Page 41 of The Tenth Muse

I lifted my fingers to her chin, turning her back to face me. “Because you’re perfect.”

Zuri tried to look away again, but I didn’t let her. Sitting up, I brought her into my lap. With her legs on either side of me and my arm wrapping around her back and into her hair, I kissed her again. Words weren’t my specialty, but I hoped she felt the truth in how I felt then. She slipped her tongue into my mouth, and I returned the gesture. Zuri’s head fell to my neck, her fangs grazing over my skin, and I thought for a moment she was going to bite me. She didn’t, only sucked down on the flesh, which had my mouth falling open again.

I slipped her dress off her shoulder and kissed across her clavicle to the other shoulder. There was something about her skin; I couldn’t get enough, no matter how much contact I had with it. Zuri’s head fell back, and the tips of her hair tickled my arm across her back. I took the opportunity to trail more kisses up her neck, hitting a ticklish spot that had her giggling. She smiled at me again, and I kept my gaze on her as she studied my face. I loved the way she seemed to find every piece of me pleasing, the grin only growing with every passing second. The selfish desire to run, to abandon my coven and find a life where both of these smiles were permanent fixtures burned through me. But I couldn’t.

The wind picked up, and I was partially convinced I was the one making the gusts without thinking of it. Petals floated down around us, and we watched together as they settled down onto the ground. There wasn’t a lot of time left, both in the evening and before she was going to be too busy again for moments like this. With the wedding close, Misha was going to have every staff member busy from morning to night. Zuri would need to check back in with the head of staff for the evening like she did every night. I knew the clock would be ringing at the top of the hour any minute now, but I didn’t want to let her go. She pressed her forehead to mine, and our hair tangled together in the wind. There were so many words left unsaid, things we both knew would need to be spoken. The pressure from reality was constantly pressing down on us, but I tried to let it go. With Zuri’s legs and arms wrapped around my body and the night sky our only company, I focused only on her. On what we could be if we only had the chance. I concentrated all of my thoughts on what I’d found in her. Safety. A home. Happiness. Comfort and fulfillment.

I ran my hands down her arms and wrapped my fingers around hers. “We’re going to figure this out, I promise.”

about mikayla hornedo

Mikayla D. Hornedo is the author of diverse fantasy stories that blend magic, romance, and mythology. Ever since she picked up The Chronicles of Narnia at a young age she’s been in love with everything fantasy. Whether that’s movies, tv shows, or books, Mikayla loves the feeling these magical worlds bring her.

All of her work is heavily inspired by Latin culture and mythologies, and she believes doing the research is just as fun as writing the actual stories. Mikayla is happily married with two beautiful young girls, who inspire her to go the extra mile every day.

also by mikayla hornedo

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Fate of the Acna Series

a hankering for harnesses

A Petalfall Story

Dalia Davies

author’s note

Content Considerations

A lush fantasy about love, liberation, and leaving the past buried (literally). Includes sensual scenes, emotional healing, botanical metaphors, and unapologetically horny dryads.

one

. . .

A Long Awaited Retirement

Tana

The wind makesmy skin twitch and I swat at non-existent flies with my tail.

I hate this farm and the wavering fields of wheat and barley beyond a house that always felt more like a prison than a home.

Now that I can leave it, I don’t feel any more kindly toward it.

Parting is not a sweet sorrow. Parting is freedom.

“Where will you go?” Fennryn asks, looking at the deed in his hand with a faint disgust.

He doesn’t hate this place the way I do … but he did not expect me to leave so soon.

I can’t blame him for being confused.

My son is the only person I regret leaving behind, but he is grown, his life is his own to make and live, and I have done what I can for him.

“You know where.”

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