Page 71 of Wickedly Yours

“It would be easier if there was any one thing I could point to. But he makes me feel safe. Loved.Treasured. He gave me back a part of myself I hadn’t even known was missing. Part of me had been scared, though. That I’d let myself love him, and he’d leave. That it had been too good to be true. But…”

“But he stayed.”

“He did. And we chose each other. Soulmates or not, I’d never found someone who felt like home before. Who saw every piece of me and loved all of it. Someone who’d do anything for me.” She shook her head. “Damien’s not perfect—not by a long shot. Learning he kept things from me—about his brother, aboutyou…That was hard. But I forgave him because I loved him.”

“I was okay,” I said, my voice low. “You know that, right? That I’m fine here?”

“But what if you hadn’t been? What if he’d been keeping you here against your will? I just?—”

“I would have told you. Asked you to take me home with you. If I didn’t trust him, I…” The words were on the tip of my tongue. That Inever would have come.

Willow reached out to squeeze my hand. “I know you’re okay now. And I love you. But more importantly, I trust you. And either way, I’m always gonna be here for you, Lune. Even if you decide that all this is too much.”

“I know,” I whispered back, squeezing just like we always had as kids. “And maybe that’s why I can do this. Because I know you’ve got my back.”

“Always will.” She winked.

“I love you so much, Wil. I don’t think I say that enough. Truly, I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Willow waved me off, but I continued. “You gave up your life for me, and I don’t know if I ever really thanked you for it. The bakery—moving back to Pleasant Grove—everythingyou did for me. You’re the best sister a girl could have ever asked for.”

“Oh, Luna. I didn’t giveanythingup. No part of me that regrets any of it. Working together all of those years was the best thing I could have asked for. Speaking of the bakery, though…” Willow twirled her finger in the air. “I might have hired a manager. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“You did?” I was shocked.

“After we talked last time, I hired the new baker. And I guess I’d been adrift for a while, too. Not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. So I decided it was time for me to step back, too. And with Damien, I just…” she trailed off, a breathtaking smile taking over her face.

“You’re happy?”

“I’ve never been happier.”

“Good.”

That was all I could hope for. A joyful life. Love.

And maybe that was the dangerous thing about dreams.

They always left you wantingmore.

A bouquet of violet and light lilac flowers was placed in my arms as I stared at the large doors that opened to the ceremonial hall.

“I’m getting married,” I whispered the words like I was tasting them on my tongue.

My makeup was flawless—eyes lined with kohl, a shimmer over my eyelids—and Novalie had loosely curled my hair, not a strand out of place. Somehow, she got the curls to hold, a feat I was attributing to magic instead of whatever tool she expertly wielded.

The masterpiece of a dress Angelique had designed fit me like a glove, the fabric shimmering no matter how the light hit it.

It was the same face that I’d seen in the mirror for the last twenty-five years that blinked back at me. The same light blonde hair, bright green eyes—like Granny Smith apples—and the same porcelain skin and rosy cheeks. I was me. And yet, I was someone completely different, too.

Stronger. Eyes brighter. I looked every bit the role I was filling.Ethereal. They’d truly made me feel like a princess.

My pale blonde strands flowed behind me, and a long, shimmering veil draped down my back. Then there was the crown that sat in my hair, a large moon sitting in the center, dozens of tiny gemstones and crystals spreading out from aroundit.

Today, I’d become his wife. And one day… his queen. A shiver ran through me at the thought.

Despite all my extensive research and the amount of books I’d read on the subject over the last week, I still had no idea what to expect from today.

Zain had been tight-lipped about the whole thing. Even though he hadn’t been vocal about what exactly it would entail, he’d at least been present with mephysically. I’d spent the whole last week wrapped in his arms every night.

I could tell something was bothering him, and he hadn’t shared it with me. It seemed like stress above and beyond one could expect from a wedding—especially from an immortal, three-hundred-year-old demon.

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