CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

Ryn rolls me onto my side so that he’s lying next to me. “Okay.” He kisses my chin. “You don’t need to say anything.” Another kiss on my neck. “I think I got your answer loud and clear.”

I trace my fingers from his brow down to his chin. “If this is coming home,” I say in a breathless whisper, “let’s never leave.”

“I don’t plan to.” He catches my fingers and kisses them. “Sit up,” he whispers, then moves behind me and pulls me against his chest. His legs hem me in on either side. He brushes my hair aside and kisses me behind my ear before wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder.

I can’t believe how happy I am right now. It seems stupid that I pushed these feelings away for so long when they have the ability to bring so much joy.

“It was the tiny glowing butts that changed your mind, wasn’t it?” Ryn says. I can hear the amusement in his voice.

“It was everything. The bracelet, the magic carpet, the glow-bugs, finding my mother’s tokehari. I’ve known for a while how I feel about you, but I didn’t believe until tonight that you felt the same way.”

“And yet I knew about my feelings before you knew about yours.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That weird moment we had in the bathroom at the Harts’ house was the moment I knew I didn’t think of you as a friend anymore. I’ve wanted more from you ever since then.”

“But you didn’t say anything.”

“Of course not. You didn’t feel the same way, so what would the point have been? Every now and then I’d get a hint of something more from you, but it was always so fleeting that I assumed I’d imagined it. It was only while dancing at the grad ball that you must have let your guard down, and I finally knew what you were feeling. I’m pretty sure it was you who set that ice tree on fire, by the way. The one Councilor Starkweather was talking about.”

“Yeah, I think you may be right.” Thank goodness no one else realized the real reason for that little explosion. “Wait a sec,” I say, remembering something. “When we were writing our assignment reports in the gargan tree, and that branch caught on fire, was that me too? Because I thought I was doing a pretty good job of suppressing my feelings back then.”

“Uh, that one may have been me.”

“Aha, so I’m not the only one who loses control.” I twist my head to the side as I try to look at him.

He pulls back from me slightly and flashes his mischievous grin. “V, did you see the damage in Princess Olivia’s sitting room? I think it’s pretty clear we both lose control in certain situations.”

He tightens his arms around me as I rest against him once more. “So, um, this ability of yours” I say. “You feel everything from everyone who’s around you?”

“Yes.”

“That must get a little overwhelming.”

“Very. It’s the reason I spend so much time alone and in the human realm.”

“You can’t feel human emotions?”

“No, only the emotions of those with magic.” He covers my clasped hands with one of his and rubs his thumb back and forth over my skin. “It’s so loud being somewhere like the Guild. I mean, I’ve learned to filter it to a certain extent, but sometimes it still becomes too much, and I want everyone to just … leave. That’s why I act like a jerk occasionally. It’s the quickest way to get rid of people.”

“Occasionally?”

“Okay, that might have been an understatement.”

“Have you tried being nice to people instead of being a jerk? Then it wouldn’t matter that you’re feeling their emotions because they would be positive emotions instead of this-guy-is-a-jerk-I-want-to-hit-him emotions.”

“Positive emotions can be overwhelming too, if there are enough of them. And can you imagine what it would be like if I was nice to everyone?” He lowers his voice and puts his lips next to my ear. “All the girls would be after me then. It would be a complete mess.”

I laugh. “Right. Of course that’s what would happen.”

Ryn hugs me tighter. “I told you I love your sarcasm, Sexy Pixie.”

“As much as I love that name.” As he laughs, I realize something else. “This is why Reed’s death hit you harder than anyone else, right? Because you had to feel everyone else’s pain as well as your own?”

Ryn’s hair brushes mine as he nods. “And it’s why I couldn’t just ‘move on’ like you did. Because I still feel my mother’s pain every day. But, like I told you before, I’m trying.” He kisses my cheek. “Oh, and that ‘weird habit’ you noticed? Pressing my hand to my chest?”

“Yes?”

