I gasped and pushed up on my elbow so I could look into his eyes. “No. Goddess, no. Riah—”
“I know.” He chuckled and tucked my hair behind my ear, then he ran his thumb along my jaw. “Forgive me. I know not how to handle the way I feel right now.”
I leaned into his touch. “I don’t want this to end.”
“Then it won’t.”
“I like this you. The Riah I met in Salem, both times.” I rested my chin on his chest. “Not Commander Zachariah.”
He smirked. “I do not care for him either.”
“Do you have to go back?” I held my breath, terrified of his answer.
He twirled one of my curls around his finger. “I never wish to be parted from you again.”
The breath I’d held left me in a rush. I smiled wide and it made my jaw pop. “Then don’t.”
“Keeping the truth from you all this time was the greatest torture of my life.” He ran his fingertips over my cheekbones and golden light flashed in my peripheral vision, like his touch brought our soulmate marks to the surface. “But now it would be impossible.”
I pushed up on my elbows and pressed my fingers to his cheek and the gold lines flashed under my touch. I grinned. “No more lies or secrets.”
Riah shook his head. “Never again.”
“Good.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his—
A cold, wet tongue licked the side of my face.
“Ohhhhh, Olli,” I groaned with a little chuckle.
Olli sat there beside us like a big boy, with his two big brown-spotted white wrinkly paws all proper-like. His ears hung low and his big brown eyes were so droopy I could see the red under them. He licked the air several times. Behind him, his dipstick tail swished back and forth so fast all I saw was a flash of white. With each swipe of his tail, the little yellow and pink flowers beneath us were flicked into the air. He whimpered and punched at us with one fat paw.
“Gosh, you’re cute.”
Riah laughed under me. He threw his arm out toward him and Olli pounced on it. He swatted at him with both paws and licked Riah’s fingers. We both laughed but Olli had something to tell us because he threw his head back and howled.
I sighed and rolled off of Riah, my back pressing into the flowers. I reached up and ruffled Olli’s ears. “He’s right. We have to go. We have to get back home.”
“We’ve been here too long.” Riah sat up beside me. He glanced down then did a double take, his grin widened. “Though this was the most enjoyable delay.”
I followed his gaze — and gasped. My dress was still pushed up to my hips. My face burned so I knew I had to be blushing bright red. He reached down and tugged it down over my body.
I bit my bottom lip and sat up. “Thanks.”
He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. I sighed and relaxed into his kiss. He cupped my jaw and — Olli howled. Again.
Riah chuckled and pressed his forehead to mine. “Come on. Your Coven must be worried sick right now.”
I sighed and ruffled Olli’s ears. “I’m surprised she hasn’t found me here already.”
He stood and rebuttoned his jeans. “She won’t be able to reach you here. It’s too far back.”
“Why too far?” I frowned and got to my feet.
He shrugged. “This is a time before humans, before arcana…before the angels.”
“But not a time before the fae?”
A sly smirk spread across his face. “I am afraid not.”
A cold chill slid down my spine and I shivered.
He chuckled and held his hand out. I put mine in his and let him lift me to my feet. Olli jumped up and wiggled between our legs. I looked down to pet him and my gaze landed on the patch of green grass with yellow and pink flowers…and then a memory from a couple weeks ago came rushing to the front.
“Hey, Riah?”
“Yes?”
I pointed to the flowers. “Did I do that or you?”
He grinned and shook his head. “That is all you, Saraphina.”
“Since when can I do that?” I turned and frowned up at him. “Back in Salem, I remember touching a tree and flowery vines popped out. Then I touched that bush where a bunny went and it came back to life like it was spring—”
“I know,” he said softly and tucked my wild curls behind my ears. “I was there.”
My eyes widened. “I did see you through the camera!”