Page 60 of Signed in Incubus

What was I hearing? I wanted to believe him so badly, but a tiny detail was niggling in the back of my mind.

“What about Deanna? You took her out. You were already looking—”

“Yes, I was looking…for you. She looked so similar, and I thought, maybe…? But I knew within minutes that she wasn’t the one. I took her out for dinner, then I dropped her back at her hotel. Nothing happened. But then she kept showing up at Delerium. I’ve been hiding from her in the VIP lounge. She’s nothing to me.Youare everything.

“I’ve never been in love before, Penny, so I didn’t recognize the signs. The way the world seems exciting when you are around and dull when you are gone. When you are around, food tastes better, the sun shines brighter, and the birds sing more sweetly. Without you, I lost my appetite for anything I once enjoyed. I need you in my life.”

I was too afraid to believe it. “What if you regret this? What if you get bored?”

“Never! And I don’t need to be single to experience everything this century has to offer; I can do it all with you. Without you, I wasn’t able to enjoy anything. Don’t you see, Penny? Youaremy freedom.” He held on to me fiercely, like he thought I’d disappear if he didn’t. “I know I hurt you; I promise it will never happen again. Please forgive me, little witch. I love you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat but couldn’t stop my lip from quivering or the sharp inhale as I fought to hold back the happy tears. “There’s nothing to forgive, Prax. You only did what you thought was right. And I…I love you too.” A tear rolled down my cheek.

He brushed the droplet away, and as he did, the faint, barely-there tendrils of magic connecting the two of us started to glow. I gasped as the magical threads grew, winding around our bodies.

“I think I was wrong about these bindings,” Prax said. “I don’t think they are holding me to you. They’re holding the two of us together.”

“I think you’re right.”

I stared at the beautiful tendrils as they slowly disappeared into us. I wondered if this was the magical mate bond that held so many monsters to their one and only. Maybe the spell I’d cast to bring Prax to me had made it visible somehow.

Prax bent his head and pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss. The weight of the past two weeks melted away, and I sagged inhis arms, letting his presence comfort me. I kissed him back, wanting to memorize that unique campfire-marshmallow scent of him.

Just as every touch between us had done before, the kiss changed and grew, turning more and more desperate and needy until I was rubbing up against him, craving the feel of his hands on my skin. It was only with great self-control that I finally pulled away. There were things we needed to talk about and figure out before we fell into bed again. Because I was sure once we did, we probably wouldn’t leave for at least a day or two.

“From now on, Prax,pleasetalk to me before doing something that stupid,” I said when I finally caught my breath.

He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

“So, I guess you’ll be moving back in?”

“No.”

My heart dropped from the cloud it had been floating on.

“You’removing in withme. This place is great, but my new place is way nicer.”

Oh! That I could do!

“But I signed a three-month lease.”

“You can use this space as your recording studio. You have it all set up already. And we can stay here if we go out and need a place to crash. This is much closer to the clubs and bars. Or,we can bounce between both locations for a while. I honestly don’t care where we live as long as I have you. We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Right now, I need to prove how sorry I am for lying to you.”

“Yeah? How are you going to do that?”

A mischievous twinkle lit up his eyes, and his lips spread into a wicked grin. In an instant, I found myself hauled off my feet again and thrown over his shoulder.

“Prax!” I squealed.

His hand gripped my ass tightly, holding me in place as he took the stairs up to our apartment three at a time.

“You’d better not drop me.”

“Never! You are mine, little witch. For now and forever. And I’m never letting you go.”

Epilogue

Prax

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