THE FINAL
Nina and Nat were talking quietly on the couch while Pryce, Desmond, Rachel and Eli finished warding the entire structure.
“How did you get it?” Nina asked, holding the heart in her hands. “Lylah thought it had been destroyed, but Eka knew somehow that it was still out there. How did this all happen?”
Nat’s brown eyes were lined and rimmed with dark circles.
“It’s all because of your parents. Like them, we had close ties with Outcasts, right until the very end. We helped them with their efforts to strengthen their community before we ever knew about the prophecy, and they trusted us—so much so that we were trusted with their biggest secret.” Nat paused. “When your parents went to the Heart Island—it’s what they called the uncharted island where the found it—by the time they were on their way back, they knew they were being tailed, so they pulled a switch. The Heart they boarded the plane with was a decoy. They sent the real heart ahead warded in the strongest magic—magic witches and fairies taught them, magic the Council had forsaken due to purity reasons—to disguise it as trinkets.” Nat smiled ruefully. “No one ever suspected that we got the real Heart... to save for you.”
Nina shook her head, a devastating blend of guilt and remorse flooding her veins. “Nat, I should have told you right away. All of this could have been avoided.” She raised her tearful gaze to her adoptive mother’s, her voice trembling. “Why am I so stubborn? Why did I think I could protect everyone?”
“Because you’re just like your mother,” Nat said wistfully. “She tried to do it all alone, too. In fact, we offered to sneak decoys on to the plane itself, disguised with magic, and put them on a different one, or on a cruise ship disguised as an elderly couple. She wouldn’t have it, because she wanted no more people involved.” Her smile was sorrowful. “I don’t blame you for a minute, darling. I just wish you had trusted us to take care of ourselves. Though you wouldn’t have made that mistake if we had been honest with you.”
Nina looked at the heart again. It was a brilliant florescent pink, much darker than many of the rose quartz stones she’d seen other dragons carry around. In the very center of its body was a lovely lavender color that seemed to be made of mist or magic—or perhaps both. It was as though it had been infused with something. Nina passed her fingers over it and saw the misty substance start to whirl under the jagged surface. Her power had stirred it, it seemed. So what was it?
It’s the stone’s power, she realized, though not the same type of power she carried around inside herself. It was not the kind she could absorb, but it was power all the same. For some reason, the huge orb reminded her of the tiny fairy bombs that had wrought havoc on their journey so far. They had nothing in common as far as she could see, but as she held it, she kept seeing that innocuous sphere rolling toward her with the intent of melting the marrow in her bones. The stone mingled with her own energy, and the taste that resulted was something that was familiar, but not familiar enough to identify right off the bat. Nina gave up on trying to decipher the substance and went back to chastising herself. None of this would have happened if you would have just told Nat and Desmond. You’ve been so self-sacrificing, and it got you nothing but pain.
Nat saw her train of thought. Even though she couldn’t read dragon energy, she was still Nina’s mother. She put a hand against Nina’s cheek and looked into her eyes.
“Don’t blame yourself,” she said earnestly. “I know you feel responsible, but this was made by all of us together. I have faith that we’ll find our way out.”
Nina folded Nat into a hug, weeping gently against her slim shoulder as she wondered if this would the last time she saw these people alive. Eka was coming, and there was no plan yet; Nina still wasn’t even sure she’d be able to face him. She might just drop dead from fear the moment he found them. The protection charms would buy them some time, but not enough to escape—only enough to prepare for a fight.
Nina looked at her family, and at the men who had become so vital to her happiness. She’d only come to terms with their strange arrangement recently; was she ready to see it destroyed?
She made a decision. Nina cleared her throat and waited for everyone to look at her.
“If the wards are finished, I’d like everyone to leave. There’s no reason you all need to die with me, and he doesn’t want you. Only me.”
Nina expected them protest, show anger, or even be touched by her suggestion. She didn’t expect them to laugh.
“No,” Nat said simply. “That’s not happening.”
“We’re not deserting you, idiot,” Rachel said as she crossed the room and gave her a fierce hug.
