“And gamble with your life,” he growls.
I nuzzle into his neck. “I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
The rumbling in his chest settles. “I have a hard time remaining mad about anything with you here like this.” He squeezes me gently.
I chuckle and wiggle against him. He hums happily.
My body feels much more settled into this new connection now, so I manage to sit up in the bed and take a thorough look around.
“Okay, so, are you going to explain exactly how this room is in Oriziah?”
Jarron sits up with me but keeps his arms tightly on my thigh and waist, ensuring I remain close. “The door is a portal.”
He says it casually, like it’s such a normal thing. My jaw drops.
Then, I hop up, throw on my underwear and T-shirt, then rush over to examine it. Yes, I was nearly incapacitated when we entered, but I can’t imagine I missed the part where we passed throughanotherportal.
“Remember, I have some very clever friends capable of very interesting things.”
I swing open the door; it looks mundane. I clearly see the open hall of the beach house and even the partially ajar room where we had our date last night. I step through the doorway. I am in the hall, but there is no rush of magic. No shimmer. No dip of cold. The air is lighter though, I realize. I breathe deeply, releasing tension I hadn’t noticed among all the other new sensations.
I walk just far enough to see the window looking out at the sand dunes, just a peek of the ocean in the far distance. The sun is shining low, the sky at the beginning stages of a cotton candy sunset.
I am clearly on Earth. I march back to the bedroom doorway. Jarron is still sitting on the bed, waiting for me to return. I cross the boundary, searching for anything to reveal the change in dimensions, but there’s nothing.
“How?”
Jarron shrugs. “I was just as amazed as you are. She spent months working on it.”
“Are you planning to kill her too?” I cross my arms and pop a hip.
He wrinkles his nose as anger swells up and eases into a simmer. “She will need to be dealt with in some form or another. She was gambling with something she knew was incredibly precious to me. I will not forgive that easily.”
My eyes narrow. “So, she knew that I was your chosen?”
“I suspect she did, but not because I told her. She did the portal work for this house two years ago before nearly anything was in here. There was no reason to suspect who it may have been for, even if she recognized the cultural significance.”
“You’ve been working on it for two years?”
He nods. “I began not long after you abandoned our friendship.”
Abandoned. “Did—did it hurt you that much?” I ask. “Because of the whole chosen thing?”
He examines his own feelings. There’s tension there, a distant ache, but nothing significant. “Yes and no. Not in the way you’re thinking. I was sad to lose access to you and our friendship, but I recognized it as a healthy and normal separation. You and I both needed time to grow up. I was willing to wait. I did not think it was a detrimental blow to my chances of earning you. Of course, I didn’t realize the full extent of what I did that night. If I’d realized I harmed your sister, I would have—I don’t know. But I would have done more.”
“And you also would have been extra anxious for the next few years?” I guess.
He swallows and nods.
“Then, it’s probably better this way.”
He’s not convinced, but he doesn’t say any more.
“So, can I see the rest of the house? Since I was a good girl and didn’t go sneaking around when I had the chance.”
Jarron’s lips slowly slide into an amused grin. “I would love to show the home I made for you.”
I shiver at those words. He made this for me.
