It was a beautiful morning as they made their way out of the forest and back to town. The sun was completely up now, and it illuminated all the beauty of the countryside below them. Naomi felt tears burn in her eyes as she surveyed the scene.

“What’s the matter?” Julian, as always, was at her side, gliding beautifully through the air. “We did it, Naomi. We not only defeated him, but we got our revenge for what he did to all the other dragons back on Charok. We made sure that Earth is safe for the children. What’s there to be sad about?”

She shook her head and touched her wing to his. “I’m not sad, I’m happy. I had forgotten how beautiful Earth was. Being here, and having everyone back, it’s just too much.”

“I guess you’ll just have to get used to it,” he said with a grin. He lengthened his body and flapped his wings, rocketing through the air toward home.

The others weren’t far behind them when they landed in the backyard and shifted back to their human forms, and they all rushed inside to relieve the Rochesters of their babysitting duty. It had been late when the kids had finally gone to bed, and most of them were still asleep.

“Let’s make sure we get together and have a big party,” Autumn said as she walked in the back door. “But let’s do it after we’ve all had some sleep and a hot meal.”

“And a shower,” Summer added with a wink. Her blonde locks were caked with dust from her trance, staining the ends of them a light brown.

When they had scooped up their sleeping children and headed off to their own homes and the Rochesters had been thanked a thousand times over, Naomi and Julian were left standing alone in the living room. Julian had checked on Kaylee, who was still fast asleep in her crib with her teddy cuddled at her side.

Naomi stood uncomfortably near the coffee table, not sure what to do with herself. She had been so happy on their journey back from the battle site, but now what? Everyone else would resume their normal lives, but she didn’t even know what a normal life was.

“You were incredible out there,” Julian said as he came back from the hallway. He took both of her hands in his. “How did you do that?”

“It’s something I had to learn while I was in the Otherworld. I didn’t even know for sure if it would work here. If it hadn’t been for Autumn and Leah’s help, I don’t think I could have done it more than once.” She tried to shove the memory of it out of her mind. It made her weary just to think about the process.

“It certainly did work. I don’t think we ever could have defeated him otherwise. Summer may have pulled him through the portal, but I don’t think she could have done that if you hadn’t weakened him like you had. And the way that your fire mixed with ours? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful!” They had been awake all night and fought all morning, but Julian was somehow still full of energy. He had let go of her as he spoke, pacing the floor and gesturing wildly with his hands.

Naomi couldn’t help but admire him. He was so full of life, and that was one of the things she had always liked about him. Even when he was reading and studying, he did it with an air of enthusiasm that was contagious. It was just that energy, though, that made her wonder how he had managed to stay single all this time.

“Julian, I want you to know that I never expected you to wait for me, especially not for so long. I never thought I would even see you again.” The words came straight from her heart and out her mouth, and she couldn’t stop them. It was something that had weighed heavily on her mind since he had found her in Autumn’s house, and it almost made her feel as though she didn’t deserve him.

Julian paused, his hand in his hair. He turned wild eyes to her as his hand dropped to his sides, and he came around the coffee table. “Of course I waited for you. But don’t make it sound like I did something heroic. I didn’t even really know that I was waiting for you, because I thought you were dead. And I guess you were, at least part of the time. I just couldn’t see being with anyone else.”

“I understand.” She looked down at where their hands were once again holding each other, their fingers intertwined. When she had met the other women and gone to parties with them, there had been plenty of men who had hit on her. She was flattered in a way, but none of them had the same sincerity in their eyes that Julian did. “I guess I’m still just trying to understand how we’re lucky enough to be together again.”

“Naomi, I love you. I’m so glad I get to hold you in my arms again, even if we had to cross the universe to do it. You mean more to me than you’ll ever know, and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. That is, if you want to be with me?” His eyes were soft, a liquid green with flecks of gold that swirled in his irises.

