series of demands. She needs me, she says. She wants me to take her from behind while pulling her horns. The harder the better.
When I don’t move, her black eyes flash at me over her shoulder. They dance with a fire that is so much like a reflection, I look around for it. But I didn’t start a fire. We didn’t need one. The fire is only in her eyes.
I rise naked from our bed and walk over to her with slow, uncertain steps.
“Don’t be afraid,” she whispers.
Her lips are swollen like she’s been biting them all night. Her pink skin is flushed dark, edging toward red. And her black hair is spiking up from her crown, all of it except a few sweaty strands that cling to her face and neck.
She’s breathtaking.
I fall to my knees right at her backside, but when I reach for her hips, her skin is so hot, I pull back.
“Touch me,” she pleads, a desperate need coloring her voice.
I slide both hands up her back, then down around her ass. She’s unbelievably hot, but I can take it.
“You’re sure you want this?” There’s something like a tinge of delirium clinging to her, and I need to hear her say it.
“I’m going to bliss out,” she replies, and it takes me a second, but I recall the term Fire Bliss and I realize this is my doing. I put a demon to bed right next to a lake of lava.
“I’ll be far away but right here. I’ll feel you the whole time. Grab on and ride me through to the end. Can you do that for me?” Demons the world over travel to Winter Bliss to chase this state of euphoria. A fire can induce it, but from what I understand, a volcano is an order of magnitude more potent, and she’s already swept up in it.
“I can do that,” I say solemnly, like it’s a vow I’m making. Like I’m swearing to be whatever she needs in this moment.
My cock is hard and ready, positioned right at her entrance. She’s so soaking wet, I slide all the way in on one stroke, and as the Fire Bliss takes her, so do I.
I wrap my hands around her horns, and I give Iggy everything I’ve got, pushing her pleasure as high as it’ll go. I tease her clit, yank her horns, and pump harder every time she begs for it rougher.
The sight of her back arching as I slam into her, the noises that spill from her throat, all of it pushes me toward the edge so fast, I could have come in a few strokes. But I fight back against my own orgasm, holding it off for longer than I’ve ever had to delay it before. I’m trembling and aching, drenched in sweat, but I won’t stop because Iggy needs more.
I become aware of just how painfully human I am in this moment. A demon wouldn’t struggle. He’d be fueled by the same fire that’s throbbing like a heartbeat through her. His legs wouldn’t cramp. His sides wouldn’t ache. It’d be an easy ride for him all the way to the end.
I don’t care. I don’t need this to be easy. I’ll do every single hard thing Iggy asks me to do. I will give her all the pleasure she can handle. I will work like a dog to make sure she’s always satisfied and that she never, ever wishes for someone else.
She screams my name, and it’s music to my ears. I pull harder on her horns and she lets out a deep groan as she comes, squeezing along my cock. Her body shudders and shakes, and she collapses to the ground.
“Perfect,” she murmurs and passes out.
I’m drenched in sweat. My balls are swollen, aching and tight, but I’m deliriously happy as I scoop her up and take her back to our bed.
“I love you,” I murmur over and over against the damp curve of her neck as I pull her sweltering, slick body, into the spoon of mine.
T he next morning, I brew us some coffee and pour it into a thermos to keep us warm on our hike back to the truck. The sun is just starting to rise as we head out. There’s fresh snow on the ground, fine wisps of fog curling through the trees, and all of it is blanketed by the chirps and soft hums of early morning critters.
Walking beside me, Iggy is positively glowing. She had a very good night, and so did I, the best night of my life. She woke up a few times, desperate and needy, and on our second go around, I came so hard I nearly blacked out. But after that, I learned entirely new ways to satisfy her. My chest puffs proudly just thinking about it.
She sucks in an appreciative, deep breath. “The air smells so clean,” she says and immediately takes another deep lungful.
“Careful,” I warn. “Too much of that’ll make you dizzy.”
She crooks an eyebrow at me and says it’s hard to take me seriously when I have a goofy grin on my face. If only I had a mirror to show her her own face. “Your dimples have been on full, shameless display all morning.” She purses her lips at me, and I chuckle.
What can I say? I’m happy.
C hristmas Day arrives. It’s finally here.
Me, Iggy, Darcy, and Haisley get up early to prepare. We’ve got a fire going, music playing, and a dinner table optimistically set for seven. Darcy baked all day yesterday to fill three baskets with breakfast breads, muffins, and pastries. They’re set out on the coffee table, along with mugs, small plates, and some doily napkins that aren’t going to serve any useful purpose except for making Darcy happy.
