by Quinn Loftis
Sally pressed her hand over the locket. “I guess it’s important I have it then.”
“Looks that way. You were supposed to end up with it. Who knows? Perhaps it will be a help tomorrow.” Her dad walked over and leaned down. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and patted Costin on the shoulder. “You two get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is bound to be tiring.”
“Night, Sally,” her mom said blowing her a kiss. “Costin, make sure to get her into bed at a decent hour.”
“No worries, Mrs. C.” Costin winked. “I’m good at getting your daughter into bed.”
Sally smacked him with a pillow in the face as her mom covered her ears and started singing. Her dad just laughed and led her mom from the room.
“Really?” she asked, turning her narrowed gaze on him.
“What?” he said, looking entirely innocent. “It’s a fact. I am good at getting you into bed. You guys are the pervs that took it to a sexual level.”
“As if you didn’t mean it that way,” she challenged.
“Never.” He gasped, pressing his hand to his chest and opening his eyes wide. “How dare you?”
Sally snorted. “Okay, don’t do that again. Ever.”
“Too much?”
She rolled her eyes and then stood. “Come on, I’ve got something to show you.”
Costin jumped to his feet and rubbed his hands together. “Now that is what I like to hear from my woman.”
She laughed as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, taking the stairs two at a time. “So eager to read a piece of paper?”
He paused just outside of her door. “Paper?”
“Ugh! Costin, put me down. Your shoulder is crushing my diaphragm.”
“What do you mean paper?” he asked, sounding like a forlorn child. “No smexy time?” he said as he slid her down his body until her feet were planted on the floor.
She shook her head. “Nope. Right now is healthy, relationship time.” Sally pushed the door to her room open and walked inside, trying not to laugh at the look on her mate’s face.
“But healthy, relationship time can lead to smexy time, right?” He shut the door behind him and clicked the lock in place.
Sally picked up a journal from the bedside table and sat down on the bed. She looked up at him and patted the spot beside her. “I’m not saying to rule it out or anything.”
His smile was back as he sat down next to her.
“Here.” She handed him the journal. “Turn to the page with the paper clip on the edge.”
Costin flipped it to the page, and his eyes began to shift back and forth across the paper. A slow smile began to form on his sensual lips. “When did you do this?”
She willed herself not to blush as she spoke. “While I took a bath last night.”
He chuckled. “So that’s what took you so long.” He held the journal out to her. “Go on then. Let’s hear it.”
Sally’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped open. “Y-you want me to read it out loud?” That sounded like the worst idea she’d ever heard.
“Of course,” he said and started tracing down her back with a finger as he laid on his side, propped up on an elbow. “We need to be able to talk about this stuff and communicate our needs.”
She huffed. “I am communicating, on this piece of paper.” She held the journal out, shaking it at him as if he didn’t know as to what paper she was referring.
“What if I go blind and can’t read?”
“I’ll learn to write in braille,” she said dryly.
“What if the pads of all my fingers were burned off and I couldn’t feel anything?”
“Depends. Am I the one who burned all the pads of your fingers off?” she asked and then laughed at the look of horror on his face. “What? How else would you get the pads of your fingers burned off? Wait.” She held up her hand as laughter continued to bubble out of her. “I know, you accidently burned them off because you’re blind, and Jen told you to brush the crumbs off of the stove and you did.”
The look of horror was gone, only to be replaced by a look that made it obvious he was questioning her intelligence. “That was lame.”
“You’re right. Pretty lame. And it probably made you really tired just listening because of how lame it was and now you want to go to bed.” She started to get up, but Costin snagged a piece of her hair and kept her in place.
“Read, Sally mine.”
She let out a low grown. “Fine.” After clearing her throat four times too many, she finally began to read. “You asked me to write down things that I needed from you. Here goes. I need you to smile at me, especially when you don’t feel like smiling, so I know I haven’t done something wrong. I need you to run your fingers through my hair, so I won’t be tempted to cut it off. I need you to tell me when I’m being a brat so I can stop because I want you to want to be around me, not just have to be. I need you to hold me when I cry. I hate crying, and if you’ll hold me I won’t feel like such a wuss. I need you to whisper sweet things to me when you make love to me. I need you to laugh with me and let me know you think I’m worth your laughter. Sometimes I need you to ask me to take a walk with you because it makes me feel like you enjoy being with me. I need you to be interested, if only long enough to be proud of me, in things that I’m interested in and do well. I need to hear your praise. I don’t know if you think I’ve done a good a job if you don’t tell me. I need you to tell me no when you know it isn’t what is best for me or our family. I need you to tell me yes when something is best, even if it’s going to be hard for us. I need you to want my opinion and care what I have to say. Most of all, I need you: your attention, your words, your time, your affection, your tenderness, your playfulness, your commitment, and your faithfulness.” When she was done, she sat staring at the paper, unable to will herself to look at Costin’s face.