Her heart swelled, and that brilliant white light that had been her weapon was also her love as it swirled in her chest. She needed Julian, and it completed her soul to know that he needed her as well. “Of course I do.”

Their lips met, and Naomi felt herself melting into him. She opened her mouth to let him in, reveling in the feeling of his tongue against hers. Her arms were around him, instantly pulling at the hem of his shirt. She needed him desperately. It didn’t matter how tired she was or that they had just defeated a horrific wizard in the form of a demon, Naomi would never be able to rest until she had her man.

Julian seemed to feel the same way, and even as he held her and kissed her, he began walking toward his bedroom. No, their bedroom. As he reached the door, he scooped her up off the floor and carried her over the threshold. Julian flung the door shut with his foot and headed for the bed.

Naomi barely registered the California king-sized bed or the high thread count sheets as he set her down. Her mind was set on something else. She felt the cool air against her as he pulled off her clothing and ran has hands down her skin. It felt so good, but she needed more. Whipping Julian’s shirt over his head, she flung it aside and reached for his belt buckle. She quickly revealed his member, hard and ready for her. Naomi sank down off the mattress and to her knees.

He had done so much to please her when they had met before, and now it was her turn. She took his length into her mouth, growing warmer at the moan that escaped from his lips. Her hands explored the hard muscles of his thighs, his narrow hips, and the curve of his buttocks as she sucked at him, eventually coming around to circle her fingers at his base.

“Oh, my god, Naomi!” His hands were in her hair, gathering it into a rough ponytail at the back of her head so he could see. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do,” she insisted, taking a break from her work only long enough to argue with him. “I want to.”

He tipped his head back as she pulled him in again, sucking his head all the way to the back of her throat. “As long as it’s turning you on as much as it does me.”

“Mmhm.” She refused to let him go this time, and he understood what she meant. Naomi let her left hand slide down between her own legs, touching the firm bud of her clit. Julian had no idea how much it turned her on to do this for him, and she felt a tingle of excitement race upward from her core to her nipples.

Julian’s hips pulsed gently, encouraging her. “I don’t think I can do this much longer. I need you.”

She sucked harder.

“Naomi, please. This feels too good.”

She let him go, and he pulled her to her feet just so they could tumble down onto the bed together. They lay facing each other, kissing, exploring, touching. But Naomi wanted more, and she climbed on top of him.

He smiled in surprise. “It certainly seems like you know what you want.”

“I do.” She spread her legs and pierced herself on him, gasping at his girth as he filled her up. His hands cupped her buttocks as she slid back and forth on him. He was so hard, and she pushed her hips as far down as they would go, grinding against him.

Julian pulled her down so that their lips touched. She moaned into him, unable to control the waves of pleasure that suddenly undulated through her. He was hot and hard, and her walls pulsed against him.

She tried to pull back as he moaned his satisfaction, wanting the freedom of movement to give him the utmost enjoyment out of this. He was the most magnificent man she would ever meet, and she wanted him to know just how much she appreciated him. But he had other ideas, and he kept his hands cupped over the back of her skull so that he could continue to kiss her. Just as his cock was buried in her, he buried his tongue in her mouth. Their hips bucked and pulsed, clamoring against each other as they found their climax. Naomi’s scream was only stifled by their kiss and she felt his circumference grow in response.

But to her surprise, Julian wasn’t done with her just yet. He rolled her over so that he was on top, sinking his shaft just a little bit further inside under his weight. Their bodies were glued together, and she surged around him once again. He plowed her into the mattress, the headboard bumping against the wall. Naomi squealed as the spasms racked her body once again, making her twitch down to her toes. Julian finally broke their kiss and buried his face into her neck as he came with a roar.

Julian held her in his arms, their legs tangled together as he pulled the blankets over their naked bodies. She rested her head against his chest, feeling completely satisfied and yet knowing that she wanted him even more than she had before. She would never get enough of him, and that was just the way it should be.