“You’re not getting rid of us that easily.” Pryce held on to her waist and gave her a look of total and complete and adoration, his sky blue eyes quivering with emotion. “I’m sticking by you till the end, Nina. Whenever that may be.”
Eli caught her eye and smiled, nodding his agreement. She was still angry with him, still upset over his deception, but his smile helped ease the storm inside her heart. She still loved him, and she loved knowing he still loved her enough to risk his life.
They really are my family, she thought, tearing up as they surrounded her. My weird, fucked up little family.
The Heart glowed warm in her hands. It was a perfect moment.
And then, suddenly, it wasn’t.
A million hours seemed to pass from the moment they broke their group hug to the moment the ceiling started to cave in. Rachel screeched and covered her head, and the rest of them shielded the air around them with their energies, peering upward as the ground beneath them rumbled and the stone above them fell away. A network of cracks crisscrossed the stone, and the hematite buckled and bulged outward before exploding and sending fist-sized chunks raining over them. They bounced harmlessly away from their patchwork energy field, and larger chunks threatened to slam through their auras and crush their bodies into dust. The ceiling kept crumbling for what appeared to be years, and Nina could feel the confusion choking all of their energies as they tried to keep the shield steady.
“What’s happening?” Desmond shouted. “What’s going on?”
Nina knew he wouldn’t hear her over the din the dragon was making as he pushed through the hematite, so she mouthed the answer at him.
It’s Eka. He was here.
A dragon the color of pale ash dropped gracefully from the hole it had just broken in the ceiling and landed on its monstrous feet. It was much bigger than Pryce had been, and his teeth were yellow and twisted, resembling a dilapidated lemon-colored fence more than a set of fangs. His huge golden eyes were wild as they settled on Nina, and she felt an air of triumph roll off of him as he focused on her. For a second, she expected him to shoot a column of fire at her and burn her to a crisp—exactly what had happened in her recurring dream. She’d finally found the heart, and now she was going to die. Nina was frozen in panic, so she couldn’t have moved even if she’d thought of it. Instead, she let those huge golden eyes pierce her, letting the icy hand of fear wrap around her neck.
But Eka didn’t stay in dragon form. He rapidly shrunk back into his human shape; despite his change in size. He was no less fearsome, and the smile he gave them held no warmth whatsoever. Nina wondered how she hadn’t seen that his smile had consistently been so empty—it was the same smile he gave her on the day they met.
Eka brushed a patch of white dust off his shoulder and looked around.
“Quaint,” he said in his deep, rumbling voice. His eyes landed on Eli. “Ah. I see Lylah didn’t kill you after all. You know, I assigned you to Nina because I thought you’d fall in love and be too distracted with each other to pay attention to anyone who might try to tip you off the assassination plot I set in motion. That didn’t quite work, but no harm done. Besides a few dead dragons.”
Eli made a noise that sounded more like a squeak than any word Nina knew.
Eka laughed. “And I see we have the whole family here. That will make this quick and clean.”
“I can’t believe we forgot to enchant the ceiling,” Nat said faintly, gazing at Eka is if he’d hypnotized her. “I never forget.”
“Yes, well, accidents happen,” Eka said kindly. His sharp gold eyes rested on Nina again. “I’d like to thank you for uncovering the Heart for me. I know it wasn’t easy, because you’re a stubborn little fool. You resisted every attempt to throw you off course while refusing to confide in an elder, effectively ensuring your failure. It’s so tragic. I do appreciate you handing it over, however. You won’t have time to use it to unlock your power fully before I kill you.” He held his wizened brown hand out and waited patiently.
Nina looked around for a distraction. “Why are you doing this? It was your disgusting, dark energy that dirtied the stone in the first place, you know that? Didn’t you foresee that when you killed the queen and formed the Council?”
“Oh, no,” Eka said tiredly. “I won’t fall for that James Bond get-the-villain-to-make-a-speech trick. I’m not going to rhapsodize like Lylah did and give you a chance to attack. If you won’t give the me the stone, I’ll take it by force, kill your family in front of you, then kill you last. Or,” he said slowly, “you can all die together, painlessly. Your choice.”
