Aamon wrenches me into his arms, enveloping me in a firm embrace. “I wish I could keep you for a lifetime, Thorne, but your mortal life has to be lived to its fullest.”
Tears well in my eyes; a sob shudders from my chest. “I will live it every day and practice my magic. I will continue to help others with this new gift you’ve given me.”
Aamon tips my chin up to him and softly presses his lips to mine. His tongue slips inside my mouth, and my eyes close in response. A quiet certainty settles in my chest knowing I am irrevocably in love with Aamon. I am bound by magic, but more than that, every fiber of my soul belongs to him.
“I love you,” I say when our mouths break apart.
Aamon peers into my eyes, smiling softly with so much adoration and love that I surely feel it in my bones. “I love you too, Thorne Grimwood.”
With one more farewell kiss, eventually we know it’s time for me to leave. A portal similar to the first I was pulled through materializes in a swirling vortex of shadow. As I step inside, I watch as Aamon fades from view, a sense of renewed longing settling in my chest. I know this is only the beginning, andwinter will come again. When it does, we will continue to build the future we started together.
For now, my deal with the demon Marquis holds a special place in my heart, and I cannot wait to see him once more.