Элисон Ноэль - Dark Flame

But I just smile, inviting him to look inside my mind and see for himself. I asked only because I was curious, nothing more.

There's not a hint of jealousy to be found.

"Drina and Marie didn't quite care for each other," he says, visibly relieved with my change of heart. "I mostly came calling on my own."

I look at him, imagining all of the beautiful single women who must've just swooned the second he walked in the room with no partner beside him-and again, just like before, I feel nothing.

Everyone has a past. Even, it seems, me. The only thing that really matters is that he loves me. Has always loved me.

Spent the last four hundred years searching for me. And I think I finally get just how big a deal that really is.

"Let's stay here forever," I whisper, pulling him to me and covering his face with my kiss. "We'll just take up residence in this amazing place, and when we get tired of it-if we get tired of it-we'll just manifest somewhere else to live."

"We can do that at home, you know." He looks at me, gaze tender and deep, hand buried in my hair, smoothing the strands. "We can live anywhere we want-have anything we want-go anywhere we want-just as soon as we graduate high school and move away from Sabine." He laughs.

And even though I smile and laugh along with him, I know better.

I can't really have this at home.

Not after the spell that I wove.

And until I can find a way to break it, this is the one and only place I can be like this, feel like this. The magick will dissolve the second I make my way back through the portal.

"But in the meantime, there's really no reason to hurry back-is there?" He grins, tipping my chin 'til my lips meet his.

He presses against me, his body covering mine, the almost feel of his hands on my skin filling me with tingle and heat. The two of us surrendering to the moment, surrendering to the limits we've no choice but to accept. My lips at his ear as I murmur, "No reason I can think of. No reason at all."

"Ever-Ever, wake up! We have to be getting back soon."

I roll onto my back and stretch, extending my arms up high over my head, while arching my back and flexing my toes, moving slowly, leisurely, infused with such languid warmth I'm tempted to just roll over again.

"Seriously." Damen laughs, his lips at my ear, nipping the lobe in that way that makes me giggle. "We've already discussed this, we both agreed we'd return eventually."

I lift one droopy lid, then the other, met by an overload of silk, gilt, and the ruffles from Damen's shirt tickling the tip of my nose-I'm still in Versailles?

"How long did I sleep?" I stifle a yawn but not very successfully, seeing Damen hovering over me, an amused look on his face.

"There's no time in Summerland." He smiles. "And trust me, I'll try not to take it personally that you nodded off."

I stiffen, wide awake now and gaping. "Wait-you mean I fell asleep while you-while we-" I shake my head, cheeks heating to a thousand degrees. Hardly believing I actually fell asleep-while we were kissing.

He nods, luckily looking more amused than mad. But still I hide my face with my hands, horrified by even the thought of it.

"That is so embarrassing. Seriously, I'm so-" I shake my head and cringe. Needing no further testimony to how exhausted I've been after everything that's happened in the past week.

He rises from the bed, helping me to stand when he says, "Don't be. Don't be sorry or embarrassed. You know, in a way it was kind of nice. I don't recall that ever happening before and you don't really get to experience many firsts after the first-oh, hundred or so years." He laughs, pulling me to him as his arms wrap tightly around my waist. "Feeling better?"

I nod. That's the first decent sleep I've had since-well, since you know who started invading my dreams. And even though I've no idea how long I was out, I feel so much better now, like I'm ready to head back to the earth plane and face all of my demons-or at least one in particular.

"Shall we?" He lifts his brow.

About to close his eyes and make the veil when I say, "But-what about this place? What'll happen to it once we leave?"

He shrugs. "Well, I was going to let it go since we can always manifest it again. You know that, right?" He gives me a strange look.

And even though I know it's easy enough for him to recreate it exactly as is, somehow I want it to stay. I want to know that it's solid and lasting. A place I can return to on a whim, and not just some hazy figment of a really great day.

He smiles, bowing deeply as he answers my thoughts. "And so it is." He takes my hand. "Versailles stays."

"And this?" I grin, fluffing the frills on his cream-colored shirt, causing him to laugh in a way I don't hear nearly enough anymore.

"Well, I thought I'd change for the return trip home-if that's okay with you?"

I cock my head and screw my lips to the side, carefully looking him over as I consider. "But I like you like this. You're so handsome, so gallant-regal, really. It makes me feel like I'm looking at the real you, dressed in the period you seem to have liked best."

He shrugs. "I liked 'em all-some better than others, but in retrospect they all had something to offer. And you, by the way, look quite dazzling too." He trails his fingers over my jewels and down the snug-fitting bodice of my dress. "But still, if we want to fit in back home, a costume change is in order."

I sigh, sad to see our eighteenth-century finery replaced by our usual Laguna Beach wear.

"And now-" He nods, tucking my amulet back under the neck of my dress. "What do you say-my place or yours?"

"Neither." I press my lips together, knowing he's not going to like what comes next but committed to being completely honest with him during the few times I can. "I need to see Jude."

He flinches. It's minor, barely visible to the untrained eye, but still, I see it. And I need him to know what Jude already knows: that there's no competition. Never really was. Damen won my heart centuries ago. And he's had it ever since.

"There was an accident." I nod, determined to keep my voice calm, even, and just stick to the facts, no matter how gruesome. And though I could just let the scene flow from my head to his-I don't. There are too many parts I don't want him to see, things he might take the wrong way, so instead I say, "I–I sort of attacked him-" "Ever!" He balks, his expression so shocked it's all I can do not to look away.

"I know." I shake my head, pausing to take a deep breath. "I know how it sounds, but it's not what you think, I–I was trying to prove he was a rogue-but-well-when I learned that he wasn't-that's when I rushed him to the emergency room."

"And you failed to tell me this because-" He looks at me, obviously hurt by my neglect.

I sigh, looking right at him when I say, "Because I was embarrassed. Because I mess up all the time and I didn't want you to lose patience with me. I mean, not that I'd blame you-but still." I shrug, scratching my arm even though it doesn't itch, yet another nervous habit of mine.

He places his hands squarely on my shoulders, looking me right in the eye when he says, "My feelings for you are not conditional. I don't judge you. I don't lose patience with you. I don't punish you. I just love you. That's all. Pure and simple."

His eyes search my face, his gaze so warm, so loving, clearly upholding the promise of his words. "You have no reason to hide anything from me-ever. Understood? I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you. And if you need anything, find yourself in a bind, or in over your head, all you have to do is ask and I'll be right there to bail you out."

I nod, unable to speak I'm so humbled by my amazingly good fortune, feeling so incredibly lucky to be loved by someone like him-even though I'm not always sure I deserve it.