Page 34 of Accidentally Ever After
“That was…” I began, then faltered, no words adequate to describe what we’d just experienced.
“Yes,” he agreed simply, understanding perfectly. “It was.”
We separated reluctantly, both gasping at the sensitivity as he withdrew. Even this mundane movement sent ripples of light across our painted skin, aftershocks of the intense connection we’d shared.
He settled beside me on the cushions, one wing draped over us both like a living blanket. For a long time, we simply lay there in comfortable silence, watching the patterns of light play across our skin as they gradually dimmed to a gentle glow.
“Did you mean it?” he asked finally, his voice soft in the quiet grotto. “What you said?”
I knew immediately what he was asking. “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I meant it. I love you.” The words came more easily now, beyond the height of passion, spoken with clear intention. “I think I have for a while. I just couldn’t admit it to myself.”
His wing tightened around me, pulling me closer against his side. “I have loved you since you touched my wing in the moonbloom grotto,” he confessed. “Perhaps even before—when you stood in my father’s throne room, defiant despite your fear.”
I laughed softly, turning to face him. “So it took me a little longer. I’m only human.”
His smile was radiant. “You are far more than ‘only’ anything, Blake Morgan.”
We kissed again, slower this time, without the desperate urgency of before. The painted patterns on our skin still lit where we touched, but more gently, like embers rather than flames.
“What happens now?” I asked when we finally broke apart. “With us, I mean.”
His expression grew more serious. “The Spring Conjunction approaches in three weeks’ time. There, you will be formally presented as my consort to the other courts.” His fingers traced one of the painted patterns on my chest. “After tonight’s convergence, our bond is even stronger. Few would dare challenge it.”
“And if they did?”
A hint of steel entered his gaze. “Then they would learn why the Autumn Court is not to be trifled with.”
The protective declaration made me smile despite the seriousness of the topic. “So after the conjunction, it’s official-official? No take-backs?”
“If that is what you wish,” he said carefully. “Though I would not force you to remain if your heart truly desired otherwise.”
I considered this. A month ago, I might have leapt at an escape clause. Now, the thought of returning to my old life—of leaving Caelen and this strange, beautiful realm—felt like contemplating voluntary amputation.
“I want to stay,” I said simply. “With you.”
The joy that bloomed in his expression was worth any sacrifice. “Truly?”
“Truly,” I confirmed. “Though I might negotiate some vacation time to visit Earth occasionally. I do miss pizza.”
He laughed, the sound pure and delighted. “I believe that could be arranged. Perhaps I might even accompany you, to experience this ‘pizza’ that inspires such loyalty.”
The image of Caelen—wings, otherworldly beauty and all—sitting in a New York pizzeria made me laugh. “That would be quite the sight.”
“I can glamour my appearance,” he reminded me. “Though my true form is visible only to you.”
I reached up to trace the elegant line of his pointed ear. “I like your true form. A lot.”
His eyes darkened again, wings shifting restlessly against us. “And I yours,” he murmured, his hand sliding down my chest to my stomach. “Especially adorned in festival paint.”
“Round two?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as his intentions became clear.
“The festival lasts until dawn,” he pointed out, his fingers now tracing the painted patterns on my hip. “And the paint retains its properties throughout.”
“Insatiable,” I accused, though I was already responding to his touch, my body apparently recovered with suspicious speed. Probably more fairy magic.
“Only for you,” he said, his mouth finding the sensitive spot below my ear that always made me shiver.
As his lips traced the painted patterns on my neck, sparking new waves of pleasure, I surrendered to the magic of the night—to the stars above, the paint on our skin, and most of all, to the fairy prince who had somehow become the center of my world.
