“That’s my cue,” Luz says, wrinkling her nose. “No one wants to see their parents make out.”
She flashes away before I can respond. I cover my hand with my mouth. “She just called me her mother.”
“Aren’t you?” Pulling me to him, he kisses my temple.
“I guess I am.” The animosity between us feels like a distance memory. I have my chaton back.
He buries his fingers in my hair and tugs gently until I lean back to peer up at him. “Tonight, you are finally my queen in every way. I never wanted anything more than this. Whatever comes our way we will handle it and prevail because we are together. I will always protect you.”
“And I you, my love. This works both ways.”
“I know.”
He pulls me close, and I inhale his scent, holding on to the moment of stillness among the chaos of the evening. My upcoming coronation, learning the ropes at Cristobal’s side, and making Witch For Hire thrive don’t matter. The moment is our stolen bit of peace. He wraps an arm around my waist and sways us back and forth.
I feel the soft brush of magic and music begins to play in mid-air. Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. It’s our song from when we first dated. The past and the present have finally settled on a meeting point.
“You remembered.” I gaze up at him, knowing he can see the love reflected in my eyes.
“There’s nothing about
you I’ve ever forgotten.” He spins me out and brings me closer. As we dance among the moonlight flowers in the garden he built just for me, I’m inclined to believe him. We are magnets—two polar opposite, inexplicably drawn to one another, unable to break away. Bonded, we are stronger together than apart. I’m head over heels for a vampire. Right or wrong, despite the insinuated danger our union causes, I’m happy. So, I’ll hold onto this moment for as long as I can, and deal with the complications to have these fleeting flashes of flawlessness. Because real life isn’t perfect, but this is damn close.
The End