Page 147 of Forget Me Not

“Are you, you devastating creature?” Cal asked in return, wings twitching greedily under Ray’s hand. Ray bit the tip of his ear. Cal burst into laughter so loud it made a few of the humans at the far table glance their way. “Mate,” Cal said sweetly once his laughter had stopped. “Mate,” he said again, not so sweetly, inching forward to offer more of his wings to Ray. “Would you like to head into the woods now?” His mock-innocence made Ray growl against his nape.

A waft ofarousalbanished some of the earthen smell around them, might have made the tree blush, if trees could do such a thing. There was an audience Ray didn’t mind; the sheltered, hidden, old trees in places far from the usual trails.

Ray swept Cal into his arms and got to his feet in one impatient, snarling moment that sent two of the humans at the far table falling off the bench seat in surprise, as if just realizing a were was among them.

Cal threw his arms around Ray’s neck and shook his head, reminding Ray of their phones and their belongings in a bossy whisper, “The keys to the car, sexywolf, come on!”

But he slid to his feet with reluctance, and he adjusted himself without concern for anything but Ray’s attention, and he kept hold of Ray’s hand when Ray started off into the woods, even though Ray chose a place nowhere near where the other hikers had gone. It wasn’t a real forest, and perhaps Ray wasn’t a real were to anyone but humans, but he stopped to pull Callalily back into his arms before they’d reached the line of trees.

Or Cal leapt into them, Ray wasn’t really sure.

But he was happy with the result. And Cal was glowing, lighting up the trees as fairies must have done, long ago and far away.

He had chosen Ray, and Ray was so grateful he had chosen Cal in return. This was where he was meant to be.

The End

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