Page 56 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
For years, I believed the Videt wielded a power meant only to rule and control, to crush anyone without power. But now, it’s becoming something else—something better.
I turned to him, my chest so full I thought I might burst. He had done this, quietly and steadily, while I was too afraid to believe it could ever change.
And all that time, he’d kept his distance. Never touching me, not even when I wanted him to, needed him to.
In that moment, I could hold back no longer. I reached for him, hand shaking as I touched his chest. When he didn’t pull away, I stood on my toes and kissed him. It wasn’t soft or hesitant, but filled with everything I’d buried. Grief. Hope. Love.
For a moment, he froze, and I thought perhaps I’d imagined everything between us.
Then he kissed me back, fierce and unrelenting, like he’d been waiting and wanting just as long as I had.
When we broke apart, I couldn’t look at him. But he cupped my face gently, guiding my eyes upward until they met his. “You’ll never need to be afraid here again.” His voice was rough and filled with something deeper than promise. “Not while I still draw breath. Not while this place answers to me.”
CHAPTER 20
Lochlan
“WHAT THE STARS SAY TODAY - VENUS IS UP TO NO GOOD, WEAR PROTECTION!” —A PAGANS BLOG
Lochlan rushed home after the encounter with Wulfric, hoping to find Nia still in bed. But all that was left for him was her handwriting on his own note.
You make such good coffee, N xx
Between Nia, her father, and those insistent x’s, he couldn’t focus.
Filled with plants and tools essential for repairing old tomes and manuscripts, Lochlan’s office held the soothing scents of soil, old paper, and the subtle fragrances of the flowers he tended. But the familiar surroundings did nothing to help him find peace. His fingers traced the recently repaired page. He’d only managed to finish one in the past few hours, a number that should have been four or five or six.
Lochlan knew he should keep working, but his mind was elsewhere, replaying recent moments with Nia.
“Did carrying me get that going,” she’d teased, her eyes dragging deliberately over him, leaving a desperate want in their wake. “Or the thought of me naked on the other side of the wall?”
The memory of her voice, low and rough, curled in his chest like smoke. But it wasn’t just the fire twisting through him that pulled his thoughts from his work. Hunger churned low in his body, yes—but it wasn’t just that.
He wanted more.
He wanted to know Nia’s thoughts and her fears, wanted to see her quiet smiles in the mornings. He wanted to hear the way her laugh sounded like it was breaking free from her, untamed and unstoppable. He wanted every piece of her she’d ever been afraid to give anyone else. And he wanted her to want that from him, too. Not just teasing barbs or fleeting touches—he wanted something real and whole.
If Nia didn’t want the same thing, could he give in to the desire burning between them, knowing it was only for a moment?
The sound of someone at the front door pulled Lochlan from his thoughts. It was strange; no one from work should be delivering new projects to him, and this set of diaries still had weeks of work left. Jade left her spot next to his chair and began scratching at the door, eager to get out. Lochlan’s heart skipped a beat.
Maybe Nia was back from wherever she’d gone.
As soon as he opened the door, Jade hurried down the stairs. He shut it again before following her, moving silently as hesitation gripped him. At the bottom, he paused, heart pounding as he peered into the kitchen.
Nia was there, rummaging through a few shopping bags, her movements brisk and efficient. Two Goblin Grind cups sat on the counter, their rich smell mingling with the scent of fresh pastries. He watched her, wondering what she was doing.
And how to move forward after the previous night.
She greeted Jade warmly and took off her collar, which was strange. Then Nia pulled out three large candles from a bag and did something with them he couldn’t quite see. When she placed one in a holder, he noticed his name carved into the black wax.
His feet started moving before his mind could catch up.
“What is this?” Lochlan picked up the candle, his name flickering against the wax as he turned it in his hands. He nodded to the bags on the counter. “All of this?”
Nia sighed and handed him a coffee. As their fingers grazed, a warm echo thrummed under his skin.
“Last night, my father wormed his way into my mind, bypassing all the protective spells I’d cast against him. Freaking jerk.”
