we could hear you even with the TV on.” Kiara laughed. “It must’ve been good.”
Didn’t know we were that loud. Odette sat on the counter and perched forward eagerly. “So are you guys back together?”
“We’re taking it slow and seeing where things lead,” I said. “Just a regular relationship for now.”
Huge smiles spread everywhere. Odette turned pink. “Yay! Oh, I love a happy ending.”
“So does Ethan,” Stefan quirked. Ethan elbowed him in the gut.
“Hey, I’m gonna need some help over here,” Alexei said as he juggled eggs on the stove. “I’m making breakfast for like, forty people.”
“Um, there’s eight of us here,” Theo objected.
“Yeah. Still a lot. Anyone want to jump in?” Alexei asked crossly.
The guys went to help. The girls pulled me to the other side of the room. We sat down at the dining room table. They leaned in, speaking in low voices.
“How’d you two get back together?” Delmare asked. “I figured you were done for good.”
“I was,” I said. “But then I decided there’s no reason why I couldn’t give him another chance. I told him I wanted an easy-going relationship.”
I giggled. “He basically asked me; What is fun?”
The girls laughed. “That sounds like Ethan, all right,” Delmare said.
“So, how was the sex?” Odette cut right to the chase, eyelashes battering.
I swooned. “Oh my gods, girls. His dick is like, so perfect,” I gushed. “It was fucking amazing.”
Then I frowned. “But… it’s not exactly like I thought it would be. We were acting like porn stars instead of… you know, in love.”
Delmare rolled her eyes with a smile. “Don’t take it in a bad way. The first time is always really nuts. The mating bond just makes you go crazy. Trust me, once you get used to each other, the romance comes in. Just give it time.”
“We are seriously so happy for you, Emma,” Kiara praised. “We wanted you and Ethan to work out.”
“Well, we’re starting over. So maybe we will this time,” I said.
When I said that, I believed it. Ethan had changed— so had I. We’d grown and become better people.
There was a lot to look forward to in our future together. Delmare and Kiara went to get plates, but Odette reached forward to grab my arm.
“I am happy for you, Emma,” she said, before a flash of worry crossed her eyes. “But I’m still afraid my vision is going to come true.”
“My life or Ethan’s, right?” I asked glumly.
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “Now that you chose to save Ethan from the demon, your life is in danger. What if my visions are right, and Ethan brings the Hidden King right to you? What if the Hidden King kills you?”
“We’ll find a way,” I told Odette. “Maybe there’s still a course we can take that will change the future.”
Odette swallowed, like she wasn’t sure. Despite everything we’d been through, there was still a lot in Ethan and I’s way.
But this time, we’d handle it as a couple instead of divided. There were no secrets between us now, so we could have our fresh beginning. I knew I could survive the prophecy as long as I had Ethan by my side. We could do anything, so long as we were together— even survive a deadly war, and avoid Odette’s dangerous vision.
At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. Only time would tell.
Chapter Seventeen
Ethan
Emma was simply amazing. Now that she was mine again, there was nothing in my universe that didn’t encompass her.
Our mating bond was secure. We’d strengthened our connection when we made love for the first time, and ever since, she consumed me. If I thought I felt strongly for her before, it was nothing like what coursed through me now. Every thought was her— every breath I took intoxicated me. In love wasn’t the right term. Delirium was more like it.
Stefan told me the strong feelings would eventually subside as the bond grew more and more solid, turning from something wild and inebriated into a connection that was unbreakable. Right now, my emotions were a drug, and I planned to ride the high as long as possible.
It felt nice to be back at Arcanea University without this demon hanging over me. My first day back at class was like the first day being born. I cherished this sense of normalcy that I didn’t have before. The smallest things meant the most, especially when you’d gotten them back after months of precious moments slipping through your grasp.