Page 137 of His Darkest Desire

“Flesh inspires strange hungers,” Flare rasped with exaggerated seriousness.

Laughing, Kinsley withdrew her hand from Vex’s and slipped her arm around his waist. “Can’t argue with you on that.”

Vex wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked at a relaxed pace, wanting to prolong this contact with her as much as possible.

Though it was nearly midday, the overcast sky left the woods heavily shaded, deepening the natural greens and browns. All was lush and alive, suspended in quiet anticipation of the inevitable rain. But even in the gloom, he could not deny how different the forest looked during the day. It was almost like another place.

In the two months since they’d sealed their bond in the mating hunt, Vex felt as though he’d awoken to a new world every day. Kinsley had introduced light, life, and wonder to this realm, changing it more thoroughly than any illusion ever could have.

“I rather enjoy these dreary days as well,” he said.

Kinsley chuckled and peeked up at him. “Of course you do. Sunshine doesn’t exactly agree with you.”

Vex pecked a kiss on her forehead. “That’s certainly one reason. I’ve always viewed such weather practically. As a means to an end, like all else. A cloudy day meant more time to travel and search. More time to chase my goals. Now, I know it for the boon it truly is. It means more time with you, experiencing the world in a way I’ve so often ignored. Experiencing the light, the color, the vibrancy.”

He met her gaze and let himself sink into those shining periwinkle eyes. “It grants me a glimpse of the world as you must see it. And for that, I shall ever be grateful to the clouds.”

“Me too,” Kinsley said. “Though the nights with you are just as beautiful.”

Flare turned toward them. “This one is glad to see the magus outside his laboratory.”

“The magus has spent too much time there alone,” Shade said.

Vex scoffed. “I’ve scarce set foot in that chamber without my brilliant assistant at my side.”

Kinsley snickered. “More like in your lap or bent over the table.”

A low growl rumbled in his chest, and his fingers flexed against her arm. It was too easy to envision his mate as she described, riding his cock with her skirt bunched around her waist, her head tossed back in pleasure, and her fingernails digging into his shoulders. Or bent naked over his worktable with her lips parted and eyes squeezed shut, her hips marked by the grip of his hands and the bite of his claws as he drove into her from behind.

“My point stands regardless,” Vex said, trying to ignore the insistent throb in his groin. “I’ve not secluded myself these past months.”

“These ones are happy for it,” Echo said.

Kinsely rested her head against him and tipped it back, looking up at the trees. “You know, it was autumn when I came here. The leaves had already changed colors. It’s so strange that all this time has passed, but this world hasn’t changed at all. The Highlands were so beautiful.”

Frowning, Vex swept his gaze across the surrounding woods. He’d not thought about it before, but…how little had this place changed in the countless years he’d spent here? Yes, plants grew, rain came and went, but this realm had been locked in summer for the entirety of its existence. He’d almost forgotten how much everything changed with the autumn, had forgotten what this land looked like in winter’s cold, quiet grasp. Had forgotten what spring looked like, when everything was reborn and renewed after seasons of slumber.

For immortals whose lives could stretch from decades into centuries, centuries into millennia, millennia into eternity, changes of season seemed to come with every breath. Yet that made the seasons no less important. That made them no less magnificent in the way they transformed the land, no less profound in the way they altered life itself—plant and animal, mortal and immortal, magical and mundane.

Obeying the unspoken command of his heart, Vex’s magic flowed outward in a green wave. Wind raced on its heels, blowing up detritus and shaking foliage, changing all it touched.

The summer greenery gave way to the browns, reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn. Soft golden light streamed through the treetops to bathe the forest floor, which was covered in an expanding carpet of fallen leaves.

More leaves rained from overhead, lazily fluttering to the ground with gentle rustles and patters. No portion of the woods remained unchanged—neither moss nor lichen, tree nor shrub, grass nor fern. Colors that had existed for so long only in Vex’s memory now sprawled around him, made vibrant by sunlight he could never have withstood had it been real.

Sunlight he could never have appreciated were it not for his mate.

“Vex…” Kinsley breathed as she drew away from his side to look around. She held up a hand, and one of the illusory leaves settled upon her palm, its crimson stark against her pale skin.

“Autumn will not come to this place, so I’ve brought it to you,” he said. “An illusion, yes…but it is yours, my love.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.” She looked at him with a big, glowing smile. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

The wisps formed a ring with Kinsley at the center. They spun and twirled rapidly, kicking up loose leaves from the forest floor, which flew around Kinsley in a colorful spiral. She laughed and spread her arms, spinning in place as the leaves and wisps fluttered around her.

Warmth spread through Vex’s chest as he watched. For all this time, he’d mistaken this realm as his entire world, but the truth was right here. Kinsley and the wisps were his world, his everything. His dearest friends and his beautiful mate. His clan, his family. He needed naught else.

Kinsley met his gaze. So much passed between them in that moment, more than words could ever have conveyed.

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