Page 87 of Of Flame and Fury
When will I be lucky enough to encounter a stupid foe? I debate dropping in my blood or Gemini’s to strengthen the circle, except I can’t risk our power giving Johnny the boost he needs.
I’m seconds from collapsing when he draws me closer and leads me to the fire.
“This sucks donkey balls,” I mutter.
“I’ll take your word for it,” he says.
He’s trying to make me laugh. I’m too tired, managing barely more than a smile. “How’s it going with your twin?”
Gemini scoffs. “Not great. Shayna drew out letters, but my brother can’t spell worth a damn. He was able to convey urgency and that Johnny is weak. They also know we’re alive. I can’t explain where we are, not through him. All I know is, if Bren makes one more Lassie and Timmy fell in the well joke, my wolf will rip his throat out.”
This time, I do laugh. As I settle against Gemini, the reality we’re in hits me hard. My body shivers. It’s cold now, for real. I think it has to do with Johnny’s growing weakness and not any power he’s putting into this realm.
Gemini keeps me close as we lay against the fire. He strokes my back in long, languid motions. I start to fall asleep. But when he stops, I stir awake, certain something is wrong.
I glance up at him. “What is it?” I ask.
He smiles gently, the adoration in his eyes a welcomed beauty in this abysmal place. The fingertips of his hand stroke my jaw slowly, barely tracing the length. “Will you marry me?”
Gemini straightens along with me. I cover my mouth. “Are you serious?”
He nods. “I’m not giving up on our duties or on us. But if we don’t survive, I want to die fighting and knowing I married the most beautiful woman in the world.”
I swallow the lump threatening to choke me as my tears build. I’m wearing the same white dress I wore since this fiasco began. All its elegance has been ripped off and tainted with evil and body fluids better left to a supernatural hazmat team. Gemini is in sweats, and we’re both filthy.
But he’s still my love.
I’m still in white.
And I’m the luckiest woman in the mystical world to have found him.
Gemini strokes the tear away that escapes with his thumb. It probably leaves a nasty streak. He doesn’t seem to care, his smile widening. He already knows my answer.
“From the time whenweresfirst roamed the earth and ran through high grassy fields, they dreamed of their mates. Some searched the world and never found their match. Those who did didn’t need a gathering of friends or pack. They didn’t need clothing that sparkled, hides of their kill, or objects of prestige. They just needed each other and their promise to love for eternity.”
I smile as I laugh, listening closely.
“I need you, Taran. Need to feel your scent when my lips graze your neck, need your heat as we fall asleep, need your heart to help me through the darkness.”
This is the point where I say something equally romantic. Except even a mouthy and loud individual like me often needs to listen and hear what some wait a lifetime for.
“You turn my worst times into my best. You are my passion, the one who provokes my growls both good and bad, and the one I will love forever.”
“Thank you,” I stammer when he stops. “Thank you for all that you say, do, and make me feel.”
He lifts me up, laughing. “Is that a yes?”
I cry into his shoulder. “Yes,yes!”
“They didn’t need much, thoseweres,” Destiny says. “But, they did need one thing you failed to mention.”
Gemini eases me to the ground, placing me behind him. He’s not positive she’s here. Not right away. I am.
Destiny’s long black hair falls around her paling face. She was always on the petite side, but the energy she’s expended to help us has cost her. For the small amount of time that has supposedly passed, she looks unbearably thin and frail.
Destiny walks forward, the limbs of her octopus dress dragging behind her. She smiles. It’s so like her. She’s sick and weak, but here she is, giving it her all.
I approach her, hugging her close. Her head falls against my shoulders. She seems to need my embrace as much as I need to give it to her. “You’re a smart cookie, Taran,” she tells me. “I don’t care what they say about you.”