That was no choice at all, Nina thought. She knew what she was going to do, and she had a feeling Eka had known, too. There was no way that Nina was going to roll over and let him kill them without a fight. Whether or not she could win, she had to try.
“Nina, you’re not powerful enough,” Eka said testily as he read her energy. “We both know that Heart is the final piece of your prophecy. You need to use it to reach the power needed to defeat me, and I’m not going to let that happen.”
The Heart was glowing more brightly in her hands, and Nina realized the energy was rocketing around between the round chunk of stone, straining to get out. Something told her that Eka wasn’t exactly right. He’d been so wrong about so many things in his lifetime—dragons being better off with the Council, Eli distracting Nina from attempts on her own life, the idea that his plan would work in the first place; what if he was wrong now? What if she could unlock it before he got to it?
“Nina,” Eka said warningly.
Her mind was racing, moving in time with the pounding of her heart. The stone’s vibrations knocked something loose in her. What if this stone isn’t meant to unlock my power at all?
The stone vibrated in her hands more violently, as if to say you’re getting warmer!
What are you? Nina thought desperately. Are you a power booster? Some kind of tool to manipulate energy?
Eka raised his hands and sighed.
Are you a weapon?
The stone nearly vibrated out of her hands, and suddenly, she understood—and she knew Eka didn’t understand at all.
I am the head and the Heart.
“It was nice knowing you, Nina.” Eka’s smile was grim. “You really were something special.”
“Wait!” Nina shouted, raising the Heart. “I’ll give it to you.”
Her family turned toward her with identical expressions of shock on their faces.
“Nina, no!”
Eka, however, was smiling gleefully. “I knew you’d see it my way.”
“I did,” Nina said as she lowered the stone. She started to funnel power into it as she spoke, trusting Eka to hold her gaze and be so concerned with his own aura that he wouldn’t care about hers. “You’re right Eka. You’re older than me, and obviously more cunning. I shouldn’t have tried to cross you.”
“What are you doing?” Pryce cried.
“The right thing,” Eka answered, his eyes dancing with delight. “Toss it to me, now. I don’t want any funny business.”
Nina hesitated, trying to pour as much of her energy into the stone as she could. “And you’ll kill us quickly?”
“Yes,” Eka confirmed.
“Could you give us a minute together first?”
Eka frowned, and a crease appeared in the middle of the gentle wrinkles on his forehead. “I suppose I could give you a minute, Nina. If you hand the stone over now.”
It was now or never. Nina tossed the stone to Eka and watched him catch it with both hands, the glee in his eyes sickening to behold. Beside her, Pryce, Eli, and Rachel were wearing looks of hurt and betrayal, and Pryce had tears in his eyes.
“You could have won, Nina,” he whispered desperately. “You didn’t have to do this!”
But Nina was watching Eka and carefully snaking a tendril of her energy toward him. He was standing stock-still, gazing at the stone with a gaze so intense it was like it was about to make him royalty. He didn’t notice the sliver of energy curl around the Heart until it was too late. It started to glow and smoke in his hands, and his golden eyes bulged with confusion.
“You were wrong again,” she called. “That’s not what you think it is. Nothing is the way you think it is, Eka.”
Her voice was trembling with suppressed emotion, and she felt her own power swelling inside her and then beyond her—more immense than it had ever been. The air around them started to steam, but Nina was too focused to notice the change. She wrapped more of her energy around the stone and it felt it start to wake the energy she’d poured into it. Nina had frozen it, but now it was stirring sleepily between Eka’s hands.
“That’s not for me to unlock my power, or anyone else’s. It’s a weapon, Eka, and it always has been.”
Eka looked up, his eyes furious as the Heart shook between his palms. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Using my Heart,” Nina whispered.
Then she gave the power inside the stone a gentle nudge, pulled her family behind her, and released the compressed energy that had been straining to get out.
It was nothing so neat as an explosion. The energy transferred itself to Eka’s hands, which started to glow red from the inside; the energy slipped through his muscles and traveled up his arms and neck, curling around his head before dipping down his back and seeping into his legs. Even his clothes were glowing. Eka’s eyes were bulging out of his skull, and as they watched, each eye popped individually, sending a stream of gooey liquid creeping down his lined cheeks that evaporated from the heat almost immediately.
