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Des finds a place for it all. On walls, on shelves, tucked away in cupboards, dangling from the ceiling.

I believe this is a fairy’s version of peeing on his territory. And my heart is hurting so damned badly.

All of these things are testaments to our friendship. Because that’s what this has always been. Long before I knew Des was my mate, I knew he was my friend. And even though I wanted him in a distinctly un-friend-like way, that’s all the two of us were for the better part of a year.

I’m taking in my “new” decorations when the King of the Night comes up behind me.

He kisses the juncture where my jaw meets my neck. “We’ll go on more adventures,” Des promises, “buy more trinkets, experience more new places together—both in this world and in the other.”

I turn around. “Why did you bring me here?” I ask.

Out of all the places in all the worlds, he chose to bring me here.

Des has the universe in his eyes. “Because I love you and this is where you’re happiest.”

That’s not true. Happiness isn’t a place, it’s a person—more specifically, the one across from me.

The Bargainer leads me over to the couch. “Now, I was thinking that since we finished watching Harry Potter, we needed a new series to binge on together …”

I spend theevening wrapped up in the Bargainer’s arms, the two of us splayed out along my couch. My coffee table is a mess of greasy pizza, popcorn, and Raisinets—all casualties of our movie night.

Game of Thrones plays on the T.V., and it’s clear this is Des’s kind of show. The dude is hardcoreinvested.

I trail my fingers over his inked arm. I’m supposed to be paying attention to the show, but I can’t get over the joy I feel. Des is reclining here, on my couch, holding me against him as he watches a show from my living room. Earlier he ran his hands over my chipped countertops, and his boots have dragged sand across my living room. Little pieces of himself are now scattered all over the place. And he’s here, not because he wants me to repay the favors I owe, but because he’s mine.

I close my eyes and relish this. More than the Otherworld, it’s this moment that seems the dream. Everything that’s been thrown at me was so much easier to palate in a world where cities floated and night reigned eternal. But here in the normal world, a man like Des doesn’t belong, and definitely not with a girl like me.

I want to cackle for outmaneuvering fate. Because I freakinggothim, the bad boy who was always so out of reach.

The two of us binge watch a couple more episodes, but somewhere along the way, the atmosphere changes.

First, it’s a few light kisses Des brushes against my hairline and a few more that I press to the base of his palm. Then it’s the soft stroke of his fingers petting my skin, and the restless way my body reacts to the touch. But it’s not until he clicks the T.V. off that I even realize the Bargainer is half as distracted as I’ve been.

“Truth or dare?” he whispers against my ear.

I bite back a smile. “Both.”

Des lifts me off the couch then, turning me in his arms so that I can wrap my legs around his narrow hips. I lock my arms behind his neck, playing with the ends of his hair.

He searches my face. “Truth: Tell me, sweet little siren, how many nights did you get yourself off to the thought of me when we were apart?”

I should’ve known Des would ask something dirty. His magic settles beneath my skin, demanding I answer this embarrassing question.

“I don’t know,” I say.

Not good enough. The Bargainer’s magic is getting more demanding, twisting itself around my windpipes.

“Nearly every night.” I glare at him as I answer.

“And what did you imagine?” His magic is still there, pressing against my throat.

“What do youthinkI imagined?” I say sarcastically.

He just waits. His power does the rest, closing in on me.

“I already gave you one answer,” I say. He’s already getting a two-for-one deal from this game, and now he’s pressing his luck with another question.

“It’s in my nature to take advantage,” he says, running a finger down my cleavage. “Now, you were saying … ?”