Page 96 of Dark Rebel's Fortune

47

MAX

Jasmine beamed with happiness. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning. If you need me, you know where to find me." She pointed at her house.

"I'll call first." Kyra pulled her daughter into a fierce hug. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Jasmine said with a slight tremor in her voice. "Nothing could make me happier than to have you here, living across the street from me, and my aunts and cousins a few houses down. For me, this is paradise."

"For me, too." Kyra kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, sweetheart. And say goodnight to Ell-rom from me."

Max hadn't even noticed that the guy had ducked out of sight, and it must have happened a while ago. Perhaps he'd gotten tired, or maybe the reunion had made him overly emotional. Despite his deadly abilities, the prince was a gentle soul.

"I will." Jasmine shifted her gaze to Max. "Treat my mother right, or I will put a hex on you."

He pretended to shiver in fright. "Your mother is my warrior queen, and I her humble servant."

Jasmine snorted. "Humble my ass. You don't have a humble bone in your body." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, and then leaned away. "Having you as my stepdad will be so weird."

He grimaced. "Ooh, yeah. You as my stepdaughter." He shook his head. "Let's just not go there."

Jasmine laughed, gave them a finger wave, and walked over to her house.

"What was that all about?" Kyra asked.

"You know the story. Amanda tried to play matchmaker and get Jasmine and me together. It was an automatic no-go because she reminded me of Fenella. I guess I owe Fenella a thank you for that. And before you ask, Jasmine didn't like me either."

"I don't know if I should be glad or sad about that. I want you two to like each other."

"We do. We made our peace when we investigated your disappearance."

Kyra let out a breath. "Good."

"Shall we?" He motioned at the house.

"Yes. Of course."

"Then let's do it properly." He swung her into his arms and walked over to the front door.

Kyra wrapped her arms around his neck. "Carrying the bride over the threshold?"

"Indeed." He opened the door with his foot and stepped inside. "Welcome home, Kyra."

"Welcome home, Max." She lifted her head and kissed his cheek. "Can you let me down now?"

"Yes, of course." He gently put her down and then laid their two duffle bags on the floor by the front door.

Kyra walked toward the kitchen, trailing her fingers over the granite countertops, the smooth surfaces of the polished appliances, even the gooseneck faucet, and then turned around.

"It's even nicer than the penthouse."

It wasn't, but it was theirs, and even though it was not much different than the house he'd been sharing with Thomas, it was the first time he was sharing a house with someone who truly mattered to him. That made it home.

"I love the open concept living area and the large windows that capture the golden evening light," she said.

"The automatic shutters are going to come down any moment now. The village is under a strict no-light rule at night to protect its location." Max frowned. "In fact, maybe we should alert your sisters before the shutters go down, as they may misinterpret what's going on."

"I'm on it," Kyra nodded as she texted Jasmine to split the sisters between them. A moment later, Jasmine replied, and Kyra smiled. "It's all good. Jasmine has already given my sisters the heads-up."She started opening kitchen cabinets and drawers, finding them fully stocked with dishes, cookware, and utensils. "I can't believe they did all this."