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Ember put her hand on my arm and took a few breaths between pursed lips, her face pale. I knew she was fighting back the nausea I gave her, causing me to feel guilty for my actions.
Once she was good, she yanked her hand away and waved it in the air. “If you’re in such dire need of getting a fur pelt, go by yourself!”
She angrily stomped off the portal and I chased after her.
“Wait, my love.”
She halted her furious feet and whipped toward me, her finger pointed at my chest. “Cinder told me you were trying to find me the perfect gift for Flaik Luna, so I’m assuming that’s why you’ve been acting weird! But this. Really?”
“How did she know?”
“You know damn well Cash can’t keep a secret.” She crossed her arms, her eyes locked on mine. “Tell me right now what you were doing.”
I made a mental note to blacken the snitching Angel’s eye when I saw him before confessing. “My plan was to make you lose your shield so I could hear your thoughts, then maybe I could find a perfect gift for you. All I wanted was our first Flaik Luna to be special and I ruined it. I’m truly sorry. ”
Ember let out a hard breath before placing her hand on my cheek.
“I love you so much Valarian, and I know how much you love me. I don’t need a perfect present from you when we have a bond stronger than steel.”
Her eyes glistened, filled with compassion, and my heart fluttered.
“You’re an amazing woman. I just wanted you to have amazing things.”
She dropped her hand from my face. “Seriously, you could have gotten me a sandwich from Milo’s and I would have been happy.”
I snickered, shaking my head in exasperation. “That was one of my first thoughts, but Zila said it wouldn’t be romantic.”
Ember giggled, then rubbed her hands up and down her arms, warming them. “No, but I really do love the triple stacker.”
We both laughed before I threw my arm around her, escorting her out of the cold.
Chapter Five
With a little less than twenty-fours hours until the Moon Day Celebration, I was still cogitating last-minute decisions. Even though Ember said she didn’t need a present, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should get something small. Anything.
Maybe a bracelet? Flowers? The triple stacker? A tree?
I turned my head toward Ember. “Do you like oak trees?”
The gossip at the breakfast table halted, all eyes now on me.
“Um, they’re okay. Why are you asking, Val?”
“Just wondering.” I took a bite of my pancake, avoiding her suspicious glare.
She had already forgiven me once, so at this point I was ready to cut my losses. Maybe after breakfast I would get her a bouquet of her favorite flowers, so I didn’t show up empty-handed tomorrow.
“I prefer roses over trees,” Cinder said, bringing my attention to her as I swallowed my food. “They smell better.”
Cash nodded in agreement. “Me too. They remind me of my mom’s garden back home.”
“That’s because you never had an apple tree growing up like Zayn and I had.” Cali clasped her hands together in excitement. “The best thing in the world is being able to pluck an apple from your own backyard.”
“Mimosa trees smell just as good, if not better than roses,” Zila chimed in before letting out a satisfying sigh. “They’re mine and my mother’s favorite tree.”
“We don’t have mimosa trees on Windcrest,” Asher added. “But we have a lot of walnut trees. They stink when they fall, but the nuts inside are so good. I miss them.”
Cali rolled her eyes. “We know. You talk about them all the time.”
