34 THEN, NOW, FOREVER #2
She was a day late, but she knew Raum would return to their planned meeting point every day until she appeared.
It was what they always did when one of them was late—something they understood would happen from time to time.
They had to be careful when sneaking away from their requisite duties so as not to arouse suspicion.
He had told her to find him in the market at midday. Said market was large and full of people, but as she passed the sacks of rich spices, dried chilis, vegetables, and grains and spotted the artisan stalls on the street ahead, she knew immediately where she would find him.
Smiling to herself, she hurried forward, searching the crowds for the familiar broad shoulders and proud gait.
And then, there he was.
Her heartbeat accelerated as she spotted him standing at a jeweler’s table, a somewhat vacant expression on his face as the merchant gesticulated at all his various wares, explaining the great skill that had gone into crafting them.
Shaking her head inwardly at her lover’s predictable vices and feeling somewhat mischievous herself, she crept forward silently on slippered feet until she stood directly behind him.
Raising onto her tiptoes so she could be closer to his height, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “They say theft is one of the worst sins known to man.”
He may not have sensed her approach, but his responding instincts were lightning fast. He spun, one hand shooting out and seizing her throat, deadly claws lengthening from his fingers to dig into the soft skin of her neck.
She could have blocked his hold, but she chose to stand still, her lips curving up with an anticipatory smile. Behind them, the merchant sputtered and gasped, but all the world was forgotten as soon as their gazes locked.
His eyes, flashing dangerously, immediately softened with that expression of love and adoration that she dreamed of when they were apart.
“How fortunate I am not a man then,” he said, a grin splitting his beautiful face, his teeth bright white against his dark skin.
She couldn’t help but laugh as his hand released her throat.
“Shamsiel,” he breathed.
“Raum.”
“You’re here.” Before she could say another word, he stepped closer, threw his arms around her, and drew her into a fierce embrace. Her arms came around him in turn, and she held him just as close.
“I missed you,” he breathed against her hair.
“And I you,” she said, pressing her cheek against his warm, strong chest and hearing his heart beat. “Always.”
Eight months had passed since their last meeting. Eight months too long. It was always too long. How it hurt to be apart from him. But it was better to have him like this than not at all.
Their relationship would always be forbidden; there was no changing that in any future.
So they had to make peace with sneaking away and enjoying the short time they had when they could.
There was no conceivable reality where a demon and an angel would be accepted as lovers.
She had made her peace with that long ago.
After several moments, they stepped apart from their embrace, Shamsiel’s face heating with a blush when she realized the scandalized looks they were getting from the merchant who had watched their entire exchange. At least he no longer feared his would-be customer was attacking a random woman.
“Just as lovely as when I last saw you,” Raum said, stroking a finger lightly over her cheek. “No, even lovelier.”
“Tell me you have secured accommodations for us?”
His teeth flashed. “Of course. I always go above and beyond. Come, I’ll show you the way.”
With a farewell to the baffled merchant, they slipped through the crowds hand in hand.
The house Raum had secured for their month together was situated on the edge of Lake Pichola with a stunning view of the palace of Rai Angan, home of the Maharana. They wasted no time finding the privacy of the sleeping quarters, stripping off their clothing, and falling onto the mattress together.
Much later, their bodies sated at last, they stood naked together before a tall mirror.
A soft breeze blew the sheer curtains, and moonlight sparkled on the crystal-clear waters of the lake, but Shamsiel only had eyes for the demon—there was no mistaking what he was in his half-shifted form—who had come up behind her, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. She leaned back against his strong body, relishing the feel of his hard, scaled skin against her softness.
As if by magic, his other hand procured a pair of lavish gold earrings and held them out to her. Shaped like tiny chandeliers, the gemstones set in gold caught the lamplight and sparkled brighter than the stars outside.
“For you, my love,” he said, flashing a smile.
She gasped and took them from his hand, holding them up for closer inspection. So many tiny stones, each one lovingly and carefully wrapped in gold … They were the most beautiful works of art she had ever seen.
“I adore them.” She lowered her prize suddenly and pinned him with a scolding look in the mirror. “But don’t you think it would be a more meaningful gift if you had purchased them instead of stolen them?”
