by A. K. Koonce
I laugh into her neck, making her shiver. I kiss there once more, my lips lingering against her smooth, warm skin.
Maybe she’s right …
“This one isn’t, I promise.”
“Mmmhmm.”
A smirk pulls across my mouth as I guide her through the forest, away from the others.
Everyone in the Wanderer’s community has adjusted well. Today, I’m going to test the outside world though. It’s easy to accept change when you’re carefully sheltered away. The next several years will be hard.
We fought for a change and we won, but hate is a strong emotion to repress. All we can do is accept what we have and build from our past mistakes. Today is a new day, and we have to hold on to it.
“Do you trust me?” I ask, scooping her up, my arms wrapping around her legs and back as I cradle her to my chest. Her soft curves settle nicely against me.
A sweet smile slips over her lips, one hand clinging around my neck and the other resting on her stomach.
The memory of the last time I ran with her circles my mind. And so does the memory of her throwing up because of it.
“Of course I do. Just be careful.”
I arch an eyebrow at her before pressing a kiss to her temple. Without warning, I begin racing through the woods. A screech filled with laughter slips from her lips, and she presses her face into my chest, my heart booming wildly from her attention.
A day passes, but I don’t stop running until my boots tromp up the shaky, wooden stairs. Happiness and excitement run through me, but when I look down to share the surprise, I realize she’s asleep in my arms.
I hold her closer, her warmth pouring into me as I make my way through the dark house. Gently, I lay her down on the worn blanket, the moonlight fluttering over her beautiful features.
“Fallon, wake up, baby.”
Long lashes flutter across her cheekbones before bright eyes look up at me, slowly studying her surroundings.
“Is … is this the house we stayed in?”
Her eyes wander over the room. The memory of us tracing words into each other’s palms will always cling to these walls.
Hesitantly, I kneel at her side. I nod as my fingers begin tracing the black lines against her forearm. Excitement buzzes through me.
She stands and I join her instantly, waiting for her to tell me what she’s thinking. A strange nervousness begins to press into me the longer the silence lingers.
“I thought we could make a home here. A real home. A real life.”
Worry gnaws at my mind that she might not like the old and broken house, that she might think it’s a bad idea to live among the mortals. Maybe the simple, white picket fence isn’t the life she wants. I thought she and I—hell, even Ripper—could be happy here. The anxious feeling slips away when a small smile traces her lips. A shaky breath leaves her as she nods up at me and a tear slips down her cheek.
I hug her, my head leaning into the crook of her neck. I breathe her in.
“I have a surprise for you, too.”
My heart picks up its pace at the sound of her teasing whisper. Warm, smooth skin meets my fingertips as I pull her closer to me by the curve of her hip, aligning her body flush against mine. A hint of a smile touches her lips just as I a press a slow kiss to her mouth.
“What’s my surprise?” I ask before pressing another taunting kiss to her perfect lips. Slowly, I slip my tongue against hers, trying to coax the promising surprise from her.
Warm hands slip up my shoulders, her fingers locking behind my neck. She pulls back from me just a fraction, excitement pooling in her deep green eyes. Our breath mingles between us in the silence for just a few moments as I brush my fingers over the smooth skin of her hips, just above her jeans.
She’s perfect. She doesn’t know it, but she is. She’s changed the world, but she also changed me. The swirling anger that’s always filled my chest doesn’t exist when she’s near. Her calm has this strange, warming effect on me; it sinks right into me.
Her face lingers near mine, a shy smile is hesitant against her lips. Her smile holds my attention as the excitement builds between us.
I didn’t think this new world could be any better, but two simple words change my life forever. Two words whispered in the most tentative tone have an astounded smile pressing against my lips. Two beautiful words somehow have the ability to make me fall even further in love with this amazing woman. Two powerful words make me realize it was all worth fighting for...
“I’m pregnant.”
The End
Fallon and Asher’s daughter has her own tale to tell in a new Mortals and Mystics spin off series coming soon! For more Mortals and Mystics updates, sneak peeks, and other amazing giveaways sign up for my VIP NEWSETTER.
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Also by A.K. Koonce
The Resurrection Series
Resurrection Island, Book one
The Royal Harem Series
The Hundred Year Curse
The Curse of the Sea
The Legend of the Cursed Princess
The Hopeless Series
Hopeless Magic
Hopeless Kingdom
Hopeless Realm
Hopeless Sacrifice
The Harem of Misery Series
Pandora’s Pain
The Severed Souls Series
Darkness Rising
Darkness Consuming
Darkness Colliding
The Huntress Series
An Assassin’s Death
The To Tame a Shifter Series
Taming
About the Author
A.K. Koonce is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s mom by day and a fantasy and paranormal romance writer by night. She keeps her fantastical stories in her mind on an endless loop while she tries her best to focus on her actual life and not that of the spectacular, but demanding, fictional characters who always fill her thoughts.
Acknowledgments
I couldn’t have finished a single book without my support group: my friends, family, and, of course, my husband and daughter.
Sending all my thanks to my sister Angie, who’s always my partner in creativity and also my best friend. Thank you to my parents for supporting my weirdness, encouraging me to read at a young age, and for reminding me that I can do anything I want to do in life.
A huge shout out to my fantastic cover designer, Desiree Deorto, for creating the gorgeous final image of Fallon and Asher.
A special thanks to my editor, Red Ribbon Editing and Varankor Proofreading and Editing, for catching every incorrect thing I scribble out. Thank you for making this book as perfect as it can be and polishing it into something beautiful.
Thank you to my husband for always entertaining my eccentricity and supporting me even when I did not. A thanks to my beautiful daughter for unknowingly bringing me to this path in life and for being the most amazing kid a parent could ever ask for.
And a final thank you to you, the reader and supporter of all of the mortals and mystics who I have come to love! Thank you for taking the time to read about worlds outside of our own. You are the reason I write at all and you are the reason I love what I do.