“When people feel emotion that’s strong and sudden, it kind of gives me this momentary ache. I guess I developed that habit without realizing it. It surprised me that you noticed.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure no one else did.” I tilt my head back and look up at the sky. Some of the glow-bugs have disappeared, but there are still enough above us to make it look like the reflection of an ocean filled with phosphorescent creatures. I don’t want to leave here, but I know the night will have to end. I’ll have to return home and do non-thrilling things like decide what course my life is going to take now.

Ryn, who, of course, can sense the subtle change in my mood, asks, “What do you think about the Guild’s job offer?”

“How did you know they offered me a job?”

“They offered me a job, so obviously they offered you one too. What are you thinking? I assume you have to tell them by tomorrow, like I do.”

“Yes.” I pull one of my hands out from beneath his and twist a piece of hair around my finger. “It makes sense to take it, I suppose. My life’s purpose is to protect people, and I can do that best through the Guild.”

“But?”

I smile at the fact that he knows there’s a ‘but.’ “Well, it’s kind of a predictable path, isn’t it? We’d be put in teams and spend a year doing different kinds of assignments. After that, we’d decide which department we want to join, get put into new teams, and spend the next few decades working the same kind of assignments with the same people.”

“Yeah. Unless the Guild is attacked, all guardians are defeated, and life is never the same again.”

“Well, it would certainly be a lot more exciting if the Guild were attacked.” I drop my hand and sigh. “It’s just that I’ve always dreamed about graduating and working for the Guild, but now that I’m here, I wonder if there isn’t a better option.”

“Like offering your private services to wealthy fae in need of personal protection? Because somehow I think you’d pick a dangerous assignment over being a bodyguard any day.”

“Definitely.”

“And if you were at the Guild, you’d have me.” He slips the edge of my jacket off my shoulder, and his lips brush a burning trail along my bare skin. “We could kick dangerous-fae butt together instead of you being out there on your own.” He pulls away, leaving my shoulder cold. “But don’t let me influence your decision in any way. It’s up to you, of course.”

“Oh, right, whatever.” I laugh. “If that wasn’t you trying to influence me, then I don’t know what is.”

“You don’t? Would you like me to show you?” In a second, he’s jumped up, pulled me to my feet, and caught me in his arms. “If I were really trying to influence you, it might go something like this.” He lifts my left arm, pushes my sleeve slowly back, and touches his lips to the inside of my wrist, right where my guardian markings are. His kiss sends a shiver along my arm and up my neck. When his kisses reach the crook of my elbow, he reaches up and cups my face with his hands. He brings his lips close to mine, but instead of kissing me, he holds his head just close enough for me to feel his heat but not his touch. He whispers, “How much would you miss this if you were far away from me all the time?”

Instead of answering, I close the gap between us and press my lips hard against his. Now that I’ve taken the leap and decided to trust that he wants this as much as I do, I can’t seem to get enough of him. And the way he holds me close and molds his body to mine tells me he feels the same way. When my head is spinning so much the glow-bugs seem to be dancing in zigzaggy lines around us, I pull away from him. “I’d hate to ruin this moment by falling off the carpet,” I say, my words more than a little breathless, “so perhaps we should head back?”

He leans his forehead against mine. “Have I told you that I hate it when you’re right?”

“Many times.”

The magic carpet carries us back to the hollow at the top of the gargan tree. I could easily hop off by myself, but Ryn clearly wants to help me down, and, since I love the feel of his hands around my waist, I don’t argue.

He rolls up the carpet and tucks it beneath his arm. He opens his mouth to say something, but a soft smile spreads across his features, and he leans forward to kiss me instead. Moments later, his lips leave mine with a sigh. “I need to return the carpet,” he says. “I’ll only be a few minutes. Then we can spend the rest of the evening doing whatever you want.” He heads off along one of the branches, leaving me with a ridiculously huge smile on my face. I press my hands against my chest, feeling like I need to hold my elation in so it doesn’t explode out of me.

“Vi?”

All feeling in my chest drops down to my toes and vanishes, leaving my body cold.

That voice. I know it.

“Vi, is that you?”

I turn slowly. In a doorway outlined against the gargan’s widest branch, stands the last person I want to see.

Nate.