Page 65 of Midnight Enchantment

“No. She did ask me to tell Quill hello should I see him again.”

“Yes, she’s very fond of his blood.”

“He shared it with her?”

“Yes, but not because he wanted to. It’s a long story. You must ask him to tell you about it some time. Personally, I don’t know why he didn’t destroy her long ago.”

Raedan grunted softly. He had never been an overly curious man but this was a story he had to hear.

“Raedan!” Lily flew down the stairs and into his arms. “I missed you!”

“I missed you, too, love,” he said, his gaze caressing her.

She looked him over from head to foot. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, thanks to you.” Raedan glanced briefly at Mason, who had entered the room behind Liliana. “Can we go out somewhere?”

“Sure, if you want,” she said, smiling. “Just let me grab my coat.”

Ava and Mason exchanged concerned glances as Raedan helped Lily into her coat.

“Don’t be late,” Ava called as Raedan opened the door.

Lily waved, and then they were gone.

Lily blew out a breath, her eyes wide when she realized they were on a sandy beach somewhere. “How did you do that?”

Raedan shrugged. “A little vampire magic.”

“I knew witches could move fast, but that … wow!” Glancing around, she asked, “Where are we?”

“A stretch of beach in San Diego.”

“California?”

He nodded.

Lily took off her coat and spread it on the sand, then sat down. After a moment, Raedan dropped down beside her, his arm sliding around her waist to draw her closer.

“It’s a pretty night,” Lily remarked. The sky was dark blue and clear, sprinkled with stars. A quarter moon hung low in the sky. A small house stood alone a good distance away, the windows boarded up. All the world seemed quiet around them save for the gentle whisper of the waves caressing the shore.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

Raedan shrugged. “I just wanted to be alone with you. Do you mind?”

“Of course not.”

“Will you marry me, Liliana?”

She stared at him, eyes wide. “You want to get married?”

“Is the idea of marrying me so repugnant?”

“No! No, of course not. I just didn’t … I mean, we really don’t know each other very well.”

“It’s all right.” Removing his arm from around her waist,” he said, “Forget I asked.”

Lily bit down on her lower lip. She was handling this all wrong. Taking his hand in both of hers, she said, “I love you, Raedan. You know I do. I just think we should wait a little while. If and when you ask me again, my answer will be yes. I just don’t want to upset my family, maybe give them a little time to get used to the idea of you and me.”

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