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When he went to pull away, I squeezed his hand, then carefully used my magic to push at his mind.

His eyes shot wide, before he stepped closer and squeezed my hand back, then allowed the push, opening himself.

I smiled as I felt the intimate sensation of our minds locking together.

“I need to mind-link with Nyx for what we’re doing tonight. I can’t have him verbally calling out Vorzyr’s state to me, it will be off-putting and could have him shutting down, as well as sullying the mood. But I also knew that you would be beyond pained if I didn’t do this with you first. I know how much you’ve wanted this, to deepen our connection, for a long while. Since we were kids, actually.”

His eyes were shining at me, emotion bleeding through.

“Thank you, Ari. I have wanted this for a while, and it feels better than I’d even imagined. Giving me this, trusting in me to do this together… it means everything.”

“I’m sorry I pushed you away, that I pushed myself away.”

“I know you are. It’s okay. It’s in the past now. So, where do you want to take it from here? Where you’re concerned? Not us, okay? You.”

“After we figure out the test, I’m going to take back my full power. Not just because my family wants me to, but because I want to be whole. And I’m not as afraid to be as I was before. I mean, there’s still fear, but the urge to be myself again all the way is stronger. And that’s never been the case. A great deal of that is due to you, to the three of you.”

I felt him break the mind-link on his end, and then he was wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight to him.

He stroked my hair, and we both sank into the closeness.

When we finally eased back, he asked me, “So, what’s the other aspect of tonight?”

“Something that you’ll enjoy immensely. To do this thing with Vorzyr, we’re going to head to Meforian Forest. It’s where he obtained that Celestial Eclipse Peony for me.”

I saw the realization hit him instantly. “I wondered how he was able to get his hands on one of those. They’re rooted in myth and aren’t accessible or even visible to non-Celestial beings. He has a Celestial blood connection, as we’d already suspected with him being able to cure my infection.”

“Exactly. The Primal Celestial Resonance ability he displayed could have been a latent ability, an outlier, something that came from dragons interacting with Celestial beings centuries ago, Celestial magic being found somewhere deep in the lands of the Dracoryn Realm. But both those things combined prove that it’s more than that. It’s a blood connection. And tonight, in Meforian Forest, I’m going to reveal some more Celestial lore. Lore that is buried in secrets, that non-Celestials aren’t privy to.” I smiled. “I thought you’d enjoy that.”

“I absolutely will,” he exclaimed, excitement all over him.

“Following our trip there, wewillactually head to dinner. The reservation I told you that Nyx made for us is real. Our first date as a foursome.”

“I can’t wait.”

I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Get dressed and I’ll see you in the lot in a few minutes. We’ll be teleporting together.”

With a wave of his hand, he magically-dressed himself.

He looked sexy as hell with his hard leather trench coat with the collar turned up, a tailored fitted black shirt that really did wonders for all that muscle definition beneath, and a pair of black tailored pants with matching leather boots. His espresso-brown crew cut with the textured waves on top was impeccably styled and set in place within an instant as well.

“Already good to go. No waiting.”

I grinned. “Perfect.”

With that, I took his hands, and teleported us into the parking lot.

When we rematerialized, I saw Nyx leaning against Kai’s Audi and waiting patiently.

He looked lovely, a midnight-blue silk button-up paired with black leather pants. The black leather really brought out his majestic horns protruding from all that vibrant-blue wavy hair that brushed the shoulders.

He spotted us right away and strolled up with some hot swagger that definitely caught my attention. Judging by the glint in his eye, that had been his intention.

His gaze raked over me, and even though the dress was hidden beneath my cloak, I could basically see him imagining it vividly as he looked me over.

“Tone down the fuck-me eyes, dirty devil,” Kai told him. “The way you’re looking at her is threatening to shatter my self-control right here and now.”

Nyx chuckled. “As if you standing beside her looking all suave and spicy like that is helping.”