Tears streaked down her cheek. “Happy tears,” he murmured, brushing one away with the pad of his thumb, because he could see how deeply she felt, and how hard she was trying to stay composed. “The best kind.”
And then they came together, soft, slow, and full of everything unspoken. The bond didn’t spark the fire, but fanned it as they sank into each other, letting love speak a language their mouths couldn’t quite find.
Later, when the world had quieted again and only the sound of their breathing filled the room, Gael ran a light trail along her shoulder and down her arm. Her skin still buzzed beneath his fingertips. “We never finished talking,” he murmured.
Beth made a small, contented noise, eyes half-lidded.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I love you. You’re my mate. But I can’t stop my people from—” He paused, jaw clenching as anger prickled up again.
How could he say it gently? Every version of the truth felt like an insult badly wrapped in tissue paper. The very idea of someone treating her as less than the extraordinary woman she was made his magic stir like a storm beneath the surface.
“From being nasty little bitches?” she offered in a still dreamy voice.
He stilled. Beth wasn’t one to curse lightly, not with that perfect, polished upbringing, but when she did, it was always knife-sharp and perfectly timed. “Well. Yes,” he said, fighting a smile.
“Gael, I was talked down to and treated like a dumb, well-dressed breeding machine for more than half my life.” She stretched, utterly unbothered. “I honestly don’t care if it’s elves, humans, or polka-dotted aliens. They can come at me at their own peril.”
He stared at her for a moment, equal parts impressed and smitten. “You know, if I didn’t already love you, I would have fallen for you just now.”
She grinned and tugged a strand of his hair, curling into his side like they’d always belonged that way.
And in the hush that followed, with her warm against him and the weight of fate somehow feeling lighter, Gael thought,Let them try.
Let the world come.
He had found the one thing worth defending.
Chapter 10
AND SO HE’D LEFT. NOTforever, by any means, and not to the other side of the Earth.
Gael had gone back to Olympia. Because the elf had a job, and his vacation days had been spent.
They talked every day, planned for him to come and stay over the weekend as they navigated their new life. The bond and their feelings might have been older than time, but the relationship was very new and needed to be... organized.
So, all in all, she should not be this gloomy.
From her couch, Beth opened the apple compote she and Gael had made that first afternoon together. She started a movie, something with lots of action and zero sap because she was already an emotional mess, and plunged a spoon into the compote. It was delicious and the perfect way to end the day.
She missed him. In a very physical way. Not just his body, though she absolutely missed the way he felt pressed close to hers or the way he touched her, talked to her. It was deeper than that. Something in her felt misplaced, as if her heart had slipped slightly off-center in his absence, and while she still functioned perfectly well, she felt disquieted. She didn’t care for the sensation.
Which led to another question: how would they fix it?
She wasn’t dumb or delusional. Gael was third in line. He had duties to the High Family and an important job in Olympia. Meanwhile, she was, in fact, a waitress.
She could build on top of that, sure.
She was proud of her job, proud of the way she ran the pub with Elara and Aryon, proud of the community they’d fostered in Mystic Hollow. This weird, magical town had given her something she never thought she’d have: roots, pride, contentment.
But when the inevitable,what’s next?drifted into her thoughts, the simple truth was that, between the two of them, she was the one who could leave.
Did she want to?
No.
Would she, if the alternative was this quiet ache in her chest and missing Gael so much it hurt?
Yeah.
