“Ooo, yes.” Batilda rubs her hands together. “You are wasted on that loom, Laini!”
I shake my head as she waves farewell and starts toward the cider cart, where Grumlin and Tully are handing out drinks.
Rom meets my pace as I hurry toward the forest. I look over my shoulder to see some folks gesturing toward Rom. I hope their gossip is the fun, sweet type. I trip over a fallen branch, and Rom catches me.
I look up at him. “I just realized I wasn’t nervous at all when everyone noticed us together. Well, I was a touch worried about how they wouldtreat you. But I wasn’t even thinking about them making fun of me or giving me trouble. Maybe I should try focusing on others more often instead of rushing through town and avoiding them.” I laugh at myself.
“Aw, don’t do that, Laini. You are not egotistical. You went through something awful, and now you’re growing through it. I am, too.”
“We’re fantastic.”
He ducks under a branch that wouldn’t even have brushed the top of my head. “We kind of are.”
The forest grows darker as the branches thicken and block out the light of the party and the full moon. Rom stays close enough that I can feel his breath dusting over the back of my neck every once in a while. I love it. I feel safe even though there are likely bears and wolves not far off. No beast will want to tangle with the monster at my back.
A little snort has me lifting my head, and I spot Spark in a small clearing. He is flying in erratic circles in the wheaten glow of the moon, his wings tapping the tree branches one moment and the tips of some tall grass and pale flowers the next. There’s another shape in the clearing—small, white as the flowers nearby. What is it?
Rom comes upbeside me, and we work our way through some dormant blackberry bushes to reach Spark.
“It’s another dragonfox,” Rom says.
Sure enough, the moon-white shape is another dragonfox, but one without the color of Spark’s fur and scales. This creature is completely snowy in hue. It rolls onto its back, wings tucked, and coos up at Spark. Spark wheels down and barks out orange sparks at the other dragonfox. The white one leaps into the air, and they fly over our heads, going back toward the party. My heart is light, and I exhale in relief.
“He found a friend!” I clasp my hands together and watch them fade into the forest, sparks dancing in their wake. Leaning on Rom’s arm, I continue, “He’s been acting so odd, do you remember?”
“Aye. I saw him fleeing town like he was on a mission.”
A laugh bubbles from me, and he laces an arm around my waist.
“I thought something was wrong, but all this time, it’s just been a girlfriend.”
Rom chuckles and turns me to face him. The moon paints his horns, sharp cheekbones, and strong jaw gold. He tucks a fallen lock of hair behindmy ear, and pleasant shivers skim my arm. I feel like I’ve had four meads instead of one.
“May I?” I ask, going on tiptoe.
“Kiss me?”
“Yes.” I put my hands on his powerful shoulders, loving the sensation of his stone-hard body against me.
Chapter 13
Laini
“You never have to ask. I always want your kisses, Laini.”
His hand slips over my jaw and brushes his thumb over my cheek. Warmth pools between my thighs, and he pulls me even closer. His other hand goes to the nape of my neck, then he grasps the knot of my braided hair and tips my face upward. I gasp, and he pauses, his eyes asking if I am all right with this.
“Please, kiss me, Romulus.”
“As you command,” he whispers in that low, gravelly voice that makes my nipples pebble beneath my dress.
His lips part as they meet mine, and his forked tongue sweeps over my tongue. My blood rocketsthrough my veins, and I fist his tunic in my hands, pressing against him. With his gargoyle fangs, he nips at my lower lip and then at the hollow of my throat. I moan, and he growls low. In one graceful movement, he has us on the ground. The tall, soft grass bends to become a bed for us, and I tilt my head up to enjoy the way he is kissing his way across my collarbone. The pale flowers dance over my head, their surface sparkling like ice in the cold night air.
Realization hits me. “Rom.”
He looks up, his eyes half-lidded and so seductive that I can hardly breathe looking at them glow. “Yes?”
“Those flowers. They’re moonpetals. That’s why…” I gesture between us. “And with practically the entire town just a quick walk away.”