Everything’s ready.
My father is the first guest to arrive. I half expected him not to show, but not only is he standing on my doorstep, he’s holding a gift. “For the baby,” he mutters and shoves the newspaper-wrapped box at me. When I invite him in, he recoils. “Who all’s here?” he asks with a frown. I answer, and when I mention Iggy, I make it clear that he’d better be nice. “Is your mother coming?” he asks warily. I nod. He grunts and asks a few more questions including what we’ll be eating. When he’s finally satisfied, he comes in.
“This is your house?” he asks, looking around as I lead him through to the living room.
“It is,” I say, and I can’t help it, my chest swells with pride when he gives a little nod. If it’s not an expression of approval, it’s close enough.
My mom shows up next, and as soon as I open the door, she shouts, “Look who I brought!” Stepping aside, she reveals my brother. He’s scruffy and his face is etched with deep scowl lines. He looks just like our dad, which means he also looks a lot like me. If I’d leaned into life’s miseries as much as they both have, I’m sure we’d all be near identical.
“Chad,” he mumbles my name in greeting, eyes darting away.
“Thanks for coming, bro.” I grin. I step back and invite them in.
“Go meet your grandchild.” My mom pushes him down the hall then calls after him. “You’ve got five minutes and then she’s mine!” I spot the price tag on the back of his Christmas sweater as he shuffles away. I’m guessing he got strong-armed into wearing it on the ride over.
Turning back to my mom, she makes an awkward gesture that I belatedly realize is her leaning in for a hug. It’s the holidays, so—we hug. “I'm glad they gave you the day off,” I say.
“They didn't. My request was denied.”
“But you’re here?” She wouldn’t quit her job. No way.
“I had to figure it out. I made a couple of trades and called in a favor.” She shoots a nervous glance over my shoulder before whispering, “I made a deal. It was kind of terrifying. Very stiff negotiator, that girl.” She hurries off in search of Haisley, and I go looking for Iggy to confirm what I suspect, that this was her doing.
She lights up at my question, shooting me a mischievous grin. “It’s not a handshake deal, either. It’s a full-fledged contract, notarized and everything.” She’s alone in the kitchen, mulling the apple cider. “But it wasn’t me. It was Darcy. She really stuck it to her. I was so proud when I read it.”
She tells me that on their drive up to the resort, Darcy started asking questions, and by the time they arrived, it was all planned out. While Iggy went to track down Skylla Flarelion to beg to be reconsidered for a marketing job, Darcy would go find my mom. The deal they struck essentially gives my mom great-grandmother privileges so long as she meets certain family obligations, “Which extend to you, by the way. Darcy made sure of that.” That last bit lands like a punch to the heart. “Did you know they offer contract drafting and notary services right there at the resort? Isn’t that considerate?” she asks, clearly impressed by her new employer.
“Very thoughtful,” I murmur as my throat constricts. She nods, agreeing wholeheartedly. But when she opens her mouth to speak again, she goes rigid. Her eyes dart to me.
“Why do you taste like that?” she asks.
“Like what?” I manage to croak out. I should taste like happiness right now, I know I should. But whatever I’m feeling, it’s not light or bright. It’s squeezing and racing and—
“Terror?” She licks the air again and her face pinches in concern. “That can’t be right.”
“No, I think you nailed it. Terror.” My palms feel clammy and there are spots floating in my vision.
“I’ll send everyone home right now,” she growls.
“No,” I reach for her, stopping her with a hand at her waist. “This is what I wanted.”
“You wanted a panic attack?”
I chuckle. “It’s not that bad,” I say. Sure, my heart is pounding, but the spots are already clearing. “I wanted a Robins family Christmas, and I got it.” Everyone is here. “But that’s not the part that’s terrifying—it’s you.” She’s the reason this is the first real Christmas I’ve had in twenty years, and that’s only one of the ways she’s changed my life, changed me.
She studies my face for a moment before leaning into me. Her head comes to rest on my shoulder, and she’s careful where she places her horns. Her nose brushes my neck. “You terrify me too,” she murmurs the soft confession against my skin. “But I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here.”
She offers me the exact reassurance I crave, and it hits a tender spot. My arms wrap around her, and everything agitated inside settles down until all traces of uneasiness are gone, but things have changed. Right here isn't as important as it used to be.
“You don’t have to stay anywhere you don’t want to be. Just stay with me, and I’ll stay with you. Wherever you go, I'll follow.”