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I wave my hand. “She's over there somewhere. I can take you to her, she'll be so happy to see you.”

He grabs my face and pins me down, studying me. “Why are you sad? Why are you not with her?”

“Just needed a bit of air. She's fine, she's got her other mates. She doesn't need me up there right now.”

“You're wrong, she does need you. Maybe not in the way you want her at this moment in time, but she'd want to know you're okay. I can't believe you found me! How did you do that?”

“Luck?” I ask with a shrug. “I don't know. I was just hanging out and I thought the cloud smelled good. Found the switch and... wait, is it as easy as that? Like, we can release everybody else if we find them and hit the switch? That seems like a really stupid way to kidnap people.”

“I'm so happy to be back with you,” he coos as he nuzzles me, and then his tone softens. “I thought I'd be stuck there forever again.”

“Leo, I'll always find you. You have to know that.”

It's at that time he understands and processes my reaction to him a moment ago. “Wait, what did that kiss mean?”

“Whatever you want it to mean, my Leo. You have no idea how happy I am to have you back in my arms.”

He's quiet, and I'm scared to look at him, but I do anyway.

“You truly care for me, don't you? Everything you told me back in Delaney's dorm, that was true? Our history together? We were lovers? Truly?”

It's so tempting to think about just giving in and telling him every sordid detail.

It's tempting to just take him because I want him and deal with the consequences later.

But it's more than just myself that will get hurt if I choose to be selfish like that.

However, I could never downplay what he means to me.

“Before I met Delaney, you were my everything.”

He's naive but not at the same time, with a childlike wonder because he's forgotten so much of his life.

But I don't believe that he's naive in his affection.

I've seen how he is with Delaney, heard about how she started sitting with him, how she loved all his creepy little movements.

In his mind, there's no doubt that figuring all this out is as simple as a conversation.

Maybe it's my fault for never considering that.

“You don't see me that way anymore? I know you were trying to build something with Delaney, but sometimes it feels as if you're trying to say something without saying anything at all. Sometimes it's as if I can feel your attention on me, and it makes my body excited.”

I take a deep breath and put some space between us, because if anything were to ever happen between me and Leo, Delaney needs to be at the heart of it.

Leo seems a little upset by the distance, but it's necessary.

“I've made lots of mistakes, Leo. Delaney has every right to feel about me the way she does.”

I can't help remembering for just a moment the way she felt earlier when I was inside of her. How her breathing hitched when we moved together, imploding while trying to make very little noise. Truly, it was better than I remembered it being.

“What's that face for? Please tell me you guys did something fun?”

I shake my head, reminding myself it's probably not going to happen again.

Especially now that we have the key to getting her other mates back.

“There was nobody else to feed her. After you guys were taken, she was struggling.

Her stores were depleted and without the twins there to shield her, it was causing issues.

At the time, Wil wasn't comfortable with her in that way yet, Spencer and her didn't even know what they were going to become. I was the only one available, and she knew that. So I was able to feed her, and it was... incredible. But I'm pretty sure it was a one-time thing. Speaking of which, we should get you back. Come on, the hotel’s this way.”

I'm half expecting the goddess to drop out of the sky and stop us and vaporize Leo again, but it doesn't happen.

Once we're about halfway there he grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. “What did you mean by saying at the time Wil wasn't comfortable? And who is Spencer? Have I really been gone that long?”

I don't bother taking my hand back, because it feels too nice, too domestic.

“Things tend to change rapidly when situations get dire. You can get more details later, but Wil and Spencer took care of her in the shower. By the sound of it, it was enjoyable for everyone. And Spencer... he’s somebody I've been working with.

He's one of hers too, she's already claimed them both.”

And I don't want to say anything else about it.

He doesn't need to know how much it hurts to see other people get claimed when I've known her the longest, not when it feels like I'm never going to get that chance. Leo’s also not somebody that needs to listen to me whine about things I want but can't have, so I continue leading him to the hotel in silence.

Have you ever seen a scene in a movie where the clouds suddenly part and the sun comes dazzling down? Maybe there's a heroine riding a unicorn out of a cloud, and there are literal rainbows surrounding them? Because I've got to tell you, it's much more impressive in person.

We're only a few clouds away from where the hotel is when Delaney comes bounding on Saladriel’s back towards us.

For a moment I even hallucinate that there's music playing in my head, like a cheesy soundtrack.

