Page 94 of Winter Unleashed

He nodded. “Those aren’t Liam Fraser’s men, those are the Vinur’s men. They are highly trained shifters, demons, and vampires. They live all over the world wherever supes are, and they’re always ready to help.”

“That makes me feel better… a little.”

“As for the rest of your questions.” He sat in one of the chairs and took my hand to pull me onto his lap. His lips brushed mine a few times before he kissed me until he felt me relax. “What’s happened here in Cullum County is rare. Normally, our teams will take care of anything before we even hear about it. Therefore, we will have plenty of time to live our lives.”

I grunted. “Then why do we have to live there?”

“It’s how things have always been. A Vinur must occupy Ulfurjord.”

“Do you ever question the Fae as to why they make these ridiculous rules?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, they don’t even know, do they?” I asked with a chuckle.

“They do not. Tradition is very important to them, and Artemis is the biggest stickler.”

I nibbled my lip while I thought of how to get Artemis to see things my way. If they could have magic screens in Ulfurjord, they could have them anywhere. Liam and I could travel the world with them. We could live anywhere.

I looked into his eyes and remembered he said Ulfurjord was home to him. “You don’t want to live anywhere else, do you?”

He pulled me in tighter and rested his chin on my head. “I used to. When my parents were alive, I travelled as far away from them as possible. After my mother died, I went even farther.” A sigh escaped him.

I looked up at him. “But now you want to go back.”

He pulled his eyes from the yard and looked down at me. “Yes.”

“Then that’s where we’ll live.”

He lowered his lips to mine for a tender kiss as he wove his fingers into my hair. “As for you sucking at it, that could never happen. You’ll make a wonderful Vinura, and if we want to start a family, there’s nothing to stop us.”

I let my eyes drift over the yard I’d fallen for before I fell for its owner. I followed the tree line toward the spot where the lake sat. Liam sighed again, and I turned to look at him. The crease between his eyebrows was back. I lifted my hand to rest on his cheek. “Stop worrying.”

He turned his head to press a kiss on my palm. “What if you hate it there? What if you resent me because I took you away from your home?”

I shifted to straddle him then pressed my lips to his for a slow, passionate kiss. “That could never happen becauseyouare my home.”

He shook his head a little. “Forever is a long time, how can you be so sure it’ll never happen?”

“Because, Liam Bertram Fraser, I love you.” When he opened his mouth to respond, I touched my fingers to his lips. “I’m pretty sure I started falling for you that first day in my kitchen, and I’ve been falling ever since. There’s no more fighting it, I’m so in love with you there’s no turning back. You are my best friend, my lover, my home, my heart. You’re my everything, and I’ll go anywhere with you and be happy as long as you’re by my side.”

“Well, fuck, Red,” he whispered, “that was worth the wait. And so were you.”

A soft laugh escaped me. “That’s good, because like you said, forever is a long time.”

His hands cupped my bottom as he stood from the chair. “Don’t worry, I’ll never tire of you,” he said as he carried me back into the room.

I slid down his body until my feet touched the floor. We undressed each other between kisses and caresses. My hands glided over his chest to his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. His hands moved to my back, pressing me against him.

“Red,” he whispered as he walked me backward to the bed.

“Yes?” I sighed when my back hit the soft sheets.

He covered me with his body and lowered his face, so his lips were a breath away from mine. “I love you too.”

A smile played on my lips as I looked up at him. “I know.”

The next daywas the hardest day of my life. After Liam and I finished packing, we had breakfast with our friends. The mood during the meal was a stark contrast to the evening before. We sat staring down at our plates as we pushed the food around them. This went on for twenty minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore.