We land on the cliff at the edge of the Azure castle wall. All of the riders ensure their dragon’s comfort before leaving, including us. I look into Tali’s area and see Storm curled up in the corner with Addison asleep by him. Tali snorts, waking Addi. She jumps, but fortunately doesn’t disturb him. Tali gives her a nudge as she walks past. The three of us walk out together.

“Thanks for staying with him tonight,” I say.

She waves her hand absently in the air. “It was nothing.”

We’ve kind of grown on each other. I wouldn’t say we’re besties or anything, but there is a mutual respect and a friendship. I think she does it for Luke. It makes him happy to see us get along, and whatever makes him happy, makes us happy. Hopefully, we can continue growing our relationship.

Luke gives her a playful shove as we stop to go inside his home. She waves and catches up with Elliott, who’s only a few steps ahead of us.

Once inside, I let the comfort of our home wash over me. This is my safe space. It’s where Luke and I can truly be alone. It’s not a big space, but it’s ours and I love it. Luke reaches around my back, drawing me to him. His lips crush down on mine as he takes possession of my mouth. I go weak in his arms. My own wrap around his neck to help hold me up before my legs give out. He has that kind of effect on me.

He pulls away, but only a fraction. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he admits.

“Take me to bed.”

His lips lift in a smile. “Your wish is my command.” He bends down, lifting me into his arms with ease. I rest my cheek against his shoulder as my arms hold on. He takes the stairs quickly. Upstairs, he delicately places me on the bed and pulls the damask closed around us.

“It’s only us now. Just the way I like it,” he says, while placing kisses along my neck. Reaching down, I grip the hem of his shirt and lift it over his head. I make quick work of his pants and briefs as well. My hand grips his length hard, eliciting a moan from him. He’s heavy, solid, and perfect.

Pushing on his chest, he rolls to his back, bringing me on top of him. I strip off my shirt and bra, throwing them to the side. I’m craving my connection with him. Slow won’t work for me right now. I need him badly. Kneeling above him, I start to pull off my pants and silk underwear, which I had especially made along with my bra. The basics the vendor offers just don’t cut it for me.

Straddling him, I grip his length and slowly lower myself to him. My head tips back and I let out a moan of satisfaction. It’s as if I’m not whole until we’re connected to one another. Then, and only then, do I feel like everything is perfect in the world. Luke is all I need to survive. He’s imperative to my well-being, but not because of his protection of me. No, he’s everything I need wrapped up into one person. One man who is mine and mine alone. The air is crisper when he’s around. The sky is bluer and the grass greener. He’s my dream come true. Literally. There’s no limitation to what I can do with him by my side. I feel like a new woman, a better woman.

His hands grip my hips, and quickly roll me over, as we jockey for position. I’m thankful for his king-sized bed or else we’d be on the floor. He begins to thrust into me in deep, languid movements.

“You. Are. Mine,” he says between each pump of his hips. “Mine, Ali. Do you hear me?”

He bends to take my nipple into his mouth, biting down just the way I like. My back arches off the bed as electricity shoots from my breast straight to my core.

“Say it, Alison. Say you’re mine.” He’s flicking my nipple with his tongue in between bites, and it’s driving me wild. My heels dig into his firm ass, pulling him to me.

Breathily, I rasp, “I’m yours, Luke. Always.”

He brings his mouth to mine and plunges his tongue within. He’s pumping into me faster. My nails are scoring his back. His fingers fist my hair, pulling it, giving a quick, sharp pain as he tries to get deeper; his mouth more possessive. We’re holding each other as if our lives depend on it.

I’m close, so close, but not able to get the sweet release I seek so desperately. Moving my hand down between us, I rub my clit, chasing after my orgasm.

We break our lips apart to gasp for air. “I love it when you touch yourself.”

He lifts his head to look between us. I do the same and the sight is very erotic. His dick pushing into me, my hand furiously rubbing over my swollen nub. It sends me soaring. My eyes close as my body spasms in the most blissful way.

Luke is powering into me and two hard thrusts later he calls out my name. His body tenses as he fills me. He draws out his orgasm, and mine, with a few more pumps of his pelvis before relaxing on top of me, yet keeping the majority of his weight from me.

His skin is slick against mine. We’re both out of breath and our hearts are racing. He rolls us to our sides, then reaches over to open the damask to let the semi-cool night air in. I’ve noticed that while the days are warm, so are the nights, but my body is getting used to it. Where I was warm all the time when I first arrived, now I’m wearing long sleeved shirts at night, and sometimes during the day, like everyone else.

He kisses along my jaw. I flex my inner walls to grip his softening length. “I love it when you do that,” he murmurs.