“Bitch!” he screamed, his voice warped by the energy destroying his body. “You worthless bitch! You’ll never be a queen! Never!”
A second later, the muscle of his tongue melted in his mouth, and his skin started to slough away from his teeth and jaw. His head was nothing but a stark white skull another second later, and they watched as the flesh dropped away from his arms and torso, dropping on the floor to settle over the hematite with a wet plop. Nina heard Rachel started to retch, but she couldn't take her eyes away. Not until she knew it was over.
Eka was still standing when the last bit of his body melted from his marrow, and then his bones started to glow. His bones started to grow long, spindly cracks, and the heat showed through the slits like sun streaming through a window. It was almost beautiful. Nina had a moment to marvel at the stately skeleton before her, and then both the Heart and the long white bones exploded outward in a puff of white dust and a shower of pink sparks. The dust drifted down to settle over the black sludge that was the remains of Eka’s body.
Nina’s ears were ringing. She was rooted to the spot, unable to take her eyes away from the black pool of filth that slowly spreading over the floor. As her hearing returned to normal, the sounds of chaos started to sharpen.
“Are you bleeding?”
“Did it get on you?”
“Nina, Nina, are you okay?”
None of the words reached her. Nina walked forward, feeling like a zombie as she stood over the remains of the dead Head of Council. Was it over? Was it really over? Was someone else about to barge in and start the whole fucking process again?
A hand touched her back and guided her away. Nina blinked and looked over her shoulder; it was Pryce. She felt a rush of relief, followed by an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Pryce said kindly.
In a daze, Nina heard herself laugh. “Really? Right now?”
“You’re in shock,” Pryce said firmly. “You need sleep.”
A cheer went up behind them, and they both turned to find Nat, Desmond, and Eli hugging Rachel as she jumped up and down in excitement. The pool of black filth was gone. It seemed that Rachel had vanished it.
“Now that’s why you have a witch on the team!” she shouted, raising her hands in the air.
Eli seized her around the middle and hugged her, spinning her in a quick circle as his arms held her tightly. When he let go, Rachel looked surprised and incredibly flustered.
“Come on,” Pryce said kindly, guiding her to her bed. “We have time for a nap. The celebration will still be here when you wake up.”
Nina turned away from the scene, wondering why she wanted so badly to keep watching. Pryce sat her down on her bed, slipping an arm around her as he took a seat at her side.
“Are you okay?” he asked seriously.
She looked into his blue eyes, waiting for herself to break down or freak out. Instead, she pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his so firmly that it sent a frisson of pain through her body before the blissful pleasure took over.
Even though she’d felt tired a moment before, her energy swelled to the surface as soon as Pryce’s essence swept over her skin. She had a burst of clarity, and all she wanted then was so have Pryce inside her for what would be the first time in the history of the rest of their lives. She tried to pull him on top of her, but he pulled back, his eyes glittering with amusement and regret.
“Whoa,” he said. “You have to get some rest. I know you’re happy to be alive, but you’re not doing your exhausted body any favors.”
Nina couldn't let it go. “I love you, Pryce.”
“I know,” he said adoringly, kissing her temple and cheek in turn. “I love you, too, baby.”
Her skin flushed, and she shook her head. “No, Pryce. I love you. I love you. And I want to be with you.” She paused. “Just you.”
Pryce’s eyes widened, and she watched a series of emotions pass over his gorgeous, rugged features. “Nina, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do,” she said fiercely.
Pryce shook his head firmly. “We’ll talk about this later, okay?”
Nina started to say that she didn’t want to talk about it later, but Pryce stood up, and the moment their skin lost contact, her exhaustion returned.
“Okay,” she mumbled, deeply confused. “We’ll talk about it later.”
As soon as her head hit her pillow, her confusion faded, and she sank into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
*
Pryce had been right—the celebrations were still going on when she woke up. It had to be night time by then, but the lair had no windows, so she couldn't be sure. Nina stood by her bedroom, watching her family, Pryce, and Eli chat on the couch while they drank what she knew to be her father’s most expensive bottle of scotch. They were all so exuberant that she thought she’d wake herself up a little by listening to their happy racket. Eli seemed to be recounting his first experience with a good Scotch.
