Page 59 of Lost in the Dark
“I might have to agree. Though that sounds like a challenge for the next time you fall asleep. Maybe I can shift into something that vibrates.”
I laugh. “Maybe. Just give me some time to recover first. And maybe drink a gallon of water.”
We lie in silence for a few moments, and he eventually rolls off of me and pulls me close, tucking me into his side.
Unfortunately, once the aftershocks wear off, reality comes creeping back in. That was incredible, but it doesn’t solve the main problem: Can Callister and I really find a way to have a normal, healthy relationship? We’re literally from different worlds, so how would that even work?
“If we decided to be together, how would we do that? I can’t stay in the Nightmare Court for long periods of time,” I say.
He nods. “I understand that now. But you could still come for short visits. And I can manifest in this realm whenever I choose.”
“So you’re saying we compromise? You go haunt dreams during the day while I’m working, and we hang out at night? Sometimes we sit on my couch and watch a movie, and sometimes we go frolicking through your realm?”
He chuckles. “I might not have phrased it precisely that way, but yes. Why not?”
I look him in the eyes. “Can I trust you?”
“You can trust me not to hurt you on purpose,” he says, stroking my hair. “But there may be times when I don’t understand your needs, and it will be your job to help me learn.”
“Okay,” I say. “That’s fair.”
“Truly?” he asks. “You will…how do the humans put it? Take me back?”
“I want to try. I missed you, and if you’re willing to learn more about human morals and how to treat me, then I’m willing to give it a go.”
He cups my cheek and looks at me tenderly. It’s an expression I’ve never seen on him before. “I will do anything I can to protect you, Libra. To understand you, to comfort you, to keep you happy and safe. I may not have much experience with human emotions beyond fear, but I know what this is: I love you.”
My heart gives a thump so hard I feel it against my chest. Those are words Evan never felt and certainly never said. Words I never heard during any of my short flings, times when I was as unwilling to commit as they were. Words I’ve never felt myself.
But I do now.
“Oh, Callister,” I say. “I’m not sure how it happened, but I love you too. I don’t want to lose you.”
He smiles. “You cannot. I am a king, and you are the strongest human I have ever encountered. Together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. We will find a way to make our love work.”
I cuddle close to him. I never, in my entire life, thought that I would find my own happily ever after. But now I have, and I’m never letting him go. Turns out that nightmares can be real, but dreams sometimes do come true.
THE END