Page 34 of The Death Dealer (Sentinels of Magic Book 2)

Footsteps on the gravel path alerted Soleil to her visitor. Her gut clenched. Taking an extraordinarily long time, she debated teleporting to her room and hiding out for the foreseeable future. She didn’t want to hear about Trevor’s death at the hands of the Authority. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked to dispel them.

After a few cleansing breaths, she firmed her resolve.Really,she should get it over with. The sooner she faced the truth, the sooner she could grieve. She almost scoffed at her ridiculous thoughts. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been suffering since the trial. Since Trevor so stupidly agreed to take death over the rehabilitation program.

Placing her spade on the workbench, she eased her work gloves from her hands and turned to greet her visitor.

She blinked again. And again.

“No hug for your returning lover, Dalli?”

Dressed in formal Regency garb, Trevor looked like he was attending a ball. In hiswidespreadarms, he held a garment bag tied up with a massive pink bow that should have looked absurd but was charming.

“Am I dreaming?” she asked past the lump in her throat.

He grinned. “No.”

“Did you escape?”

“No.”

“Then how are you here?”

“They released me.” Walking to her favorite reading spot, he draped his present over the back of the bench and straightened to face her. “But I thought you should know, I picked the green vial.”

Her heart hiccuped, and she pressed her fist against her chest. “You did?”

“Yeah. For you. For us. For our fighting chance.”

“Why, when you hadn’t before?”

“It was something my father said.” Trevor approached and smoothed her wayward hair from her hot skin. “He reminded me you’re a once-in-a-lifetime sort of woman.”

Her heart began to pound, and his nearness had begun to short-circuit her brain’s wiring. All she wanted to do was tackle him to the ground and kiss him for a month of Sundays, but she needed to understand what was happening and where they stood. “I am?”

“You are,” he assured her with a loving smile. “I love you, Soleil.”

“Okay, then.”

His brows shot up. “That’s it?”

She wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, so she said, “Clearlyyou made the right decision, so yes, that’s it.”

He kissed her. His touch was worshipful, and she tasted the sweet promise of a long life together. Drawing away, he rubbed his thumb across her swollen lower lip. “What would the potion have done had I taken it?”

“Knitted your memories back together to keep you from forgetting.”

Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you.”

“It was for purely selfish reasons,” she admitted.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Which aligned with mine.”

“I guess that makes us perfect mates.”

“It does.” His fingertips caressed her jaw. “May I ask you an important question?”

“I have a confession first,” she blurted, oddly nervous now that he’d returned to her.The truth was,they’d known each other less than a month, and it had been a whirlwind romance if one could call it that.What if he decided she wasn’t forever-mate material?

“What’s your confession?”

“Both vials were the same potion.”

He frowned and drew back to see her face. “You said the red-capped potion would’ve eased my pain and killed me faster.”

Soleil scrunched her nose andwent for broke. “I lied.”

“What if I’d chosen death?” he asked, plainly confused by her plan.

“There may have beena littlesomething extra in that vial that would’ve changed your mind.”

Gaping, he dropped his arms and stepped away. “You were going to use magic to influence me?”

“No!”

His brows flew to his hairline, and his expression was pure disbelief.

She winced. “Okay, well, yes, but not in a bad way.Justto keep you alive and return you to me.”

“It wasn’t your call to make, Soleil.” Expression dangerous, he presented his back and strode a few feet away, only to return and glare at her. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about it.”

“I couldn’t let you die,” she argued, planting her hands on her hips. “Not for such a stupid reason.”

“Did youhave an ideawhat they’d planned?” he asked incredulously. “What reconstitution and reconditioning is like?”

“No, but Damian told me.” Lifting her chin, she met his furious gaze. “Everything would’ve remained intact. That’s what my potion does.”

He shook his head in what she could onlyassume wasdisgust at her manipulation.

“I’m not sorry.” Hugging herself, she closed her eyes and swallowed her misery as she tried to hang on to her righteous indignation. “I’m not sorry,” she said again. “You didn’t deserve to die, Trevor.”

“It wasn’t your call to make,” he repeatedslowlyas if she were too dumb to comprehend.

Her anger over the entire situation and his inability to see her point boiled over.Hands trembling, she shoved his chest. “Go! Take your fancy get-up and whatever beautiful thing is in that bag, and go!”

