Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
She wasn’t particularly attached to her house, only her workroom. But this room . . . yes, she could see herself setting up a workspace here. Could see herself living in this house, where she knew he’d be safest.
As Tobe liked to point out, Luka had many enemies. Her home was nowhere near as secure as this place. The harder it was for anyone to get to him, the better. Her safety was his priority, and that went both ways.
So she let her lips curve as she murmured, “Okay, I’ll move in here.”
Satisfaction lit his eyes, and his own mouth winged up. “Just what I wanted to hear.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“I’m just so fucking thrilled that you and Luka took the plunge,” said Ella the following Friday as she slid clothes hangers back and forth on a metal rail, filling the air with clicks and clacks. “I originally found it hard to envision him committing to anyone, but when I saw him with you . . . I don’t know, I just got a vibe that there was potential there.”
Looking away from where Konstantin stood near the door—his manner awkward as two moms flirted with him while their kids tried climbing out of their strollers—Naomi said, “I see now that I was ignoring that potential so I wouldn’t be disappointed if nothing came of it.” She paused, skipping a narrow aisle that was packed with people. “I hadn’t let myself really acknowledge how much I wanted more from him.”
“Well, now you have the ultimate more.”
She did indeed, and she couldn’t be happier about it.
As arranged, Naomi had met up with Ella and her sister at the pool hall last night. It was sweet how close the incantors were, being as much besties as they were siblings. But since Mia had needed to cancel her trip to the mall with Ella today, the girls had suggested that Naomi go in her place.
Ella’s lips hitched up. “It’s a big deal that he asked you to move in with him, you know. Luka’s not great at sharing his space, no matter how huge said space is.”
Naomi had spent the past several days transferring her possessions to his house little by little. There wasn’t much left to move at this point. “I sensed as much, so I worried he’d find it weird. That turned out to be a senseless worry. He seems rather self-satisfied about the whole thing.”
“Of course he is. Talking of self-satisfied . . . It’s cute how smug he is that your entity branded him. I mean, he isn’t obvious about it—you have to know him well to detect just how much it affects him.”
Smug was a mild word for it, in truth. But her demon loved that sign that its mate was so all in; that its brand meant that much to him.
Word of Naomi and Luka’s mating had traveled fast. News always did in the world of demons. That the demonic population understood he was off limits . . . well, Naomi could admit she liked it a whole lot.
“Don’t be surprised if he puts a black diamond on your finger sometime soon,” Ella threw out.
Naomi did a double-take. “Huh?”
“I know demons don’t give them to their mates unless they are super certain about them, but there’s zero chance that Luka doesn’t feel that way about you. He would never claim someone lightly.”
Very true. Naomi just hadn’t considered it before.
“Will you freak out if he produces a ring?”
Naomi inhaled deeply, searching within herself. “No. Because just as he wouldn’t claim a person lightly, neither would I. I’m super sure about him as well.” As was her demon. And since it liked shiny things, it would gladly wear his ring.
Ella nodded, satisfied. “Excellent. Because I’m pretty sure you’d find it literally impossible to ever leave him. He wouldn’t allow it. Not for anything,” she added, adjusting the position of the running pants she’d tossed over her shoulder.
A few T-shirts were draped over Naomi’s arm, her other arm supporting the weight of the plastic bags she held. They’d been at the mall a couple of hours now, so she was carrying several bags, though not as many as Ella—the redhead had splurged quite a bit when buying cute things for her daughter.
The mall here at the Underground was like most. The indoor building featured skylights, tiled flooring, lounge areas, retail stores, specialty kiosks, water fountains, coffee houses, smoothie bars, and a large food court.
You could buy practically anything—clothes, toys, electronics, houseware, skincare products, jewelry. You name it, some store within the mall sold it.
This particular store mostly sold casual wear and sporty gear, though there was a small racy lingerie section that seemed a little out of place. The inky scent of new clothing laced the air, along with those of perfumes and metal.