“I love it when you’re inside of me.” And I love not having to use a condom with him. It makes everything all the better. We feel everything. I admitted to not being with anyone in quite a while, and he confessed the same. He said once he started dreaming of me, no other woman could compare. I’ve seen the way women flirt with him. It happened a lot when I first arrived, but he quickly tempered it down by telling them he wasn’t interested and showing affection to me when we were out.

We did find out from Stephanie that she asked me to drink the tea, because she knew we would be sleeping together soon. This way we wouldn’t have to worry about me getting pregnant. She also said I’m very fertile and to keep drinking the tea until we’re ready for kids. Kids. I’m so not there yet.

The moonlight is falling upon the bed. I can see the hard planes of Luke’s body and the strong angles of his face as he pulls back to look at me. He cups my cheek with one hand, gently rubbing his thumb over my skin.

Our eyes lock and he speaks so quietly I almost don’t hear him. “I love you, Alison.”

Tears form in my eyes. He loves me. This gorgeous prince loves me. Boring Alison from middle of nowhere Colorado. Emotion clogs my throat and I bury my face in his neck. I can’t speak. Not yet at least. It’s too much, more than I thought it would be if I ever heard him utter those words. He holds me tight, his hand loosening the bun from the back of my head, running his fingers through my hair until it’s lying at my back.

Never would I have thought I could fall for someone so quickly, but I have. He deserves to hear those words from me as well. Not because he said them and I feel obligated to reciprocate, but because I mean them.

“I love you, too,” I murmur into his skin, as I kiss a path from his collarbone to his chin. “I love you so much it scares me.”

He pulls back to look me in the eyes. “I will never hurt you, Alison. You’re the only woman I want. Please know this is the truth. You’re all I need.”

I nod as tears run hotly down my cheeks. He’s become too important to me to ever let go. I’m glad the peace treaty was signed and there are no other kingdoms out there that could war with Azure. The thought of him going into battle makes my chest constrict.

“You have all of me, Luke. Heart, mind, body, and soul. I’m yours.”

“And I’ll protect you with my life,” he says seriously.

We touch, kiss, and profess our love with our bodies, all through the night, until we both fall asleep in each other’s arms while the sun starts to rise in the sky. Luke pulls the damask closed as I begin to fall into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

The next morning Luke finds my backpack and fills it with fruits, cheese, bread, and other necessities for a picnic. We walk to the stables and mount his gorgeous black horse. With a slow trot, we make our way to the field of azure flowers that I love so much. Picnics have become regular for us. A nice break to get away from everyone and everything.

We stop closer to the edge of the woods by the old cottage. Luke hops off first and offers his hand to me to help me down. Once on the ground, I pat the horse’s neck then bend to run my fingers over the silky petals of the flowers. There’s something so magical about them. They draw me to them, making me want to lay down in their beauty and never leave.

Reaching into my bag, he withdraws a large ivory blanket. With a quick flick of his wrists, the blanket is spread out. The horse wanders off to the edge of the field, near the cottage, to eat the tall grass that’s grown there. Luke takes the backpack, removes the food, and places it out for us.

I sit and he situates himself behind me, with his legs on either side of mine. Leaning into him, I take a minute to close my eyes and soak up the warm sun that’s beating down on my skin. The sky is cloudless and the air is refreshing as it moves through my lungs. It’s not long before I feel something cool against my lips.

“Open,” Luke commands teasingly.

My lips part to allow a large grape inside. The tartness of the skin bursts open when I bite into it, allowing the sweetness of the inside to release into my mouth. I hum around the grape at the freshness of it. I’ve noticed everything here is so rich and full of flavor. Luke said all of the fruit is grown locally. He explained it one day when we flew with Tali while the sun was out. I saw orchards and vineyards in the land off to the east of the castle. Other kingdoms specialize in different items, and they barter with one another for goods. For example, one raises livestock and Azure exchanges vast amounts of fruit for beef, pork, and poultry. And that’s only one of the deals they have.

He continues to feed me grapes, apples, and cheese as I absently draw circles over his inner thigh. It’s very peaceful out here. The only sound is the occasional swish of the horse’s tail or nicker he makes. But then, there’s a new noise. A soft click followed by a dull thump. Luke’s body goes rigid behind me. I sit up straight, looking around with wide eyes, trying to figure out where the sound came from.

I scan the area and stop near the cottage. The horse’s head is up, its ears twitching. He’s staring at the cottage. Luke stands and begins to walk toward it. I do the same, but he holds up a hand to stop me, and places his forefinger to his lips to ensure I remain quiet. The cottage is abandoned. It’s old and dingy inside. Why would anyone be in there? Unless…

Luke strides closer, resting a hand along his steed as he passes by. His moves are silent. Bending down, he pulls a dagger from the strap on his leg. I’ve learned that he never leaves the house without at least one blade one him.

