Page 56 of Chasing Stripes (Enchanted Falls #3)
FIFTY-SIX
B artek led Artemis to a secluded courtyard behind the council building, both needing a moment away from well-meaning interference. An enchanted fountain bubbled peacefully at its center, magical fish in shimmering colors swimming through the waters.
“I’m sorry,” he began, running a hand through his hair in a rare display of uncertainty. “The council has no right to dictate our living arrangements.”
“It’s not entirely unwelcome,” Artemis admitted softly, tracing a pattern on the stone rim of the fountain. “The directive, I mean.”
His eyes snapped to hers, searching her face with an intensity that made her pulse quicken.
She gathered her courage. “The tether pulls me toward you constantly. Being apart physically hurts. When you left me alone to shower this morning, even that small distance was uncomfortable.”
“You feel it too,” he breathed, visible relief washing over his features. “Like an ache when you’re too far away.”
“When you dropped me off at the bakery earlier, I counted seconds until you came back inside,” she confessed, meeting his gaze. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I’m speechless most of the time.”
The vulnerability in her voice called to something deep in him. He stepped closer, drawn inexorably to her. “I’ve never needed anyone. Not like this.”
“It terrifies me,” she admitted. “Not just the magic or the danger, but how completely I want to surrender to this connection when I’ve spent my whole adult life being fiercely independent.”
His hands framed her face with exquisite gentleness despite his strength. “I’ve spent my life being what the pride needed. The perfect alpha. The responsible leader.”
“And now?” she whispered, leaning into his touch.
“Now I’m discovering that being perfect meant denying part of myself. The part that needs you.” His thumb stroked her cheekbone tenderly. “The part that wants to wake up beside you every morning and fall asleep with you every night.”
Artemis’s eyes filled with unexpected tears. “I ran away to the city because I was afraid of belonging too much to Enchanted Falls. Of being defined by my family’s legacy.”
“And now you’re literally magically bound to the town’s alpha tiger,” he noted with slight humor, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“Fate has an interesting sense of irony,” she agreed with a watery laugh.
His thumbs brushed away her tears. “Stay with me at the pride house. Not because the council ordered it. Not even because it’s safer.”
“Then why?” she asked, though she already knew the answer in her heart.
“Because I sleep better with you near. Because my tiger purrs when you enter a room.” His voice deepened with emotion. “Because I’m trying to imagine going back to life without you in it, and I can’t.”
The handprints flared blindingly bright at this admission, their combined magic swirling the fountain water into elegant spirals and causing the magical fish to dance in formation.
“When did you become so poetic, Tiger Hunk?” she teased, but her voice trembled with emotion.
“About the time a certain Fairy Princess started glowing every time I touched her,” he countered, his voice dropping to a deeper register that sent heat spiraling through her body.
She rose on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him. Their kiss blended tenderness and fierceness—acknowledging vulnerability while promising protection. As they parted, both somehow recognized that a threshold had been crossed—their connection deepening from attraction to something much more profound.
“Is that a yes?” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes,” she replied, surprising herself with her certainty. “But I need to keep working at the bakery. It’s my life’s work.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to give that up,” he assured her. “We’ll make it work. Together.”
“And what about your family’s missing book?” he asked.
She shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do until the council finishes their investigation. They made it clear that if we interfered, they would take action against us.”
Bartek shook his head. He hated that their hands were tied. But what else could he do? “I guess we just wait and move on.”
“You know,” she said with hope in her tone, “only someone with Honeywell blood will be able to see the most critical of the information. I remember my mom mentioning that. So maybe it isn’t as bad as we thought.”
He agreed. “I hope so. Let’s get you home, now.”