“You’re an idiot.”
“No argument from me there. Look, you can be mad at me all you want, but can you kiss me now? Please? I really would like it if you kissed me. And if you don’t want to, that’s okay. Well, it’s really not, and I’ll probably be emotionally devastated and have to write in my diary—I mean my Grimoire—about all my feelings with snippets of emo songs written in the corners that have lyrics like you broke my heart / why did we even start / to love, my loving love. I mean, I know you and Justin probably have His and His monogrammed bejeweled dildos that you fuck each other with at the dinner table and—”
And he was kissing me. Somehow, as if by magic, he’d moved across the room, taken my face in his hands, and was kissing me with all his might. His fingers dug into my skin, and his lips were hot and—
He pulled away, frowning and panting and all around being rather devastating up close. “His and His monogrammed what?”
“No,” I mumbled, trying to put my face back on his face. “No, ignore that. Go back to the whole kissing thing. I really like the kissing thing. You were so good at that. Stop talking and put your mouth on my mouth.”
“I don’t know if I can after that.”
“Yes, you can. I believe in you.”
“And wouldn’t bejeweled dildos hurt? Like, those would just—”
I kissed him. He groaned against my mouth and held on to me just as tightly as I was to him. My magic sang, the green and gold bursting brightly within me. And I knew the moment he felt it because he gasped, mouth open, hot and wet, and there were tongues and teeth and a sense of such great familiarity. Of being back where I belonged. Because no matter what the Great White said, no matter what he wanted me to believe, Ryan Foxheart was my cornerstone. I’d proven to GW that I could stand on my own. I’d done what he’d asked of me. But he couldn’t understand that while I believed in myself, while I could stand on my own, I didn’t have to. I had people who would hold me up should I begin to stumble. I had Gary. And Tiggy. And Kevin. I had Justin and the King. I had my parents. I had Randall, wherever he was. I had the memories of Morgan, something that would never be taken from me.
And I had Ryan Foxheart.
My heart was lightning-struck, and he held it in his hands as if it were something miraculous. Something precious. Even after all this time, after everything I’d done.
The Great White didn’t understand that. And I didn’t think he ever would.
But it wasn’t my job to convince him otherwise.
I’d gone to the forest an apprentice.
And I’d found something unexpected.
Myself.
And now I’d returned as a wizard, and I was going to—
“Oh my gods,” I groaned as Ryan began to gnaw on my neck, sucking a mark. “I’m going to fucking destroy you. I really hope you don’t li
ke walking straight, because by the time I’m done with you, people are gonna think one of your legs is shorter than the other. You’re gonna be walking in circles. In fact, I’m gonna fuck you cross-eyed too, you son of a bitch, so I hope you’re okay with just being an all-around mess.”
“I’m still mad at you,” he growled against my throat. “Really pissed off.”
“Totally fine, dude. Angry sex is awesome. Like, pressing up against the wall and wow, that is your dick right on my thigh. I’m going to be honest, it’s been a super long time, so this is probably going to last about another twenty-six seconds. I’m not even embarrassed right now.”
“I don’t care,” he muttered, grinding his hips against mine. “Fucking come in your trousers if you need to. I’ll just lick it up when you’re done.”
“That’s fucking dirty. I approve so much, you don’t even know—”
And then came a knock at the door.
“Ignore it,” I said, gripping Ryan’s dick through the wool and trying to jerk him off. The awkward angle pulled against my wrist, but I was pretty damn good at awkward, so I figured I could make it work. “It’s probably nothing important. A salesman or something.”
“I told you guys you had an hour!” a voice bellowed through the door.
“That’s probably nothing too,” I said as Ryan groaned while I stroked him, squeezing him tight. “I doubt that’s even really Justin. Sounds like an impersonator.”
“I command you as the Prince of Verania to not be having sex right now. Get your asses out here! Don’t make me come in there and see something I don’t want to see, especially if it’s Sam in any state of undress.”
“He loves me,” I told Ryan as his hips snapped against my hand. “Did you guys sit around a fire and tell stories about how much you missed me and how empty your lives were without me?”
Ryan’s eyes were glazed over as he pressed his forehead against mine. I gave a practiced twist of my wrist and Ryan came with a drawn-out moan, warmth spreading underneath my hand.