“And he told me it was soda!” Eli was saying. “I was only seventeen, so I took a huge gulp and—” he mimed choking, pressing his hands to neck and crossing his eyes. Everyone laughed, and Nina smiled at him, feeling fonder of him than ever. Then she remembered the conversation she’d tried to have with Pryce, and her spirits sank a little.
Pryce looked up and noticed her watching. He got up and quietly crossed over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug before covering her mouth in a sultry kiss.
“Hey,” he said, grinning so widely it looked like his cheeks hurt.
Nina smiled as widely as she could, too. “Hey yourself.”
“You want to join us? You should eat before you start drinking, though. You slept through the night, you know.”
She shook her head. “I want to finish talking.”
Pryce’s features darkened. “Nina, don’t go making any rash decisions.”
“I’m not,” she promised. “In fact, I don’t think it’s going to be totally my decision at all.”
Pryce looked at her curiously. “I can see I’m not going to stop you.”
Nina grinned. “No, you’re not. Can you send Eli over?”
Pryce gave her one last, piercing look before striding over to tap Eli on the shoulder. Eli’s face lit up in a smile when he saw she was awake, and he handed his drink to Pryce and trotted over.
“You’re up!” he said, wrapping her in a hug.
She couldn’t help but notice how brief the hug was, and how little of his essence she could feel.
Nina looked at him closely. “You feel different.”
Eli didn’t know what to say to that, it seemed. He shrugged, blushing under her gaze and remaining completely silent.
“I feel different, too,” she admitted. “Everything does.”
Eli smiled. “We’ve all been through a lot, Nina. I think that’s a good thing.”
She considered his answer, but she wasn’t sure it explained everything. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about Eli was different. It had been different for a few days, she realized, but today it felt incredibly different.
“You wanted to talk to me about something?” Eli asked.
His energy was pleasant and happy, and more of it was visible to her now. Nina realized with a shock this aura had a color now—a deep green, the color of healthy grass. A new power. Is that’s what’s off?
As she stared at her own bright aura, she realized what it was. That strange patch in Eli’s energy the day before had been stuck in her mind like a grain of sand in an oyster shell, and now she knew why.
“You have feelings for someone else,” she said aloud. “That’s what you were hiding from me.”
Eli looked deeply embarrassed, but his sheepish smile confirmed her suspicions. “They’re not serious,” he clarified. “And it’s not like I no longer love you.”
“Then why is it so different between us?” Nina asked, more curious than upset. “What changed?”
He gave her a sad smile. “I realized that you all were right, Nina. Listening to you talk about how selfish I’d been with my treatment of you made me come to my senses. I’m obsessed with powerful women, powerful dragons, in fact.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, and she noticed that he was wearing jeans for the first time. “I was attracted to that aspect of you too much to really love you the right way. As I realized this, I started becoming interested in someone else.”
“Who?” Nina asked, feeling curiously numb. “Who is it?”
Eli hesitated, but at that moment she noticed Rachel watching them both from the couch.
“My sister?” Nina said in disbelief. “You’ve been seeing my sister?”
Her voice must have carried, because Rachel hopped off the couch and sprinted over, panic on her face.
“Nina, it’s nothing,” she said desperately. “We stayed up talking for a few nights about what the old dragon kingdom was like and how witches lived with and helped them. It was so innocent at first, but then we noticed this chemistry pulling us together.” Her words were rushed, and there were fearful tears in her eyes. “On the night before Eli went back to the Council, we kissed, but it stopped there, I swear! I was ready to kill him with you when I thought he’d betrayed us, but…” she trailed off, too afraid to continue.
Nina felt a smile come to her lips. “But after another near death experience, you made up.”
They looked at each other and blushed.
“Oh,” Nina said, laughing now. “You two made more than just ‘up’ didn’t you?”
Rachel had stopped crying and was starting to smile now that she saw her sister wasn’t mad. “Excuse me? You’ve spent enough time making ‘more than up’ yourself, haven’t you? At least the curtains are sound proof!”