“Thank you,” he said after several minutes of silence. “Knowing what you need helps me know how I can make sure you feel my love.”
“What about you?” She heard him shift and turned to look at him. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. “You already did yours?”
He grinned. “I take baths too.”
Sally laughed. “I’m sure you wrote yours soaking in the tub.”
“Hush woman and listen to my needs,” he told her playfully. “I need you to rub my feet.”
Sally’s brows rose. “Really?”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m not done.”
She made a motion with her hand. “By all means.”
“I need you to hold my hand when I sit next to you. I need you to laugh at my jokes. I need you to respect me. I need you be interested in things I am interested in. I need you to wrestle with me.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but this time, Costin put his finger over her mouth.
“I need you to tell me yes. I need you to desire me. I need you to wear sexy stuff to bed. Or, naked works too.”
He put his whole hand over her mouth, which made her want to laugh.
“I need you to know you can always tell me what you need from me. And I need to know I have the same liberty with you.”
When he finally dropped his hand, he sat up and cupped her face. “I love you, Sally mine. And I will do my best to meet your needs. When I’m not, then by all means, bust my balls about it.”
“Jen’s more of the ball buster. I’ll just nudge you with my toe. On your leg, not your balls.”
His laughter rolled out of him and she joined him, and it felt so good to laugh with him. To feel alive, even though in the back of her mind she could feel the darkness taunting her, telling her it wouldn’t last. In that moment, she was going to grab hold of the light she found in their love and hold tight to it.
“Can I nudge you? When I need you?”
“Is that what’s happening right now?” Sally asked with a smirk. “Is this you nudging me?”
“That’s exactly what this is, beautiful. Lay back
and let me give you what we both need.”
She giggled. “And what is that exactly?”
“Less clothing.”
Sally didn’t know what was going to happen to her the next day. She didn’t know if the luminous sprites would fry her brain with their light, causing it to ooze out of her ears, or if she’d turn into a walking demon, but she did know that, right now, in her old bedroom, she had her mate who wanted to love her. And she wasn’t about to let that moment with him slip by.
Chapter Nine
“Every now and then, we have these moments in life when we know exactly what we are supposed to be doing. It’s like every little thing—our breathing, our movements, our thoughts and actions, everything—just makes sense. We are where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing, with exactly whom we are supposed to be doing it with.” ~Costin
Walking through the tree the second time didn’t seem to Sally quite as exciting as it had been the first time. But then, the first time she hadn’t been going into the sprite realm to meet the sprite queen and to have her head examined by some light sprites. She snorted to herself. Light sprites.
“Are you so stressed that everything is amusing to you?” her mate asked through their bond.
“Pretty much.”
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re sexy as hell.”
“Even stressed and full of darkness?”
Costin chuckled. “Beautiful, if full of darkness gets me another night like last night, I say we just tell the light sprites to take a hike.”
Hiking light sprites. Sally bit her lip to keep from laughing as the stepped out of the tree and into the forest of the sprite realm. Her mom and dad had already crossed through and were waiting on them.
“Everything okay?” her dad asked.
Sally couldn’t even make eye contact with her dad after her mate’s mental comment. “Everything’s great, dad.”
“Where’s the palace?” Costin asked.
Cindy held up her hand, asking for them to wait. Then, out of nowhere, or at least it seemed like that to Sally, there was a small castle about a hundred yards away.
“Right there,” Cindy said with a sly grin.
“Okay, so that just happened, right?” Costin asked her.
Sally nodded. “Totally happened, babe. No castle and then, boom, castle.”
Costin gave a thumbs-up. “As long as I’m not the only one hallucinating, then I’m good.”
They walked in silence. Costin’s large hand wrapped around hers while Chris held Cindy’s. Sally felt almost as though she were being led to the gallows. She just needed that nifty background music indicating her doom was near.
“You’re being a bit dramatic this morning,” Costin whispered to her.
“You were a bit dramatic last night, but you didn’t hear me complaining, so stick a sock in it, fluffy.”
Costin made claw-like motions at her and hissed like a cat.
“That’s disturbing. Let me video it so I can send it to Jen and Jacque. Otherwise, never do it again,” Sally said as she started to pull her phone from her back pocket.
“I’ll let you video me, if you let me video—”
“NOPE.” Sally cut him off quickly and turned to her mom. “So, Mom, how’s this show going to go down?”
They were entering the large door when her mom started to answer but was stopped by the sound of several gasps. Sally looked up as they walked into the castle and couldn’t stop the eye roll. There were a handful of women, no doubt sprites, milling about the large foyer all staring … at Costin.
“Did they seriously just gasp?” her dad asked.
Sally shrugged. “At least they aren’t asking for his autograph, pictures, or to have his babies.”
“Does that really happen?”
Costin winked at her dad. “Every. Single. Day.” Then he pointed to Sally. “She begs me for them.”
Sally started to respond but froze when a beautiful woman dressed in a shimmering dark gown walked down the middle of the corridor. The women parted for her but continued to stare at the guests.
