Page 80 of Unmasked Prophecy

“No!” Her eyes are wide, and she claps her hands together.

“Really?” he teases lightly. “I thought you had, so I thought we might give it a miss...”

Her eyes widen, and he chuckles low.

“Just kidding.”

She exhales, then her face lights up again. “Do they have popcorn?”

“Popcorn, candy apples, rides,” Talon ticks them off, one by one, his voice teasing. “Maybe even a pony or two.”

Lily’s mouth forms an O, and she claps her hands again, more insistently this time. “Get up! Get up!”

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, feeling the soft carpet beneath my feet. The thought of the fair, of seeing it all through Lily’s eyes, fills me with a joy I’ve never known. It’s been a long journey to this moment, to this life, and sometimes I still can’t believe it’s real.

Talon watches me, his gaze steady and full of something that makes my heart skip.Love.

“How’d we end up with the most impatient child in the world?” he asks, his tone mock-serious.

I grin, leaning over to kiss him, the contact quick but electric. “No idea,” I say, pulling back and meeting his eyes. “But I wouldn’t trade her for anything.”

Lily jumps off the bed, a whirlwind of motion, and runs to the door, her little arms pumping, pigtails flying. We hear her footsteps recede, then the soft thud of her colliding with someone.

“Kael!” Her voice is bright, triumphant. “I’m going to the fair!”

Talon chuckles, the sound rumbling in his chest. “Poor bastard,” he says, pulling me closer, and I can’t help but laugh with him.

Outside, Kael’s voice is muffled but amused. “Whoa there, Lilypad. You gonna leave me behind?”

Then Lily again, breathless. “I gotta get my boots!”

Talon’s hands are on my waist, and before I know it, he’s lifted me effortlessly onto his lap. I feel the heat of him through my skin, and my breath catches as I stare at his lips, longing to get lost in them before we go. But he and I both know, that’s not going to happen.

Kids.

Who knew.

His eyes lock onto mine, and everything else fades away, he doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that Lily could come back in. No, he presses his lips to mine. The kiss is deep and unhurried, a promise more than a claim, and my heart stutters in my chest, then settles into a slow, fierce beat that matches his.

He pulls back slightly, enough to murmur against my mouth, “Later, I’m takin’ you for a ride.”

I look at him, my pulse thudding. “A ride?” I arch a brow.

“On my bike.” His grin is wicked, a flash of teeth that sends shivers down my spine. “And maybe me,ifyou’re lucky.”

I can’t help the way my face heats, the way a laugh escapes me, breathless and exhilarated. “Oh, I was looking forward to the bike,” I tease.

Talon’s expression softens, a rare tenderness cutting through his usual hard edges. “Can fuck me on the bike, if you’re feeling energetic.”

My cheeks flush.

Oh.

Now that does sound fun.

Outside, we hear Kael’s voice again. “C’mon then, slowpoke. Let’s find those boots.”

I shift on Talon’s lap, the movement deliberate, feeling the way he tenses beneath me, a delicious ripple of energy between us. “I can’t wait,” I say, and I mean it in every way.

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