Page 146 of Happily Ever Witch
He looked a little confused by that idea. “No.”
“Yes. Youalwayshave to decide. Youalwayshave to choose to fight for it or fight against it. And we’re both fighting for it. Nothing can stop people like us. Not when we know what we want. We don’t quit.”
His head tilted. “Death or freedom.” He quoted.
“Death or freedom.” She agreed. “I have foughtformy happily ever after. That is my freedom. I need my True Love to make that happen. And the dragon I’m mated to…?” She arched a brow. “He’s the one.”
Trevelyan stared at her, listening intently. “And if hewasn’tthe one?”
“He’s ninety-eight percent Bad. If hewasn’tmy True Love, that evil bastard would just figure out a way to create a True Love bond between us. Because he would never,everrisk sharing me with anyone else.”
Green eyes gleamed, tension easing from his shoulders.
“Dragons don’t share.” She gave him an arched smile.
“Marriages, True Loves, mates… That’s the most complex magic in any land.” Trevelyan reminded her piously. “Very advanced. Messing with that is taboo.”
She leaned closer to him. “I’ve seen you do it, though. In the Four Kingdoms, with Cinderella and Prince Charming. I’ve seen you cross every line that got in your way.”
His mouth curved.
“Would you cross lines to have me, Trev?”
“My darling, thereareno lines, where you’re concerned.”
That made her laugh. Yeah… the man would never be tamed. Wildness and rebellion were a part of him. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
His hand reached out to toy with her hair. “I don’t have to use a spell. Everything between us is real. But, we both know I would drain every drop of dark magic in the world, if that’s what it took to steal you away from someone else.”
She wrinkled her nose in delight. “You see why I chose you? You’re a fucking lunatic for me! A witch needs that in her life.Youare my happily ever after.” Her hand cupped his cheek. “All the bonds between us --True Love and mating andmarriage-- They’re just different names for what we both already know: It’s you and me, dragon. Forever.”
He dropped his forehead to hers, breathing deep. “If they’re all the same, why is there an issue? Marry me, witch.”
“Nope. Still pissed. Ask again later.”
His smile was a thing of beauty. “You’d better eventually say yes. …Ireallywant my half of that nail polish company.”
Esmeralda grinned back at him. “You’re not coming near Happily Ever Witch Cosmetics. You’ll hunt down the first person who leaves us a bad review online.”
“So?”
“So, we can’t kill our customers. Dead people don’t make for repeat business.”
He frowned at that logic, searching for a loophole. Dragons were not a natural fit for customer service. “Oh.” Learning he couldn’t just pick-off any troublesome clientele had him rapidly losing interest in the cosmetics industry.
Esmeralda decided to throw him a bone. “I can do dragon-green polish for you, though.” She caught hold of his hand again. “Maybe it’ll be my new bestseller.”
Trevelyan watched with interest, as she brought his fingers to her lips and blew across his nails, painting them with her powers.
If Wonderland wanted to see her excel at magic, she might as well start with her biggest talents. Every bit of Esmeralda’s energy went into giving Trevelyan the very best manicure she could. Amazingly, using her Good powers wasn’t hard. Once she tried, it came naturally. It made her thinkmaybe she used them all the time in her transmogrifying, and she just didn’t notice. That’s why it was the one type of spell that worked.
Trevelyan looked slightly awed, as his nails became lacquered in iridescent green. The shade was an exact match for the scales of his dragon, shimmering with a million subtle colors that didn’t exactly exist, and the sparkle of unadulterated magic, and a whole lot of feelings she couldn’t quite hide. It was the best work she’d ever done.
Trevelyan clearly thought so, too. “Oh, we’re never selling this color.” He decided, moving his hand to watch it shift in the light.
“No?”
His eyes lifted to hers. “No,” he leaned in to kiss her softly, “this one is just mine.”