Cindy bowed her head. “My queen.” Her father did the same.
“Welcome back, Cindy.” The queen’s voice was soft but confident. “Introduce me, please.”
“This is my mate, Chris Morgan.”
“Your majesty,” her dad said with a slight bow.
“I am Queen Andora, Chris Morgan, of the humans. You have cared for Cindira well. I thank you.”
“It has been an honor,” he said. “And an honor to meet you as well.”
“This is my daughter, Sally, and her mate, Costin, of the Serbia wolf pack,” Cindy continued.
Andora walked over to them and eyed them critically.
“It is an honor to meet you, your highness,” Costin said and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the top of it. He let it go and then pressed the palm of his hand to Sally’s back. “I’m most thankful that you’ve allowed my mate, and myself, entrance into your realm.”
“We are honored to have you,” she said to him and then looked at Sally again. “You have had a rough time recently. Tell me, how are you feeling?”
“I am alright, your highness,” Sally said. “Tired, but alright.”
“May I?” Queen Andora lifted her hand to press it to her forehead.
Sally nodded. What was she going to do, tell the queen no?
Andora placed her hand on Sally’s forehead and closed her eyes. Sally felt Costin’s fingers close around her shirt as he took a step closer to her. She reached down her hand and took his other.
“I’m fine.”
“I know you are, Sally mine. It’s still hard for me to share the mental bond. I didn’t know your mom was taking a look inside your head the other day. But knowing someone is digging around in here makes my wolf edgy.”
“I love you,” she said soothingly.
“It’s a good thing. Someone has to.”
She smiled and let out the breath she’d been holding when Queen Andora stepped back. Her face was grim, and her eyes held a sharp intelligence that Sally hadn’t seen before.
“Take her to the healers’ chambers. The luminous are waiting for you there.” The Queen turned without another word and marched back down the corridor.
A small woman stepped forward and bowed slightly. “My ladies and sirs, if you will follow me.”
They made their way down the corridor to a set of stairs which took them up to the second floor. When they stepped off the staircase, Sally was struck by how much un-castle-like the structure appeared once you got deeper inside the palace. Now, it simply looked like a home with a really nice banister and fancy carpet.
They turned right, following the small woman with the quick feet. After mentally singing down to eighty bottles of sprite on the wall, they finally stopped at a large, arched door. Okay, so this looks a bit more castle-like.
The woman knocked three times, and the door opened. When they entered, Sally felt warmth flow through her, but it didn’t stay. It moved from her front and out her back, as if she’d passed through warm water and arrived cold on the other side. She shivered.
“You okay?” Costin whispered against her ear.
She nodded but rubbed her arms, attempting to get rid of the chill.
“Hello, Sally.” A woman with brown hair flowing down her back and over her shoulders stepped forward. She had keen eyes and a pleasant smile. She wore a dress with a scoop neck, long flowing sleeves, and a thin silver corded belt around her small waist. “My name is Diedre. I am the head of my clan, the luminous sprites.”
“It’s very nice to meet you. And thank you, for being willing to do…” She paused. “Um, whatever it is you’re going to do.”
Diedre gave a slight bow. “We are happy to help.” She motioned to a small bed. “If you would please lie down here so we can begin. The moon will be rising in less than a quarter of an hour, and we want to be well into the process before it’s reached
its zenith.”
Costin took her face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’ll be right beside you.”
She nodded. “Please keep your beast in check.”
He winked at her. “No promises, beautiful.”
Sally shook her head at him as she gave her mom and dad both a quick hug and then climbed up onto the bed. She laid down on her back and set her arms down beside her. She felt like at any moment someone was going to jump out and yell “GOTCHA!” and that everything that had happened for the past two years was going to have been some weird dream.
“I know I’m too good to be true, Sally mine, but I’m real, not just a dream.” Costin teased through their bond.
Sally rolled her eyes. “You would be the nightmare portion of the dream.”
He pressed a hand to his chest as though she’d truly wounded him. “Words cut deep, Sally. Truly.”
“Your mate is funny,” Diedre said as she walked over to the opposite side of the bed. “I bet you’re happy he isn’t just a pretty face.”
Sally covered her nose to keep from snorting out the laugh. Okay, she liked Diedre. “It is nice that he did happen to come with a brain.”
“You weren’t real concerned about my brain last night,” Costin muttered under his breath, which made Sally cough.
Diedre made a motion with her hands, and suddenly there were women surrounding the bed. It wasn’t a wide bed, so Sally was close to the edge on all sides, which meant all of the women had no trouble reaching her to lay a hand on her skin. Sally counted twelve sets of hands on her before she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She tried to push away any fear and to take deep breaths as she waited.
The room seemed to fade away, and she was standing in a dark room. She could feel the floor beneath her feet and just barely make out the walls and a small window where a very scant beam of moonlight attempted to make its way in.
