Page 113 of Hunters and Prey

“Did any of that stuff really happen?”

Her stomach churned. She stared at her plate. “Which stuff?”

“Not the stuff about wizards, obviously,” he said, chuckling. “But what about the dead bodies you saw in the basement.”

Cailyn swallowed. How could she tell him that both parts were completely true?

She faked a grin. “It must have come from a movie I shouldn’t have been watching.”

“Yeah,” he said. He checked his watch. “We better get going soon. I want to catch my parents together before dad heads off to the diner.”

Cailyn nodded. “Good idea. It’ll make it easier that way.”

Asher cleared his throat. He reached into the pocket of his basketball shorts and placed a box on the counter.

“Might as well tell give them the good news early.”

Cailyn’s face drained of color when her eyes landed on the square, cream-colored box.

Tear-filled eyes flickered up to Asher’s.

Her heart beat so fast that she could barely catch her breath. No words came out of her mouth when her lips parted.

Was this really happening?

The smile on Asher’s face was so big that she couldn’t help but do the same.

He took her hand and stood from the bar stool. Gently, he pulled her to her feet.

Cailyn covered her mouth with her other hand as Asher went to one knee.

She balled as he opened the little box, revealing a perfect princess-cut diamond on a white gold band.

“Cailyn,” Asher said, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “I think you know that I’ve loved you since we were kids running around in the woods pretending to be knights of the roundtable.”

Cailyn laughed. She missed those times. They always made up the best games to play together.

“I was one hell of a knight.”

He kissed her hand. “Yes, you were.” He let go of her hand to take the ring from the box. “But I think you’d make an even better wife.”

She beamed through tears of joy.

“Will you be mine?”

She nodded. “Yes!”

He put the ring on her finger and she let out an elated squeal, tackling him to the ground with hugs and kisses.

Laughing, he held her up by her waist while she straddled him on the floor. “Whoa,” he said. “Easy now, baby.”

She laughed. “I love you more than anything. Oh my goodness. You’re going to be my husband!”

He nodded and kissed her full on the lips. “I was going to propose at the Halloween party, but thought I’d do it early since we are leaving.”

“I’m glad you didn’t wait.”

“Good. Now, how does celebrating our engagement in Paris sound?”

Cailyn’s jaw dropped. “Sounds like a dream.”

He kissed her again. “Good, because I want to replace your nightmares with only dreams of happiness and our lives together.”

Her heart melted at those words.

How can I be so lucky?

Life couldn’t get any better at that moment. Still, something in her stomach made her feel a bit queasy. Perhaps it was her constant fear that when things were going right that something always seemed to go wrong. She shoved that feeling and notion aside and just prayed that nothing would rip her happiness away.

---