Page 111 of Dreams Of Fate

“It was fated.” He clears his throat. “Love you, Brother.”

“Love you.” I cross my arms, staring at Savy.

“I need to break that up,” he says, standing. “Mara stared at the shirtless man on the cover for too long.”

I chuckle and shake my head.

My fantasy came to life yesterday. I parked the bike by the water, shielded us, and got Savy naked on my bike. The scratch marks on my back are a reminder of how much she enjoyed the experience. We took our time driving home, and secluded ourselves the rest of the day and night. Unfortunately, the real work intruded this morning when Rome called to tell me Griffon was dead. He couldn’t withstand my nightmare even though he was a powerful warlock.

For the first time, I was happy I deployed my spell. Rome made the body disappear, and I was grateful. Savy is slowly coming to terms with the revelations of the past few days, so she called Gwen. Aria will be here soon with her. They found Betty and Travis and plan to have a small ceremony and bury them. Even though they weren’t good people, and helped Griffon, Betty is Mary’s sister, and Savy believes she would want them put to rest properly. My bond wants to learn about her birth mother, yet right now, she's grateful for the family she has. I'll make sure my bond won’t be upset again. Gwen is mourning her daughters and living with the repercussions of withholding the truth for her granddaughters. I believe she'll quickly earn their trust back.

Rome distracts Mara just as Gwen and Aria enter the store. Savy tenses before moving around the counter to greet them. Her reaction to seeing them is different, but expected. I don’t want her to lose the two women who have meant everything to her. She confessed her mixed emotions last night, yet the love she received outweighed the anger over the secrets Gwen kept. Savy was more upset that Aria used her power on me, and I felt the same. Stopping time isn’t a joke, but we can understand Aria’s need for answers.

Gwen reaches out tentatively, touching Savy’s arm, and she breaks. My soft-hearted bond hugs her, her eyes wet. Aria looks at them, her fingers twisting together and is biting her lip. She isn’t the confident, snarky woman I first met. When Savy breaks away from Gwen and embraces Aria, I know they'll be alright. Just because it is my nature, and I have some anger inside, I'll be more cautious. But right now, all I care about is Savy’s happiness.

The tension in the room lifts, and the others resume their conversation.

Mateo arrives and tilts his head my way before moving toward the group. Lace breaks away, her owl on her shoulder, and grins at him. She has developed a soft spot for the warlock, and I refuse to be jealous of their relationship. She deserves more family. I worry about her, and the magic I can sense hovering close. She's changing. I don’t know why her spells are beginning to emerge now. She hasn’t said anything to anyone, so all I can do is be there for her when she asks for help.

We're having a family meal tomorrow, after the burial. I couldn’t put Margarete off any longer. Rome is taking care of the reservations, and I know he added the rest of the crew. One big found family.

“Babe,” Savy calls, and I blink. She saunters toward me, and I get lost in her beauty. “Why are you staying over here by yourself?” She stops in front of me and glides her hand over my head.

The light flickers.

“Enjoying looking at you,” I say quietly.

“So sweet,” she whispers.

“My mind is full of non-sweet things,” I hum, cupping the back of her thigh.

“Oh, yeah?” She smiles. “Do tell.”

“When we met, all I wanted to do was throw you over my shoulder and take you away.” I tip my head back.

“Really? Sounds interesting.” She touches her tongue to the corner of her mouth. “Do you still have the urge?”

“I always will.”