Page 22 of Heart Shaped Wreckage (standalone)

LANDON

The portal opened, and I took a deep breath.

What if I didn’t like who I was? What if I were a total fuck up? What if I had done bad things, and this was my punishment for causing someone else pain? A punishment that I inflicted on myself. Maybe I was a masochist? Maybe I hated myself? I might have deserved it.

I didn’t know how I knew – but I knew that it was me who took away my memory. Flashes of things had been coming back, but the flashes were just that. Nothing consequential, just quick glimpses into the past, and I knew that they were true. They felt true – It scared me.

Heath had made a choice, and I respected it.

I understood it. I had done the same for him.

To be given his grace back and then to choose to have it removed.

It was brave. I hoped he didn’t regret it.

But then to give up eternity – to be honest, I was very confused about all of that.

I didn’t understand it, but I had a clue.

He was without a body. At some point in time, Magnus had become bodiless, and his soul had found a home in a human host. I had a lot of questions there.

But…

Did it even matter anymore? No. He had given it all up to restore my memory.

He was mortal.

He was human.

He was mine.

The air rushed as we walked through, and the portal shut quietly behind us.

I knew where I was.

I looked at him, and my eyes filled with tears.

The pain I had felt so acutely came flooding back – but it was now dull, and it occupied a different place in my psyche.

He didn’t matter.

Myles felt like a past scar that had healed. Heath had done that. He had soothed the pain until it was just a small scar I might scratch one day and remember how I got it.

“Hi,” I turned to him sheepishly and laughed. “I’m Landon. Sometimes my friends call me Landy, but I think I don’t really care what you call me as long as I’m in your arms every night.”

“Landon,” he smiled. “It fits you. I’m still gonna call you Kevin, every now and then. Force of habit, you know.”

“I’ll always be Kevin. I liked Kevin a lot. Actually, it was because of Kevin that I found you.”

“I’m… It’s weird. I don’t feel that much different. I still feel the wolf inside me because that’s who Heath was.” He looked at me as if he were working something out. He would need time.

“Is. That’s who Heath is.”

“I guess I am. It’s almost like a relief to know that this is now the only life I will ever have. Strange, huh? To be happy that one day, hopefully a long way away, I will die like everyone else. I used to long for it, knowing it could never come.”

“That is very dark and depressing. We will have none of that here, sir.” I grinned.

“I like it when you call me sir.” The growl that came from his chest told me that the beast was still in there, alive and well.

“Oh, God. Do you have a kink thing?” I chuckled.

“My only kink is you. Where are we?”

“We’re home. My home. And that means…”

“He’s back! He’s Back!” Dandelion came soaring into my sanctuary and landed on my shoulder. “Who’s the hunk?”

“Dandelion, I missed you.”

“I was sad! You’re annoying, but it had to be done!” He buried his beak into the side of my neck.

“I was. I lost myself for a while. That spell… uh…” I scrunched up my face.

“Backfired! I know. You used your tears,” he barked. “Bad idea! But it was the way it had to happen.”

I nuzzled into him. “Was that what I did wrong? Figures. I was in too much of a hurry.”

“Bernie said you’d come back. She left snacks for me.”

“She did, huh? I wonder if she was as involved as all the others.” I turned to Heath. “You do know that we were completely set up, right?”

“Yeah. I got that,” he laughed.

“Dandelion, this is my boyfriend, Heath. He’s a wolf shifter.”

“Awooo!” Dandelion howled. “Hunk! Myles was pretty. Heath is hot! Plan went perfectly!”

Dandelion jumped off my shoulder and sailed up the stairs to perch in one of his favorite spots. Now that I remembered everything, my heart hurt for being away from him for so long.

“I think all of the animals in the world were involved in this. I feel like a patsy.”

“Dandy and I have to have a very long talk. He knows more than he’s saying. But right now, I’m just glad to see him.” I laughed.

“Mmm… I like it when you get all bitchy.”

“Stop that… But remember it for later.” I smirked and wrapped my arm through his.

I liked his biceps a lot. “Do you know what’s weird?

I was an… acceptable witch. I was best at controlling small patches of weather.

You know, make it rain or a medium-sized breeze.

But Kevin? He was so much better than Landon had ever been.

I wonder?” I raised my hand, and flames jumped from my fingertips.

“That had always been very hard for me to do.” I made a quick gesture, and the flames froze, turning into a brilliant blue icicle.

With a quick wave, it evaporated. “Yeah. Still got it,” I laughed happily.

“This is your house – that was your familiar, and I am your boyfriend. I like Leath quite a lot. Perhaps we can be bi-housal?”

“Yeah… What state were we even in? I had no idea.”

“Massachusetts. Where are we now?”

“Maine. That’s not really too far. But I do still have these.” I pulled the stones from my pocket. “All I have to do is seek out our house wherever we are.”

“Are you sure they still work?” He grinned and kissed me on the top of my head.

I giggled as a plan came into my head.

“Just watch!” I held them up, and the portal appeared. I grabbed his arm and pulled him in behind me, where we were ceremoniously dumped right onto my bed as I planned.

“I do think I’ve gotten the hang of this!” I rolled over on top of him and placed my legs on either side of his waist.

“Hmm… I think that you’re about to bring out the beast in me all over again.”

I bent down quickly and pecked him on the lips. “I was hoping he wasn’t completely gone.”

“How could he be when he’s always been me? But I can’t turn into him anymore. Now, I’m just a normal alpha werewolf.”

“Alpha? That sounds hot.”

“Want me to show you. Or is my not having the beast inside boring to you?” He smirked.

“I would say boring, but nothing about you is ever boring.” I grinned stupidly at him. I couldn’t believe that we had survived, and he was here in my bed. He wanted to be here. That changed everything. That changed my life.

“You should see me build a cabinet. Trust me, I can be very, very boring when I want.”

“I mean, we could go find dinner because I haven’t eaten since we got that rabbit. Or… we could stay in my bed.”

He winked at me. “That depends on what you have in mind.”

“I have magical lube and you’ve never actually fucked me – you fucked Kevin.”

“I thought you said I could call you Kevin.”

“Shirt off, now.” I slid my hands under his shirt and let my fingers caress his treasure trail all the way up to those glorious, sexy pecs.

“Landon is such a power bottom.” He reached up and pulled me down and kissed me. Nipping at my bottom lip and sucking my tongue into his mouth.

I pulled his shirt all the way up, and we broke our kiss so I could pull it over his head. I bent down and licked at his chest and let my tongue trail over to his armpit. He grabbed me by the back of the head and held me in place. He smelled so manly. His musk made my head swim.

“Fuck, you’re really something,” he growled, and I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Fuck the foreplay. I need you right now.”

“Fuck foreplay? Your mouth was pretty fucking amazing.”

“Sure, it’s great. But my ass is better. Take those fucking pants off.” I rolled off him and pulled my pants down as I kicked my shoes off.

“Power bottom? I think I meant dom bottom,” he chuckled. “How do you want it?”

“If I can walk, you could have done better.”

“Challenge accepted. The beast in me could do this all night.”

“Promise?”

And we did.