Page 74 of Kiss and Spell
“Everyone’s slumbering but me. I’m having a wonderful time.” From her shaky tone, it sounded like the opposite.
“Talk to me, Sula.” The nickname slipped easily and comfortably from his lips.
“I remembered the leap.”
His heart lurched. He steeled himself for whatever else she had to say. “Was it bad?”
“No,” Ursula said breathlessly. “It was—”
His mind filled in the blank. Words came to him, but he didn’t say anything, not wanting to speak for her. He waited, rapt, to hear that word come from her mouth. He held his breath.
“Perfect. It was absolutely perfect. I want it so much, but I don’t know how to get it.”
Her voice broke, snapping something within him.
Xavier clutched the phone. “I wish I was there with you.”
For the first time in years, he longed to have wings so he could fly to her.
“Hold on,” Ursula said. “Close your eyes.”
He did as she requested and shut his eyes. He heard her whisper a few words and the cool touch of her magic flowed through him. His body went slack, and he shivered all over as if he’d gulped a whole glass of ice water.
“Okay. You’re here,” she sang.
Xavier blinked and glanced around. He was lying next to Ursula in a bedroom that he didn’t recognize. Her hair was artfully wrapped in a headscarf, and she wore a tank top and pajama bottoms. There was a dewy glow to her skin as if she had just bathed in a secret spring.
“This is the best dream ever.” He moved in to kiss her.
Ursula held up a hand to stop him. “We can’t touch, or you’ll wake up. It’s just a little lucid dreaming spell. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these conjurings, so we have to be careful.”
Xavier snuggled in close enough to feel Ursula’s warmth. His voice went into a husky whisper. “So, you have me here. What are you going to do with me?”
“I have no idea.” The glow of her smile heated him in the space of the bed.
He hovered his hand inches away from her cheek. “Was I there in the leap?”
A shadow of distress swept over her face. “Of course you were there. Why do you think I want it so much?”
Then why did she look so sad? “Tell me what’s wrong. How far did you see ahead?”
Ursula cast her eyes downward. “I don’t know how far I leapt. I saw us together, but I didn’t know how long we stayed together. It might have been a month, or a year.”
Grief and disappointment tore at his chest. He thought that once he handled the enchantment, he’d regain control of his fate. Xavier didn’t know how long he could stay here in the Grove without drawing Father’s ire.
“I’ll stay until midsummer,” he said.
There was a long pause. “Can I keep you until then?” she asked.
His heartbeat skyrocketed. He would easily grant her this request. When the time was right, he’d ask to her the ball. He’d court her and be the storybook prince. He wouldn’t simply be charming; he was going to be legendary.
“I’m yours.” Xavier rested his head on the pillow next to hers. “I’m yours until then.”
She sighed deeply, seemingly weary from this exchange. Ursula closed her eyes and nestled in the bed.
“I’m just resting my eyes,” she mumbled. Soon, her body went slack and her breathing took on a steady rhythm. Xavier lay in the drowsy warmth of the bed, letting his thoughts drift as he watched her surrender to sleep. It felt like his head and heart were in a tug-of-war between this world and the realm.
His conscience hissed in his head.