“What the actual fuck?”

“I thought you were choosing to die, Trev. Of course I was going to do whatever it took to save you,” she cried. “Not only for me but for everyone who loves you. Simon, Ben, Fintan, Draven, and Mattie. You have a family in all of them.”

For the first timein her life, her greenhouse was no longer her sanctuary. It had become tainted by him. Because everywhere she looked, she could recall moments they shared. Yet those sweet memories were overcome by this confrontation. And his accusation hinted she wasn’t any better than the Denillias of the world.

Chest heaving, Soleil ran.

“Dalli!”

She ran on, heart pounding double-time, making her incapable of hearing whether he was behind her or not.

“Soleil, wait!” His hand closed around her upper arm, halting her flight, and he swung her back toward him. “Stop running away from me, dammit!”

“If you think I’m going to stand here while you rain down accusations or insults on me, you can fuck all the way off, Trevor Blane!”

The sides of his mouth kicked up. Ducking down, he sandwichedherface between his warm palms. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. For a split second, your manipulation of me felt reminiscent of Deni.”

Soleil had guessed correctly, and she was miserable for it. “It wasn’t a manipulation of you. It wasn’t anything other than to encourage you to choose life. And I’m not her.” Glaring at him, she shook her head. “Not in looks, not in actions. If she’s the type you’re searching for, the kind of woman you want?—”

Like one of Kate Bateman’s heroes, Trevor wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her against him. She gasped her surprise and secret delight when he palmed the back of her neck and lowered his head. In the next instant, he was kissing her into silence. When he pulled back, her focus remained on his mouth, and she moaned when he swiped his tongue across his lower lip.

“You’re who I want, Dalli. Now and always.”

“You’re making me crazy, Mr. Blane,” she muttered.

He chuckled and lifted her so he could bury his face in her cleavage. His sigh of contentment made her laugh.

“You were right, you know,” he said as he reached behind her knee to wrap it around his waist.She followed suit with the other and linked her arms around his neckfor good measure.

“I was?” Snuggling closer, she rested her face against his throat, needing to feel his heartbeat to know he was alive and well. She wanted to be sure she wasn’t in the midst of some twisted dream and would wake up any second to find he wasn’t there. “About what?”

“All Trevor’s are assholes.”

“See? I told you.” She laughed and hugged him tighter, then loosened her hold to stare into his beloved face. “But I’m coming around to the name.”

He grew serious as he gazed up at her. “Thank you for fighting for the both of us, Dalli. I wasn’t strong enough.”

“You were. When it came down to it, you changed your mind. Ben gave you the reason you needed.”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely.” She toyed with a button on his formal coat and tails. “What’s all this?”

He released her and bowed as if they werebeingformally introducedat a soiree. Lifting her hand, he bussed her knuckles, then cast her a roguish grin. “I needed a grand gesture.”

She bit her lip to keep from giggling and nodded sagely.

“That’s what’s in the bag. A dress for you.” The tips of his ears turned pink, but he met her gaze throughhisembarrassment. “I’ve come to court you properly, m’lady.”

“But, sir! We can’t go anywhere without my chaperone.” Conjuring a fan, she waved it like a courtesan and batted her eyelashes. “We shouldn’t be alone now, either. You’ll destroy my reputation.”

”You lied to me, Dalli.”

Her stomach flipped, and she folded the fan, preparing to defend herself in light of his about-face. ”I already apologized for that. I?—”

“Not that. At our first, er, joining.”

”Our first... Ah!” She bit her lip to hide a grin. ”How so?”

”You were no virgin. Your reputation was already in ruins,” he charged.

”Why, sir! Are you besmirching my good name?”

“I’ve already besmirched it,” he replied dryly.

Unable to keep up the pretense, she laughed and dropped the fan to the ground. “You did indeed. Do you want to do some more besmirching? I know a splendid little alcove…”

“Why, Ms. Stephens! You’re a practiced flirt!”

“I’m getting there.”

His laugh was pure wicked delight. “Lead the way, Dalli. I’m going to besmirch the hell out of you.”

“You say the sweetest things!”

”And I intend to continue for the rest of our lives.”

She giggled as she drew him down on top of her.

”Commence with the besmirching, good sir,” she purred with the bawdy laugh he greatly appreciated.