Page 76 of The HalloQueen

“Oh, Bels.Non. Listen to me. You’re mine. You said…non. You belong to me. We belong to each other. You agreed to give this a chance. The deal is not off”

“Get out of my head! You didn’t hold up your end of the deal. We’re officially divorced, mmk? Go to France, rebuild your family, and leave me alone.”

He tightened his grip on me and growled, “You’re mine. Annabel. There are things bigger than us in play here. You belong to me. Stop fighting it and let me fix this.” He gestured between us, “I fucked up. I made a mistake. I let you hurt me when you said I was the fucking worst and that I was coercing you. I wanted you to want me the way I wanted you and you hurt me so I left. I fucked up by walking away instead of talking to you, but you’re fucking up now by making the same mistake.”

“Well, I guess we’re both fuck ups. It doesn’t change anything. There is no reason for you to stay here.”

“Non, of course not, because you clearly know better than I do on what I want or what the fates have decided is waiting for us.”

“I’m the witch here!” I shouted, “You can’t pull the paranormal shit on me anymore because I’m just as deep in this as you are!”

“I’m almost 500 years old, Annabel! You have no possible comprehension of the depth I’m at.”

“All the more reason for you to fuck off to France and leave me alone, Grandpa.”

He released me and shouted in frustration, raking his hands through his hair and pulling at the top of his head, pacing back and forth across the brick patio, “Annabel! Gods dammit you little witch, listen to me!”

“Should I be offended by that?”

“I love you.”

I scoffed, “What did you just say?”

The tension eased from his shoulders and he spoke softer, “I love you, Bels. I love waking up with you in the morning. I love feeding Tim and cooking you dinner. I love watching you hum to your plants and pet your books like they’re sentient. I love that you are a witch and we can do this now without hurting each other. I love how you feel and how I feel when I’m with you. I love you, Bels. And I wouldn’t love you this easily if there weren’t bigger players involved.”

“Oh, so I’m unlovable unless some vampire goddess tells you I’m worthy?”

“Just…FUCK.” He shouted and spun on his heel, then turned back to me and slammed his lips into mine.

One touch of his lips. That’s all it took. Just one. My soul calmed and my heart soared. My stomach did the ridiculous flipping sensation that I’d get from driving over a hill too quickly and my brain deflated like a discount whoopee cushion. My hard edges softened in his embrace and I felt his gentle caress in my mind. My resolve faltered. I hurt and he soothed, and I kissed him and he kissed me back, losing the pain of the past week within our passion. I melted into him, allowing him to hold my plush body against him with his inhumane strength and for the first time since I was attacked, I felt safe. I felt whole, just like he’d asked me before, only then I didn’t realize that I was missing a piece of myself - it was just a little more complicated than a piece of my elbow.

But Iwasn’tsafe. Where he would be, the danger would follow. I couldn’t compete with the excitement of 500 years of previous lovers and life. I was a simple green witch with a passion for clothes and books and skulls… I was part of my mothers’ line. I would need to stay in Quaker’s Wharf and learn to be the witch the Coalition needed me to be, and figure out how to balance all of these new plates I had to spin. The easiest plate to break with the least amount of fallout to the community was the one that held my heart.

I withdrew from his embrace and shakily placed my hands on his chest, gripping and smoothing his threadbare shirt, “You need to leave, Tommy.”

He rubbed his hands along my spine and touched his forehead to mine, “I love you. I will go, but I am not leaving. You’ll find immortals have incredible patience.”

“You can’t love me,” I whispered, shuddering from his touch.

“I can and I do. This is bigger than us, and I want to know what it is,mon coeur de sorcière” He shifted to kiss my forehead and embraced me tighter before I moved away.

“What does that mean?”

He gave me a soft smile, “My witch heart.”

I took two large steps back, “Has Yusuf found her yet?”

“Non. We don’t know where she is. I need you to be safe and stay here with your mothers while we search for her. I will tell you when it’s safe.” His aura dampened, worry etching across his face.

“You can’t declare that I should stay in this house like this was your fucking idea. I’m here becauseIcame here, not because you told me to.”

“Yes, I know. I’m sure you’ve seen some kind of show with a vampire hunt in it, yes?”

“If she wants to kill me, she’ll get me anyway,” I said, pursing my lips.

Thomas sighed and kicked at a weed growing between the bricks, “we already know she wants to hurt you, Bels. Please…don’t be reckless.”

I looked at the creature in front of me. He was a perfect predator disguised in a slender muscular frame with stupidly shiny brown hair and a touch of scruff. He was exquisite, but it was all a trap. They were all made to be traps and the little goth girl in me died at the idea of being caged, if it was by a beautiful monster.

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