of his jeans, curling my fingers around his hardness, he moaned.
His hands climbed up under my dress as he peeled my panties off, and then his fingers slipped inside of me. An unrestrained growl left my throat as I sank into him, rotating my hips to rock on his hand.
Man, I missed this. I missed him, being intimate, being vulnerable, being loved. Soulmates weren’t perfect. I’d learned that the hard way. But we were better together than apart. As if the Universe wanted to show me the truth of that thought, the blue light started to pulse in my chest and then in his, reminding us just how special our bond was, and when he kicked off his jeans and we came together as one, I promised to never let anything come between us again. Forgiveness was probably the hardest yet most important part of love.
Chapter 9
Liam and I slept that night, draped in each other’s arms, inside the hollowed-out tree, and it was perfect. The next morning, I awoke with sunlight on my face and Liam’s arm wrapped around my waist. He was watching me with a smoldering expression.
“I was thinking.” I pointed to the far wall. “We could carve a little reading alcove there so I could bring my books.”
His smolder turned into a smile but then quickly vanished. “Lily, you’re the Queen. They’re not going to let you live in a treehouse.”
He laughed.
I scoffed. “They can suck it. I’ll do whatever I want. Besides, I’m a temp Queen until the real Queen wakens.” I quickly filled him in on my memory of Indra and how she flew off when we tried to arrest her.
“A witch? That makes sense.” Liam rubbed his chin.
I grinned. “So, you’ll carve the reading alcove for me?”
Liam reached up and fisted my hair, bringing my lips to his. “I’ll do anything for you. I love you, Lily.”
My heart fluttered in my chest. “I love you too.” I was breathless.
He released me and stood. “I’ll start today. Cam can help with the plumbing, and we can get a working toilet. Maybe Mara can pop me over to the hardware store.”
I grinned. Moving in with Liam sounded perfect. Living away from town, away from the responsibility of being Queen was even more perfect. By the time our little treehouse was ready, the Queen would be awake, and I could step down and live my simple life with Liam.
“Sounds wonderful. I’ll go to the Spring Court today with Jasper and Elle and get my full power, and when we get back, we can go crystal hunting.”
Liam froze. “I forgot about the Spring activation thing. I’ll go with you.”
I waved him off. “No, stay, and work on the house with Cam. I… need something to look forward to.”
His face became somber. “I know what you mean. But will you be safe to get there?”
I nodded, sitting up. “This isn’t like when we went to Winter. The Spring Castle is just beyond the farm fields and wasn’t taken over by the darkness as much. I’ll be in and out.”
He reached out and threaded his fingers through mine. “I’m glad we’re starting over… I’m ready to move past everything. If you are.” His voice was low, and I knew it might be hard for someone outside of our relationship to understand how I could forgive my mother’s killer, but… I did. I wanted to remember the mother who sang me to sleep while brushing her fingers across my forehead, the mother who would run along the riverbank with me laughing and carefree. I wanted that loving woman to be the only memory I had, and I was ready to forget the ugliness I saw in her in Liam’s memory.
“I’m ready,” I told him, leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. He moaned, reaching out to pull on my bottom lip and take it into his mouth before pulling away.
“Wait, does this mean we’re moving in together?” He looked up at me expectantly.
A grin washed over my face. “Once it has a bathroom,” I declared, and he burst out laughing.
“Deal. I’m going to the hardware store today!” The excitement in his eyes brought me such joy. To see him excited in a project, for us to have something to focus on besides all the drama, was so nice.
“I’ll see you tonight, then.” I stood and gave him a long hug.
“See you tonight.” He kissed my neck.
As I walked back across the river to the Tree of Life and where