Page 10 of Loving Amari

“Scoot over, kiddos. I miss Mommy too.”

Moria and Kemnebi skitter off to the trees, giving us privacy. I watch them disappear into the branches, their forms melting into the shadows. Kemnebi sends me a brief image of approval before vanishing completely.

I lie back on the web. The silk conforms to my body, surprisingly comfortable. I can feel each strand beneath me, supporting me. Carla lies down beside me, then shifts closer until she’s resting her head against my chest. Her warmth seeps through my shirt. Her hair tickles my chin. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer still. Both of us stare up into the now afternoon skies.

Carla breaks the silence. “I’m sorry for getting weird with you earlier.”

She sits up and looks at me. Her green eyes search my face, reading the worry there, the fear I try to hide. “You need to understand that I miss you too when I’m away from you.”

“But...”

Carla puts a finger to my lips, quieting me. Her touch is soft, gentle. “Yes, time might be different and I can’t feel the mate bond in limbo, but you need to remember I loved you before the mate bond. The mate bond is just a bonus. Our love is more than that.”

My heart clenches at her words. She’s right. She loved me when I was cruel to her. She loved me when I pushed her away. She loved me when I was terrified of losing her. The mate bondonly confirmed what was already there, what had been growing between us since the moment she fell into my arms from that web so long ago.

I pull her on top of me and sit up, my hands cupping her face. Her skin is warm beneath my palms. I trace my thumb across her cheekbone, memorizing the curve of it. My other hand slides to the back of her neck, tangling in her curls.

“I love you so fucking much.”

Carla giggles, bright and infectious. Her eyes sparkle with joy, with mischief, with that fire that drew me to her in the first place. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

And I do.

I capture her mouth with mine, pouring everything I feel into the kiss. All the fear of losing her to limbo. All the longing when she’s away. All the relief when she returns. All the love that fills every corner of me. She tastes like magic. Like home.

Her arms wrap around my neck. She presses closer, her body molding to mine. I deepen the kiss, my tongue sliding against hers. She moans softly, the sound vibrating through me.

I break away just long enough to trail kisses along her jaw, down her neck. She tilts her head back, giving me access. I find the spot where her pulse beats strongest and press my lips there. Not to feed, never that, but to feel her life thrumming beneath her skin. To remind myself that she’s here, she’s real, she’s mine.

Carla whispers my name. “Amari.”

I pull back to look at her. Her lips are swollen from my kisses. Her eyes are half closed, heavy with desire. Her breathing is quick and shallow. Beautiful. She’s so damn beautiful it hurts.

I brush a curl away from her face. “I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

She smiles and rests her forehead against mine. We stay like that, suspended in the web between earth and sky, wrapped in each other.

4

CARLA

The kiss deepens between us, his lips pressing against mine, sending sparks of electricity throughout my body. Amari’s touch is reverent, each caress of his hands against my skin. This is worship—pure and simple. His tongue slides against mine, tasting, exploring, as if he’s mapping every inch of me.

We spend hours like this, lips locked, bodies pressed together, wrapped in each other’s arms on the web. The sun begins its slow descent in the sky, painting the forest with golden hues. I’ve never felt more content, more at peace than in these moments with him.

Amari holds me close, his strong arms wrapped around my waist as we gaze up at the setting sun filtering through the trees.

“I could stay like this all day,” I whisper against him. “I used to do this all the time before I met you and before Limbo.”

He runs his fingers through my curls, working through the tangles. “I’ll make more of an effort for us to have more date nights like this.”

I sit up, frowning at him. His constant selflessness sometimes frustrates me. “It’s been almost two years and all youdo is cater to me. There should be more than this. I need to start supporting the things you love too.”

He sits up, surprise flickering across his features. “You do all the time. You tolerate my massive coven and you choose me over Limbo.”

“I’m always going to choose you, Amari.” The words come easily, because they’re true. Nothing—not power, not destiny, not even my duties in Limbo—could make me walk away from him.

Something flashes in his eyes—fear, raw and undiluted. I’ve seen that look before, in moments when he thinks I might leave him. I place my hand on his cheek, my thumb tracing the line of his beard.