There’s another thump, louder than before. The door shakes and then bursts open. Two figures emerge with large boxes in their arms obscuring their faces. They both look back to the door for a second, trying to each juggle the boxes in their arms.

Luke inches closer, making no sound. The first figure is tall and stocky with hair that is oddly the same color as Luke’s. No, it can’t be. The box is placed on the grass and King Azure stands upright, tall and exuding power. His eyes immediately land on Luke and a huge smile spreads across his face. He rushes forward to grab his son in a tight hug. Luke’s arms are by his side. I think he’s in shock. I mean, we came here for a picnic. Never did we expect to see his dad. I start walking forward.

That’s not all, though. There is another figure that came through. The box the person is holding is placed on the ground and Rya is revealed. Her dark blonde hair is shorter than I remember, cropped to just above her shoulders in a sophisticated bob. Her hazel eyes begin to pool with tears when she sees Luke. King Azure releases him.

His voice is full of disbelief. “Mom?” She nods and he rushes to her, lifting her in his arms. Rya is hanging on to him as sobs wrack her body. They stand holding each other for a moment then Luke takes a step back to look her over. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Me either,” she says, brushing tears from her face.

King Azure steps up to me and encompasses me in a bear hug. “Alison, my dear. I’m so happy to see you.” He places me on the ground and the smile still hasn’t left his face. “Have you been taking care of my boy?”

“Huh?”

He laughs heartily. “We surprised you, I take it.”

“Little bit. You returned and brought Rya?”

“That I did. Oh, and we brought a box of items for you. It’s not much, but we grabbed the things we thought you’d want since we weren’t sure if we’d have the key still after we walked through.”

“And?”

He shakes his head. “It’s gone again.”

“Again?”

“I’ll explain, but not here. We need to get back to the castle and round up the family.”

He turns and we both watch as Rya takes Luke’s face in her hands. They’re talking quietly, but after a few minutes turn toward us. I walk forward and hug Rya.

“It’s so good to see you, Ali. Thank you for giving the key to Miles.”

She steps back, but her hands remain on my shoulders. Reaching up she captures the tears I didn’t realize I was shedding. Seeing her makes me miss my mom so much. As if knowing what I’m thinking, she says, “I miss her, too. Every day.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My back heats and I know it has to be from Luke. He’s the only one who can warm my skin like the sun. His arms wrap around me to cross over my waist. His presence is just what I need to regain my composure.

“Come, my princess. Let’s go spread the good news of my parents’ return to my brothers and sister.” I nod and open my eyes. Rya is watching us with a huge smile.

“A perfect match. I always hoped, but never knew for sure. You two are truly fated. Eliza and I wished one day you would find each other.”

In a higher tone than usual, Luke asks, “You knew?”

She taps her temple. “I’m a seer, Lucas. Your father never told you?” I gasp.

“I had no idea. Did you know what happened after you left?” he questions.

She shakes her head solemnly. “No. Something happened when I left this realm. I lost my power. But I did have a vision before Eliza and I left. I saw you and Alison in this very field while horses ran past you, but as you know, there was no way to know if that future was the one that would come to pass.” It was the day I crossed over. She saw it.

Luke released me and bent to pick up one of the boxes they brought through. “What’s in this? Did you two plan how to get the boxes home?”

King Azure chuckles and clasps a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “It was pure luck that you’re here, my boy. You can carry one. I’ll take the other. The women can ride on the horse.”

“Or I can call for Tali,” he says with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“How?” I ask. “Do you have a whistle or something I don’t know about?”

He laughs and taps his temple just as Rya did. “My mom isn’t the only one with talent. I only hope it works.”

He closes his eyes, seeming to concentrate for a moment. Next we hear a muffled roar pierce the air. Within a couple of minutes, Tali is coming toward us with Storm following closely behind. The horse backs up a few steps as she lands gracefully before us. Storms lands as well, but hasn’t quite mastered it yet. We all turn to look at Luke in surprise.

“What?” he shrugs. The king and Rya start walking away from us. “I don’t know how it works, but it does. It started when Pine had the sword to your throat. All of the sudden, Tali was beside me, and we took to the air so I could drop in and surprise him. We’re still working on communicating, but it’s getting better.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Another shrug. “It didn’t come up.”

I throw my hands in the air in defeat and step close to him. “No secrets between us. Got it?”

His wicked smile returns. “Yes, my princess.”

He takes me in his arms and kisses me hard. When he releases me, I’m left dazed and half stumble toward the dragons. Damn, that man knows how to kiss.