Nina’s shock dissolved into laughter as she grabbed her sister by the arms, pulling her in for a hug that was part tears of joy, and part tears of relief. She couldn’t believe how things had worked out, and she knew the relief showed on her face.
“You’re really not mad?” Eli asked cautiously.
Nina laughed again. “Eli, I was going to tell you I only wanted to see Pryce, anyway. I’m not mad. In fact, I approve of you two.” She smiled at them both. “I guess I’m a matchmaker.”
“Oh!” Rachel said suddenly. “Tell her about the Council.”
Nina felt a stab of fear at the sound of the name, then reminded herself that her enemies were dead. “What about it?”
“We went to the headquarters this morning,” he explained. “Everything is in ruins, figuratively. Imelda spilled the whole story when everyone felt Eka die. We were able to confirm it with Eka’s own personal notes, and Osrik fled after people said he was helping Lylah seek revenge the last few days.”
“Wow,” Nina said, imagining a deserted Council chamber. “Wait, what about Cedric? He wasn’t involved, was he?”
“No,” Eli said, grinning broadly. “He was the only good egg. As such, Cedric resigned and is going home to his husband, who he sees rarely.”
“Eli and I saw him personally,” Rachel said. “Everyone he met knows what's going on now. They didn’t even care that a witch was strolling into their midst.”
“How did word spread so fast?”
Eli smiled. “The new powers helped clue some people in.”
“New powers?” Nina asked blankly. “What—you mean the ones I’m supposed to help people gain? They’re coming out already?”
Instead of answering, Eli held out his arms and closed his eyes. After a moment, his body started to lift off the ground, stopping about ten feet above them before leaning sideways and navigating over to the red velvet couch. Then he rose in the air again and soared back over to them, a satisfied look on his face.
“Holy shit!” Nina blurted.
Pryce came over, laughing uproariously at the shock on her face. “I wish you could see yourself. You can literally control the fabric of space-time, and a little hovering has you flipping your shit.”
Nina blushed. “Don’t make fun of your queen, Pryce,” she said, suppressing a smile. “I’ll put you in the stocks.”
“Try me,” Pryce said, slipping an arm around her waist. “You can’t hold me down, babe. I’m too wild.”
Nina felt a rush of happiness as she craned her neck to receive Pryce’s kiss. Her heart had never known such joy. As she wrapped her arms around her lover’s neck, she heard footsteps creep away from them and was glad for the privacy. Pryce’s aura was a deep cerulean blue, solid and calming and as inviting as his mysterious scent. She looked down at her own aura to find a bright pink line surrounding her body; when she looked more closely, the space between their bodies gave her pause.
As their auras mingled—brightest pink with truest blue—they created an entirely new color: a calm, lovely lavender shade that was the exact same color as the center of the Heart.
“Can you see that?” Nina asked, pointing between them. “It looks like the Heart.”
Pryce looked down and frowned. “I don’t see anything.” Then his eyes widened and he turned around to dive behind his curtain, rustling around in his bag for a moment before straightening and turning around.
“Speaking of Hearts,” he said, pulling something from behind his back.
Nina looked at the circular object in his hands. It was a jagged circle of stone made of glistening fuchsia, and it seemed to be calling to her with its gentle vibrations of power.
“The Heart,” she said in awe. “Is that what’s left of it?”
“Yes,” Pryce said. “I saved it for you. I think it wanted me to.”
Nina laughed at his phrasing. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, then lifted the hollowed Heart and set it atop her head, where it stopped vibrating and instead contented itself letting out occasional pulses of gentle power. It felt absolutely at home on her head, and she saw that he was right. The Heart wanted her because she was a queen—and it was her crown.
Nina moved over to a mirror and gazed at herself. She was wearing tight black jeans and a bright pink tank top, unconsciously reflecting the color of her aura. Her black hair fell in gentle waves to her elbows, and her light brown eyes were shining with happiness. With a shock, she realized that she looked exactly like her mother, save for a few shades lighter.
I wish she could see me, she thought tearfully. On her head, the crown pulsed, and the energy it emitted soothed her own. Nina had the unshakeable feeling that this wasn’t just a powerful jewel; her parents must have had something to do with the way to operated. Maybe they’d even put a little of their power in it, too.
