Page 131 of Jinxes and Drumsticks

“Doesn’t that mean that someone could still happen upon us, then?”

“Theoretically, but generally speaking, witches, fae and vampires aren’t exactly the pearl-clutching type.”

“So you’re telling me they’d enjoy the show,” he says.

I swallow and flush. “Yep,” I manage.

“Would you enjoy putting on a show?”

I bring my thumbnail up to my teeth and follow the line between my incisors. “I mean... I... wouldn’t mind being watched. And the idea of being found is kind of thrilling?”

“Mnhh,” Damien says, his voice low and husky. “Yeah. I can see the appeal of fucking you while someone watches. Baby, I would put you in the spotlight for everyone to see. Let everyone watch your perfect tits bouncing while you ride me, show them that perfect pink pussy, show them how well you take my cock down your throat.”

I can’t help it. I hide my face. Not because I’m ashamed, but because I already know I’m biting my lip thinking about it. Damien’s chuckle is warm in response, almost charmed.

“Alright, sweetheart,” he says. “Anything off limits for you? Also, can you give me directions to this place?”

“Oh, right. You can turn right at the next light,” I say. “And... I mean, nothing comes to mind. We’ve already done a lot, right? Aside from the usual, I can’t think of something else.”

“No degradation being the usual?” he asks.

“Mhmn,” I tell him.

“Alright. Usual safe words fine?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Do you want to know my plans for you once I catch you? Or would you like to be surprised?”

“I think... a surprise would be nice...” I say.

“Alright,” he says, smiling as he takes the turn I told him to.

“There’s a little service road coming up in about two miles. You’re going to turn in there,” I say.

“Cool,” he says.

The drive quiets down a little bit after that. “Green Eyes” by I Am Avalanche plays. Both Damien and I sing it quietly, and my mind drifts a bit from what awaits me in the warded woods only a short drive away.

More songs cycle through on Damien’s “Songs Lillith Sings” playlist. “Dumb and Poetic” by Sabrina Carpenter, “She” by Dodie, “I See How It Is” by The Starting Line and surprisingly, a deeper cut I didn’t expect him to have picked up on. A song called “Diorama” by a dreamy LA singer called Laila Smith.

It’s “Euclid” by Sleep Token playing as we make it to the boundaries of the wards. The song isn’t even over by the time I lift them. As Damien parks, “Shiny” by The Decemberists plays, and the car idles as he watches me sing one of my favorite songs to ever exist. His elbow propped on the steering wheel, his cheek leaning on his closed hand. His eyes are soft and neutral. He looks like he loves me and acts like it too.

What a pleasant feeling it is to be loved. To be wanted.

When the song concludes, he takes the keys out of the ignition and drops them into the cup holder. Silence becomes a heavy, tangible thing between us for a long time. Damien’s eyes flicker as they take me in.

“I love you,” he says, quiet and real. Like he’s in awe. Like he’s suddenly been taken with the rush of gratitude you feel on a night where the stars are especially visible, or the sun slants through rain at just the right angle to summon two technicolor arcs of refracted light, or when the moonlight glitters off a sea that is somehow both calm and frenetic.

“I love you,” I repeat back to him, not like a parrot emulating him. But like someone who experiences a transcendent moment with another; like someone whose survived something harrowing with a stranger; like someone slipping into a warm bath while their body aches; like opening your eyes for the first time in the day and looking forward to getting up. Like I’m awake. Like I’m rested.

He’s my home. And it’s beautiful and terrifying and everything I ever wanted.

He cups my face in his free hand, guiding me up onto my knees until I’m leaning over the center console. I grasp the steering wheel next to his elbow as he slips his lips against mine. As my body goes languid, I slip my fingers into his hair, dragging my nails against his scalp.

I taste his moan. I sigh into his mouth.

He brushes his nose against mine as the kiss breaks. When I open my eyes, his are already locked on mine, his pupils blown wide.