Page 85 of Wickedly Yours

Zain made a low noise in his throat, and I practically leapt from my chair. The laughter that bubbled out of me as I ran to my closet, with Zain hot on my heels, couldn’t be contained.

It was joyous andfreein a way I hadn’t felt in years.

“What is this place?” I removed my arms from Zain’s waist, allowing him to steady me after we teleported out of the palace to another,smallerpalace.

I’d changed out of my robe and into a surprisingly soft sweater and leggings since Zain insisted I didn’t need to wear any formal clothing or dress. Being comfortable was perfectly fine with me, especially after last night. I was sore all over and trying not to wince.

“I come here when I want to be alone,” he said with a shrug. “You didn’t think I spent all my time in the palace, did you?”

Part of me wondered if he’d come here in the last fewweeks to escape. Did he feel like he needed to hide from me? The idea didn’t sit well with me, so I tried to brush it off. I liked this happy bubble we were in—I didn’t want it to burst.

“Hey.” He tilted up my chin to bring our eyes together. “It’s home now. Forbothof us.”

“Please don’t leave me alone again?” I choked out the words, unsure why I was suddenly so emotional.

“Never.” He dropped a kiss to my lips. “Want to see it?”

I nodded. With a grin, Zain swept me into his arms and carried me in a bridal hold over the threshold.

Our tour wasn’t very long—despite the outward appearance, it wasn’t much larger than the house I’d grown up in.

We reached the bedroom—singular, which made sense—weweremarried now. Andmated,if the mark on my neck meant anything. What did it mean to the demons? Witches didn’t place that much weight on soulmates because the chances of finding yours were small.

But it was different between us. More sacred.

Looking around the room, I had to blink a few times before the sight registered. A gasp slipped from my lips. “What’s all my stuff doing here?”

Everything from my apartment was here: my blanket collection, my crystals, and even my collection of romance books.

He did his best to look a little bashful. “I brought it all here.”

“You did? When?”

Zain looked away, mumbling something under his breath.

“What was that?” I poked at his chest.

“Last week. When I went to see Willow.” He ran his hands through his already messy hair, avoiding eye contact. “I hoped, well… that you wouldn’t want to go back. That you’d want to stay with me. Did I overstep?”

“Zain.” I took his hands between my face. “I said yes too, you know. Even if we went into this for different reasons, I’mhere. I’m not going to leave you.”

Because deep down, the feeling that he was my home was settling in my gut. How could he expect me to give him up when I finally had him—all of him?

He inhaled deeply through his nose like he was doing his best to gather my scent. “Fuck.” He growled. “You smell so good.”

“Yeah?” I bit my lip, looking up at him. “What do I smell like?”

“Mine.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So, did you have specific plans for us sneaking away from the palace, or can we spend the next weekend in bed?”

His breath was hot against my neck as he said, “I promised to put a baby in you, didn’t I?”

“Mmm.” I hummed in response. “Did you want to get started now, or…”

I laughed as he threw me over his shoulder, carrying me over to the bed and doing just that.

TWENTY-FOUR

---