On her head, the crown trembled, and she smiled, leaning her head on Pryce’s shoulder and inhaling his heady aroma, feeling more blissful than she ever thought possible. As she slipped an arm around his strong back, she inhaled again, and with a sting of recognition so strong it left her breathless, she could suddenly place his irresistible scent: wildly heated sun and sharp salt and silken smoke. The scent that brought up memories of that beautiful day on the beach with the last dragons she’d loved—her parents.
She turned to Pryce and took his hand, her hand still around his back so there bodies crushed together and turned in a kind of waltz.
“You know,” she said. “Nat was telling me that my parents wanted to bring the Greater Horde back to its glory days.” She paused, feeling a swell of pride knock her words of track before she nudged herself back to the preset. “I guess dragons and witches coexisted, as well as fairies and vampires and everything else. It just got written out, like the truth about the queen.”
Pryce smiled knowingly. “And you want to continue their work.”
Nina drew him close to her. “What do you think, Pryce?”
He cupped her chin with his strong hands. “I think I’d be honored to assist you.”
Nina giggled at his formality. “Why are you talking like that?”
“Because you’re a queen,” he answered simply. “You’re my queen.”
Nina pressed her hand to the nape of his neck and gazed lovingly into his eyes. “Guess what? You’re my king. I think that makes us equals.”
A light came to Pryce’s eyes that illuminated his entire face. “Don’t tease me, please, Nina,” he said softly.
Nina shook her head. “I’m not teasing, Pryce. I chose you because I’m in love with you, and we work well together—in every way. We’re on the same wavelength, and now that my head has been pulled from the sand, we’re on the same page. We belong together.” She shivered at the memory of their first time making love alone. “My energy knew it before I did. It had already chosen you, I think, from the moment we’d met.”
Pryce was speechless. He translated his emotion into a gentle, smoldering kiss that lifted her from her feet; Nina felt him moving her behind the curtain and toward his bed as his hands slipped beneath her tank top and started to massage her soft skin.
She pulled away from him, her eyes glinting with mischief. “You were right,” she said.
“You'll have to be more specific,” Pryce joked.
Nina laughed and shoved him playfully. “You know. About me, about Eli... about the jewel. I didn't need it. I only needed myself. And you.”
“You didn’t need me,” Pryce countered. “You needed to believe in yourself. You were the jewel the whole time. I was stupid not to see it.”
Nina smiled at him, and he blushed to the roots of his wavy blonde hair. “Are you going to be this corny for the next few thousand years of our lives?”
Pryce smiled back, sending a shiver down her spine. She wondered if he would always have that effect on her.
“Yes,” he said, his voice choked with need. “I am.”
“Good,” Nina said simply. “I love it.”
He looked at her in wonder and paused, smiling strangely as the both sat down together on the edge of his bed.
“You really are my jewel,” he said then. “You’re precious to me.”
Nina’s energy vibrated with joy, and she squealed with laughter as Pryce tackled her and covered her face in kisses. So much had happened in the space of a week. Will my whole life with him be this intense?
“Are you okay with the speed we’re going on?” Nina asked a moment later, breathless from tussling with him on the bed.
“Yes and no,” he said as he kissed her neck. “I love how close we are. But I hate how it happened.” He looked at her, a serious expression on his face. “Action-wise, things need to go slow for a while.”
Nina started to agree, but he pressed his lips against hers and started to unbutton her jeans, pushing her down on the bed while he planted hot kisses on the skin he exposed as he pulled her bottoms away from her.
“I thought you wanted to go slow,” she gasped as his mouth trailed from the silky skin of her inner thigh to the hot, sensitive button of flesh between her moistened lips.
Pryce looked up, his blue eyes full of mischief. “Yeah, well look what happened last time you said that.”
He pressed his mouth to her wet, hot center again, and her words were stolen from her throat by the first waves of agonizing pleasure brought on by his careful tongue. Nina had a single coherent thought before she gave in to the slow build of ecstasy.
If this is slow, I’ll take it.