Page 63 of Fanged Secrets
Dylan rolled her eyes but didn’t let go of my hips.
“I had a lot of help,” she admitted, casting a glance at her friends. “And I may have broken a few things along the way.”
I laughed, it was easy to picture the chaos that must have ensued during the renovation.
“Well, it was worth it,” I signed, twisting in her arms to smile up at her. “This is incredible.”
Sky walked over to one of the shelves, running her fingers along its edge before signing to me. “We wanted to make sure you had a place where you could just be you, you know? No distractions, no stress. Just... your art.”
Jordan nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. “Consider it a gift from all of us. And a thank you, for putting up with Dylan the way that you do.”
That comment scored her a withering glare from Dylan and Jordan tipped her head in our direction. “See? With an attitude like that, I don’t know how you do it.”
The two of them kept up their bickering and I let my gaze drift. I felt a lump in my throat as I looked around at the space they had created for me. It was more than just a room; I knew that. It was a housewarming gift, a welcome-to-the-family. I had spent so long feeling trapped in my own life, constricted and confined but now, standing in this bright, beautiful studio, I felt like I could finally see the light ahead.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and squinted at the screen, heart stalling when I saw a message frommy agent:The show is approved. They’re going ahead with it. Congratulations!
I stared at the screen, barely computing the words I had waited so long to read. The show I had been working toward, the dream I had fought so hard for, was finally happening.
“What is it?” Dylan asked, noticing the change in my expression. She peered over my shoulder, quizzically skimming over the message.
I looked up, subtle excitement brewing in my chest. “The show. It’s happening.”
For a moment, there was silence. At least that’s what I thought. But when I looked up, I saw Jordan letting out a whoop of joy, Sky clapping her hands. River smiled and Maxine covered her mouth with a swoon like the whole scene was a soap opera playing out for her benefit. Dylan pulled me into a tight hug.
“That’s amazing!” Sky signed, her face lighting up with genuine happiness.
I was grinning from ear to ear myself, but when I looked at Dylan, I saw a flicker of something else in her eyes – anxiety, maybe even fear. Before I could ask about it, Dylan plastered on a smile, but I had already seen the doubt in her expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly, pulling her aside.
Dylan shook her head, her eyes dropping to the floor as she signed, “It’s nothing, really. I’m so happy for you Amara.”
But I knew what she was thinking. It had occurred to me too. She was worried that I would leave, now that everything was falling into place. I had told her the plans I had plotted back then, to move away, to start fresh somewhere entirely new. She didn’t want to hold me back if that was something I still wanted.
I cupped Dylan’s face in my hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Dylan, I’m not going anywhere. This is our home. You’re my home. I want to build my life with you, right here.”
She shrugged like it was no big deal, but her shoulders relaxed, the tension easing out of her body with a few words of reassurance. She gave me a lopsided grin, lips moving quickly. “Hey, as long as that’s what you want, I’m happy to hang around.”
“I mean it,” I said, sealing my promise with a tender kiss. “Our new life together is just beginning.”
I felt the sincerity in her movements as she kissed me back, the trust she was slowly learning to extend to the world around her. It wasn’t long after that Dylan kicked the others out, demanding some time alone with her new fiancée.
“Technically you’re already married,” Jordan reminded her, red locks swishing as she headed for the door. “I can’t believe I have to attend your wedding twice.”
Dylan rolled her eyes in response. I knew what she was thinking, having been thoroughly filled in on Leyore coven lore by then – If anything, the redhead was just jealous that we beat her to it, twice. Forever-mates though they were, Jordan and Sky were yet to have a wedding. Jordan was the leader of the Leyore vampires after all, and marrying into such a title is a big deal. Apparently, Sky had her heart set on winning over the coven before the two of them officially tied the knot.
“We’re going to do it right this time.” I smiled up at Dylan, holding my hand in the air to inspect the engagement ring. “We’re going to do it on our own terms.”
“Whatever, lovebirds,” the redhead chirped, signing with a playful smirk. “I’m sure you’ve got some celebrating to do, so we’ll be going now. Don’t destroy your shiny new studio in the process.”
They all filled out diligently, and Maxine blew a kiss over to us before shutting the studio door behind her. When they were gone, I turned my eyes to Dylan, just in time for her to capture my lips in another passionate kiss. I melted into her like I didso often before, and let her lay me out right there on the studio floor.
The world fell away until there was only the two of us, moving as one, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. I kissed her until I was breathless, and she responded in kind. No matter how often we collided, the desperation was always the same. I could drown in her, and the smoldering hunger in her eyes told me the feeling was mutual.
Neither of us had come out of our past unscathed, but there was plenty of history left to be made, and we would live it together.