“On the contrary,” he said. “Coins are nothing. I have mountains of them in Hell. Thieving, however, takes great skill, honed only through careful practice.”
She scoffed, but her moral quandary did not prevent her from leaning into the mirror and fastening the earrings to her lobes. The gold shone in contrast against her thick black hair.
Her lover was a demon, and she had long since accepted that there were some darker parts of him that he could not repress, even for her sake. She had chosen to love him regardless.
“You are radiant,” Raum said, sweeping her hair back and placing a kiss against her neck. Her dark eyes met his golden ones in the mirror, and she was immediately lost. She could fall into those eyes and disappear forever, and she would not regret a single thing. “Resplendent.”
“You flatter me,” she replied, soaking in his praise.
“That is nothing.” His eyes were playful as he leaned closer to her. “You are the sun in the sky that gives life to all this world. There is no meaning to my existence without you. I would tear the three realms apart in retribution should anyone ever try to take you from me.”
She spun and threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a passionate kiss, their naked skin lit by flickering candles and silver moonlight.
Sunshine’s eyes popped open to the dark bedroom, a light breeze blowing across her face from the open window.
For a moment, she thought she scented the spices carrying on the fresh breeze, until she inhaled again and smelled the typical stuffy city air.
And then she realized where—or rather, when —she was.
“Raum?” she whispered into the silent bedroom. Her mind was spinning as she tried to assimilate everything from the memory. Her heart ached with a melancholic sort of bliss, the bittersweet joy of a short-lived reunion.
“Yeah.”
Somehow, she’d known he was awake. That the dream-memory had ended for him at the same moment it had ended for her. “Did you—?”
“Yeah.”
They were silent for a time, staring at the ceiling above.
“We were so … happy.”
“I know.”
“But also …”
“It hurt at the same time?” Raum supplied.
“Knowing it could only be temporary. That we would have to separate and not see each other for months.”
More silence stretched on.
“You looked beautiful in those earrings.” This time there was a hint of teasing in his voice.
“I wish I still had them.”
“I’ll get you another pair.”
She doubted that even he would be able to procure her a pair of earrings from nearly five hundred years ago unless he broke into a museum, but she appreciated the thought.
Raum reached over and flicked on the bedside lamp, its soft orange glow dimly lighting their bedroom. He rolled over to face her, propping his head up on a hand. “Bit of a weird memory for Adriel to choose though, yeah?”
She turned her head on the pillow toward him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I didn’t expect him to pick anything really raunchy or anything—”
“Raum!”
“—but based on how he described it, I thought it would be like … important.” He scrunched his face. “That didn’t come out right. I mean, relevant. No, that’s—”
“I know what you mean,” she assured him. “The memory matters to you and me, but not to anyone else.”
“Yeah. He said it might be helpful in the future. I don’t see how.”
“Well, actually, there was more that happened before we met, and I think that may be the reason he picked that memory in particular. You see, I actually met with Adriel right before I came to see you.”
“That’s why you were late?” Golden eyes narrowed. “I was worried about you. Stress stealing and everything.”
She shot him a look. “You would have been stealing anyway. Apparently, you were even worse back then than you are now, if your behavior at the market was anything to go by.”
He shrugged and the corner of his mouth quirked slightly. Nothing like the cocky grin he had worn so casually in her memory, but still a glint of humor nonetheless.
“You used to smile so much,” she murmured, getting momentarily lost in the dream again. The way he’d been so animated, his eyes so bright and playful …
“Yeah.” Raum’s face fell. “After I lost my memories, I was in a pretty dark place for a while. Guess it kinda left its mark.”
She reached over and placed a hand briefly on his cheek before letting it fall back to the pillow. “I loved you then, and I love you now. It doesn’t matter how often you smile.”
His lips curved for her then anyway, and her heart warmed.
“I like your rare smiles now,” she admitted. “It feels like something special just for me. Something I’ve earned.”
He made a face, but she could tell he was secretly pleased. “You don’t have to earn anything, Sunshine. Whatever you want is already yours.”
She beamed at him.