“Stop trying to flirt with me when I’m pissed at you!”
“I’m not trying to flirt with you.” Then, “Is it working?”
“You dick.”
“You love me.”
“I don’t know why.”
“Lies,” he said, and I wanted to kiss his whole face. “This might be good, Sam.” I didn’t want to kiss his whole face after that.
“F
or who?”
He squeezed my arms. “For you. If Randall thinks it’ll help, then you should let him. You didn’t—” He took a deep breath and let it out slow. He chuckled to himself, but it was a rough sound. “You didn’t see yourself. When we found you in Mashallaha after Myrin. I….” He shook his head. “I thought you were… gone.” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. “I can’t go through that again,” he whispered. “If Randall thinks he can help, then you have to let him. If you can’t do it for yourself, then please. Do it for me.”
“That’s not fair,” I said hoarsely.
“I know. But there it is.”
“You’re not trying to send me away so you can get back with Justin, are you?” I asked, laughing even though nothing about it was funny.
Ryan snorted against my face, which was gross, but I loved him, so I let it go. “Oh no. You’ve found me out. Whatever shall I do?”
“Hey,” I said. “You should probably not joke and instead reassure me a little here.”
“I’m not trying to send you away so I can get back with Justin,” Ryan said. “You want to know why?”
“Why?” I asked, even though I knew what he was going to say. I just needed to hear it aloud again.
“Because it’s always been you, Sam. I promise. I promise. I promise, because when I look upon these stars, there is nothing I wish for more than you.”
Myrin had threatened my friends. My family. Ryan. And if Randall was right, Myrin now wanted to fucking eat my magic and make it his own. But even with all of that, even with the weight of everything resting upon my shoulders, I didn’t regret anything that had led me to this moment. To this man standing in front of me. Stone crumbles, but what he and I had was stronger than even that. And no one, not the Darks, not Myrin, no one would take that away from us. I didn’t care about destinies or visions or what the star dragon or the gypsy phuro or the people of Verania thought about me.
Nothing would take him from me.
Not magic.
Not our enemies.
Not the ravages of time.
Nothing.
Chapter 7: Don’t Read This at Work or Church (Because of Butt Sex)
“EVERYTHING OKAY?” Ryan asked as I closed the bedroom door behind me and leaned against it.
“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Succinct as usual.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of my deal, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.”
He was lying on the bed, propped up against the headboard. He wore a soft pair of sleep pants that the servants had left out for us at Mama’s direction. They were slung low on his hips, stretching tightly against his thick thighs. His feet, strangely enough, looked delicate in the flickering candlelight.
He wasn’t wearing anything else, much to my delight. The hard planes of his stomach were covered in a light-colored hair that spread up to his considerable chest. In one hand, he held a book, the edge of which rested against his sternum. His other arm was propped behind his head, bicep bulging, the hair in his pit causing my mouth to go dry.