Oh, it had been real, all right. Very, very real.
A flush of warmth spread over my cheeks as the memories came flooding back. The feelings of his tail sliding into me…the way he had murmured those hot, dirty words of praise while stroking my most sensitive places. The heat…the fullness…and the incredibly intense orgasm that followed. Not to mention the way he had tasted me first, eating me like I was a delicious delicacy he wanted to savor.
God, no one had ever touched me like that—not even Craig. I had loved my late husband and had always thought we’d had a decent sex life. But the last two nights had taught me the difference in decent and extraordinary. Being with Shadow had given me a whole new perspective—the monster under my bed was the best lover I’d ever had.
And now I couldn’t stop smiling.
I lay there for another minute, one hand drifting over my belly, the other brushing the sheets where Shadow had been. Tonight, I thought. Tonight, I’m going to let him knot me. I want him real. I want him forever.
That thought settled something inside me—a decision I hadn’t even known I’d been making. My monster wasn’t just some fantasy or figment anymore—he was mine. My protector…my lover. And I wanted to make that permanent.
But I couldn’t spend the day mooning over last night’s magical orgasms—I needed to get moving. I slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom, stretching as I went. The shower was warm and quick—just enough to rinse the stickiness off my thighs without disturbing the creamy heat Shadow had filled me with. I didn’t want to wash it away, especially if it was helping me get ready for his knot.
Afterward, I towel-dried my hair and pulled on a cozy tunic sweater in pumpkin spice orange, leggings, and my knee-high leather boots. A quick glance in the mirror told me I looked like someone ready for a crisp fall morning in a magical town.
And maybe a croissant.
I had a sudden craving for one of those flaky, buttery pastries from The Lost Lamb Bakery. My stomach growled in agreement.
I went to The Lost Lamb to get a croissant and some hot cocoa and then came back home for the day. It seemed strange to me that the cottage already felt like my permanent residence, but I wasn’t complaining. The house I’d lived in with Craig for the past fifteen years was beginning to seem like a distant memory, but since so many of the memories I had there were sad, that didn’t bother me.
I spent the day making a comprehensive list of all the things I’d need to open my own knitting store right there in the cottage. I had big plans for the evening.
First, I was going to go to the edge of the bubble that surrounded the town right at sunset. (I spent some time around noon going out to look for it. Luckily, it wasn’t far—just about fifty feet past the edge of my own backyard.) I planned to cross through it and find the wishing tree the moment the sun set.
Then, as soon as I had placed my order with the tree, I was going to go straight back home and make love with Shadow. I was going to let him knot me and bring him into the real world permanently so that we could spend our lives together.
After that, I was going to set up my own knitting store and sell yarn and equipment and offer lessons. Shadow and I would live happily ever after in Hidden Hollow and the rest of my life would be peaceful and bright and sunny.
I had it all laid out in my mind—how happy we were going to be together and how perfectly wonderful the future would be.
But if I’d had any idea of the trouble I was about to land in, I wouldn’t have felt nearly so happy…or so safe.
33
DANNI
The edge of the magic barrier shimmered like a giant soap bubble stretching from the earth to the sky. I could see the rainbow swirls running over its translucent surface, gliding and warping like oil in water. In some places it looked a little thin—patched or worn, maybe. Like it really did need shoring up, just as Goody Albright and the others had said at the meeting in Goldie’s Diner.
And here I was, supposedly one of the witches called to help reinforce it.
Except I wasn’t sure I belonged.
I’d had magic once—at least, I thought I had. I must have, if Shadow could come to me when I was a little girl. And since the cottage had opened to me and the bubble had let me through into Hidden Hollow in the first place, presumably I still had at least a little.
But I didn’t know how to call it anymore—didn’t know how to make anything work magically, as I had when I was a kid.
Still, I wasn’t complaining—at least I’d had enough to get here. Hidden Hollow was the first place that had felt like home in years. And once I had the supplies for the knitting shop I was going to open and I was bonded to Shadow, I wouldn’t just be visiting—I’d belong.
For good.
The last curve of the sun dropped below the horizon, and the golden twilight dissolved into true dusk. The temperature dipped, a soft breeze brushing my cheeks.
I drew in a steadying breath and stepped forward.
The bubble gave a bit of resistance, like walking through warm Jell-O. And then it slipped gently around me, letting me through without a fuss.
I found myself in the woods just behind the cottage. When I turned, I could still see the faint outlines of my grandmother’s garden—the tomato plants heavy with ripe fruit. I really needed to harvest them. Tomorrow, I promised myself.
