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I supposed it was normal for children to want to know where they came from and to find the little things that connected them with those who had come before them.

I wondered if he had loved my mother, or if I had just been the byproduct of a momentary weakness in the Elven Queen’s life.

A lapse in judgment…

Was I making the same mistake with Nikolai? Would he just move on with his life and leave my side?

I don’t know if I will survive this.

I picked up a pebble and threw it into the stream. My Wolpertinger looked up and hopped over to where I sat.

A couple of months ago all you wanted was to be left alone. Peace and quiet, that was all you needed to be content.

“Hey, baby.” I stroked Barnabas’ wet snout. “I really miss him.” My pet huffed. “I know. It would be so wonderful if he never had to leave us. But we can’t make him choose between here and there. He lives in both worlds.”

Barnabas rested his chin on my thigh and settled closer to me.

“No, it wouldn’t be fair of us to ask that of him. We need to trust Nikolai. He loves us.”

Barnabas rubbed his furry cheek over my leg, humming happily.

“I know, baby. You love him. So do I.”

I tried to keep myself occupied, and it worked moderately well.

Saturday around noon, he’d said. That’s when he would be back with me.

When I felt him arrive, I had barely made it past the pond when I saw a tall, blond figure flying down the path that led from the archway to my house.

He breathed hard, breaking his sprint only when he was right before me. He stopped so fast, he almost threw me off balance.

“Oh my God, Jules. I missed you so fucking much,” he groaned. His large hands cupped my face and dragged my lips on his.

I missed you, too.

“Say it out loud. I need your words.” Nikolai slid his broad hands into my hair and took control of the kiss. I surrendered to him.

“I missed you, Bunny,” I said into the kiss, barely getting out more than gasps and whimpers. “I exist for the days when you are with me.”

I had not meant to say that out loud.

“I am not ignoring what you said, Jules,” Nikolai murmured as he left my mouth and kissed his way down to my neck. “We need to talk about this. Later. But now we have other, more pressing matters at hand.”

As if to illustrate his words, Nik’s strong hands slipped under my shirt, mapping my skin, and moved up to tease my nipples. One hand trailed back down to busy itself with the lacing on my trousers. Nikolai freed my length, then his, wrapping his broad hand around them both. His teasing jerks and silky hard dick pressed to mine made me feel lightheaded.

Pressing matters, indeed.

“Bunny,” I groaned, hips arching up into his grip, almost doubling over when precum welled from his slit and he used it to slick both our heads. “That feels so…”

“I know, baby boy. So. Fucking. Good.”

Every word came out on a gasp, and he underlined it with a slow pump of his fist.

“Kiss me, Jules.”

I obeyed, searching his mouth with a desperation my previous self—the one I had been before Nikolai stumbled through the arch—never knew.

A slick tongue awaited me, pushing past my lips with a hungry moan. It ended me. And I was reborn in his arms as I painted his hand, his stomach, and his chest with my release.