My heart filled with desire and flowed from my lips. “I love you, Kade,” I breathed.
He paused, panting. His eyes burning with desire, locked onto mine. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted since the day we met. It’s all I’ve ever needed.”
He kissed me again, and then Caleb snorted, throwing us right back into reality.
I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. “We’re hopeless, aren’t we?”
“Yes. But at least we’re together for now.”
“I don’t think I can be away from you,” I admitted.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way,” he winked.
Kade always had a way of making me smile. A thought crossed my mind and I randomly blurted out a question. “Do you think it will hurt?”
His eyes went wide, before narrowing. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry,” I giggled. “My transformation. Do you think my transformation will hurt?”
“I don’t know. I never transformed. I was born immortal, remember?” he said, then his gaze went distant for a moment. “But I’m sure Alaine can tell you, or even Ethon.” He said Ethon’s name like it had left a bitter taste on his tongue.
“I never wanted to seal any bond before my birthday. I had a vision of how I wanted my first time to be. I was going to be married, and have a real wedding with everyone I ever loved there. And after, a romantic honeymoon. The thought of it being forced before my birthday terrifies me.”
“The thought that it will most likely be Ethon terrifies me.”
I shook my head.
“I thought I had more time, but I just lost three months of my life.”
“Yeah, thirty days isn’t much time. Let’s hope Alaine finds a loophole. She seems to have a knack for finding information.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I am hoping.”
We wrapped our arms around each other, not knowing if this would be our last embrace. All we could do was hold on to hope. And for this brief moment in time, I just wanted him to hold me.
THE HOUSE WAS CLEARED OF the Darkling and cleaned top to bottom, but the stench lingered for at least a week. Courtney and Caleb stayed downstairs in Alaine’s study, carefully guarded by James, while Alaine made all the necessary arrangements for them.
Workers had come in to fix all the damage done during the attack. Alaine tried to explain that the house had been broken into while we were away on a vacation, and they bought her story. Within three weeks everything was fixed. Although the house looked nearly new, the atmosphere wasn’t the same. It had been violated, and its scars were masked with drywall and paint. The truth would remain secret, and only remembered by those who endured the horrors.
In the morning, my adopted siblings would be flying to Washington to stay with Alaine’s friend, Krystal Kross. She supposedly had a beautiful home and had taken a month vacation for their arrival. She’d stayed in this house for a few months to assist Kade with his burns while we were on our quest to the Underworld.
At least it wasn’t like they were heading off to meet a total stranger. They actually spent quite a bit of time together, and were both fond of Krystal. Caleb wasn’t too keen on the idea of being away, but he knew he needed to go wherever Courtney went. Even though he didn’t show it, he was a very thoughtful brother.
My true birthday was only a week away. Time was flying way too quickly, and because of the renovations, things were pretty quiet. The Fallen and Darkling weren’t seen, the barrier stayed up, and I had a Guardian with me at all times.
I hadn’t spoken to Ethon in weeks. He and his goons stayed in the tower, but I knew when he was close. I could always feel the buzz of the bond pulling at me, trying to connect us. I peeked out the window on a few occasions and watched him hover just along the outside of the barrier. His eyes were always downtrodden and glancing toward my window. It was times like those which made me sad, and made me feel like I should talk to him. One day I would, but at the moment, I was bound to the house.
On this particular day, Thomas was on guard, and had fallen asleep on my floor. There was a faint tapping on my window. When I pulled back the curtain a few inches, Ethon was there hovering right outside the barrier. I finally gave in, sucked in a deep breath, pulled back the curtain, and opened the window.
“Hey you,” he said with a sad grin.
“Hey,” I replied, in a soft whisper, with a single wave which felt awkward.
“If it weren’t for the bond, I would have thought you were dead,” he remarked.
“I know, and I’m so sorry. I was healing. My ribs were bashed by one of the Darkling, and I thought I’d broken them again. But I guess they were just bruised,” I explained.