Chapter 36

DOE

After getting some clothes for my mate and saying goodbye to our new friends, Belle offered to use her magic to take Ace and me back to Colorado.

I had assumed Belle would have been too tired after apparating with Liam and me earlier that day and that Ace and I would take his plane.

But she assured me that food, rest, and time with her mate had recharged her.

Ace was hesitant at first, not trusting the magic of a new fairy still learning how to use her powers, but Belle assured him it was safe and explained all the technicalities until he was comfortable.

Soon, the three of us were standing in a tight circle, Ace and I making sure to touch Belle as she prepared to apparate us across the world.

Ace hugged me close to him, his nervous energy rolling off him.

Then I blinked, and we were back on the dock where Belle and I first met, a sunset casting purples and oranges over the lake in front of us.

I sighed in relief, happy to once again take in the view I had become so familiar with over the last few months.

I only had seconds to process that we were back in Colorado before Ace flipped me around to face him, searching my body for any signs of harm.

“Are you okay?” he asked me. “Do you feel dizzy or sick or anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” I assured him. “Barely felt a thing. Are you okay?”

Ace nodded and scanned my body one final time, then let out a breath of relief.

Belle cleared her voice behind me. “Can I say goodbye to Dorothy?” she asked Ace. “Or will you bite my head off?”

She was wise to ask. With my heat approaching, Ace’s already tenuous grip on his temper was razor-thin. He was ready to eliminate anything or anyone that he thought could be a threat to me.

Ace eyed the queen of the supernatural for several seconds, then nodded and gently nudged me forward. “Go ahead.”

I rolled my eyes. As if I needed his permission to say goodbye to my friend.

Belle pulled me toward her and wrapped me in the tightest hug possible. I returned her embrace without hesitation.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asked me, keeping her voice low.

“Yes. I’m going to be fine.” For the first time in months, I really believed those words. “Do you have enough energy to get back?”

Belle pulled back and smiled at me.

“More than enough, actually. Maybe Grayson could have come after all.” She laughed. “You have my phone number, right? You’ll call me if you ever need anything? Even just a friend to talk to?”

“Yes. And the same goes for you. Let’s stay in touch, okay?” I pulled her against me one last time. “Thank you for everything, Luna. Or I mean… Belle.” I shook my head. “Sorry, that was weird.”

The title just slipped out. She had been adamant that I call her Belle because we were friends. And friends didn’t use titles.

“That’s okay. Everyone does it,” Belle assured me with a wave of her hand. “It looks like your omega instincts are taking over now that you’re off your suppressants.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I replied uneasily. Omega instincts were uncharted territory for me. I still had a lot to get used to.

I felt Ace step closer to us, my body so incredibly aware of his. He probably sensed my discomfort. I plastered another smile on my face and kept my eyes on the luna.

I mean Belle.

“I’m so grateful you tracked me down and got me out of that cabin,” I told her. “I think I would have wasted away in there if it weren’t for you.”

“Hey, we humans got to stick together, right? Where would we be if we let our alpha mates be in charge?”

“Nowhere good,” I laughed. Ace let out a halfhearted growl behind me. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” she replied with a warm look. “But we’ll see each other again soon. I’m sure of it. Now, I should probably get back to my mate before he bites ~my~ head off.”

She looked over my shoulder at Ace. “Take care of our girl, Alpha.”

I was surprised to see Ace smile back at her, not seeming the least bit bothered that she was giving him orders. He wasn’t usually one to be bossed around.

Maybe because she was the queen. Or maybe he was ready to say anything to get her to go away.

“Yes, ma’am. Thanks for watching out for her when I couldn’t,” he replied.

“Any time.” Belle squeezed my shoulders one last time and then stepped back. She gave me a small wave. “See you later.”

Then, in a flash, she was gone.

I stared at the empty space where she once was and shook my head. ~Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.~

Two sparky arms wrapped around me, gently drawing me back against a warm chest. My body lit up at the simple touch, and I let out a sigh of bliss, sinking into him as he buried his face in my hair.

Ace’s embrace, partnered with the sun setting in front of us and the cool lake air fanning over my face, felt like some sort of paradise.

After a few seconds, I tilted my head back and looked up at him. “Hi.”

His expression melted with pleasure. “Hi, beautiful girl.” He bent down and kissed my nose.

Then, before I knew what was happening, he picked me up by my waist and whirled us around so we were facing the cabin.

He appraised it with a lazy smile on his face. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding from me, huh?”

“Welcome to my cabin.” I grabbed his wrists and wrapped his arms around me. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wished you were here. I think you’ll really like it. I’m excited to show you around.”

Weirdly excited. A sense of peace had taken over now that Ace was here. It felt ~right~.

“I don’t mean to rush things, but the tour will have to be quick. We’ll have to pack up and head out soon if we want to have enough time to prepare for your heat.”

~Oh.~

I nodded but couldn’t help the heavy thump of my heart.

I didn’t want to leave this place only to go spend my heat at Ace’s house. His home was beautiful, but it was also the setting of some of my worst memories—like the time his father attacked me.

Or the argument we had the night before I was kidnapped. The night he left me.

To add to that, Ace’s room was dark and cold and boyish. It was nothing like the warm and comforting cabin that Ottis and Lacy had built.

But it wasn’t soundproof or smellproof like Ace’s room. It wasn’t a safe place to spend my heat.

So, I guess I would be leaving my little haven and heading back to Embermoon—back home.

Home sounded nice.