But it's only a hallucination until I see a mini crustacean band dancing along the clouds behind them, plucking harps and striking itty bitty drums. “Talk about an entrance,” I smirk.

Smirking is so easy to do, and such a good way to hide what you actually feel inside.

“We've been looking everywhere for you!” she says as she jumps off of Saladriel’s back and right into my arms. She wraps herself around me and it's nice. And yes, I would testify that in court.

She pulls back just a few inches and grabs my face. “I was so worried about you! You've been gone forever. Do you not remember our lesson earlier? I said you needed to stay the fuck by me. You left so fast, then you just up and disappeared. Seems to me like somebody's earned a spanking.”

I'm confused, is what I am. “Delaney, I was giving you space with your new mates. Didn't want to cramp your style. You should be back with them even now. What are you doing here?”

She opens her mouth to speak but then catches sight of Leo behind me.

He's nervous too, unsure of his reception, but she screams and pulls him into our hug without letting go of me.

She still has her legs wrapped around me, and are those tears coming out of her face?

Fuck. It's messed up, but tears are a surefire way to make me horny.

“How are you here? Oh my gods Leo, oh my gods!”

So we stand there like that together, having a nice touching moment. All the while, we're gathering a steady stream of onlookers. Gross. “Perhaps we should get inside?” I suggest. “I'm sure Leo’s had enough of being out in the elements for now.”

“I'm afraid that's not going to work until you two have an epic reunion scene.”

I look at Saladriel. “What?”

He sighs and rubs his fuzzy unicorn forehead, running his fingers through his very pretty mane.

“We were only able to get out of the room because we promised it with blood we were going to come hunt you down and that it would be very dramatic.

You should expect rainfall in three…two… one... and they're right on time.”

How many tiny flying cupids does this realm employ? They're fucking everywhere, kind of like cockroaches.

They fly onto the scene with actual magic wands. When they give them a wave, it starts to rain. But only where me and Delaney are standing.

She smiles at me through the water and brings her face close to mine.

“I haven't been communicating well with you, and I'm sorry you felt like I don't need you as much as I need the others.

I've been angry about the past, but probably for the wrong reasons.

Yes, I was surprised at first to see you, and I was pissed because I did feel played, but it's not fair to you to hold onto that anger when you had nearly as much to do with it as I did.

“So if it's okay with you, I think we should just pick up where we left off earlier; you know, when I pulled your cock out of your pants and sat on it? Seems like the best place to continue our story.”

“But I've got this whole moody thing going where I make everybody feel bad for me. I feel like that's worth some character points here, I'm not sure if I'm ready to give it all up yet.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “We'll find other ways to get you character points.”

Okay, okay, I let her kiss me. How could I not? And just to see what happens, I grab the front of Leo’s shirt and yank him into the kiss as well.

I push him at Delaney first, watch them to try and inspire my dick to get hard, but then it catches sight of the rainbows and goes back to its cave to hide. “Delaney, I might need you to push some lust into me, I'm really not copacetic with this realm.”

She pulls back from making out with Leo to shove him at me.

Her eyes are lit up in joy as the rain continues to fall down on us, soaking through our clothing.

I feel like the hero at the end of a romantic movie.

Not that I've ever in my life watched one of those, mind you, but I imagine this is exactly what it would feel like.

Being given permission to kiss Leo is a gift I don't think twice about. I'm not about to fight her on that, not when everything I've ever wanted is within my grasp.

“We should get back to the room before Spencer and Wil get bored and wander off,” Saladriel says, but I don't miss how ruffled he seems. Maybe one of these days he'll get sick of watching and want to join in as well. Who knows.

“No, they cannot ride me,” Saladriel says before Delaney even asks.

“How did you even know I was about to ask that?”

He smiles at Delaney and holds out his arm to link with hers. “I guess I'm starting to understand how your brain works,” he says with a light knock on her head. “Come, let's go take care of your gargoyle.”

Before we can head out though, Delaney remembers about the weird blue glowing things on her arm.

She holds it up, pushing back a sleeve. “Well, I guess we found a loophole? Look, one of the embers is gone.” And she beams up at Leo, needing to look back at us every few steps she takes to make sure we're still there.

Maybe I can find it within my character traits to stop feeling so damn sorry for myself.

And then, to end the scene, I do the most romantic thing I can think of doing in that moment.

I lean over to Leo’s ear and whisper into it, “I brought so many potatoes, Leo. You're not going to know what hit you.”