31. Annette

“Surprise!”

I roll over, open my eyes, and try to blink away the sleep. Rukh is standing before me, holding a steaming plate and the widest smile I’ve ever seen on him.

“What’s this?” I ask, still trying to wake myself up.

“Here, this will help,” he says, handing me a mug. Of course, he brought me kaffo. Could he be any more perfect?

I sit up, taking it and immediately drinking from it. I’m glad he’s caught on to the fact that the first thing I need in the morning is a big cup of kaffo. And he knows just the way I like it. After I’ve taken a sufficient amount of sips, I set it aside and turn to him.

“Will you tell me what all of this is about now?”

“I made you breakfast,” he says.

This catches my attention. I take a look at the plate, and my eyes widen.

“It’s kaijeer,” he says proudly.

“How?” I ask, completely shocked.

“I found a recipe a couple days ago. I snuck out to get everything early this morning while you were sleeping. You’re a very deep sleeper, you know.”

“Wait, how long have I been sleeping? There’s no way you had time to go all the way there and then got back here and still had time to cook it.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I kept you up extra late last night.” He smirks.

A chill runs down my spine as I remember what we did. It was definitely some of his best work. Some of our best work. I’ll never understand how I got so lucky with him, in every single aspect.

“You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you?” he teases.

“Maybe,” I say, letting my eyes trail down his body.

“You better stop looking at me like that, or else this whole breakfast thing will have all been for nothing. I have no problem dropping this plate and ravaging you right now.”

At this moment, I’m actually considering letting him do it. How is it even possible to want someone this much?

“Annette,” he says, his tone shifting. From the look in his eyes, I can tell that he’s about two seconds away from tossing that plate aside. And I’m a second away from letting him.

I snap myself out of it, knowing how much effort he put into this surprise and not wanting him to let that all go to waste just because we can’t keep our pants on. I clear my throat, shaking my head.

“Later,” I promise. “So, um, how did I not hear you cooking this all morning?”

“Like I said, deep sleeper.” He sighs, visibly disappointed that I changed the subject.

“Did you try it yet?” I ask, which is just my way of politely asking if it’s any good. Kaijeer is definitely not the easiest thing to make, and for a beginning cook like him, I’m surprised he even had the confidence to try.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that. Come on, let’s go eat.”

I grab my mug and take another huge gulp before heading into the kitchen with him.

Ever since we decorated, I have enjoyed this place that much more. It feels like it’s really ours now. Especially our new bed, which Rukh expertly put together. I still have no idea how he did it, but it’s held up pretty great through our… activities, so I won’t ask questions.

As I take my seat at the table, he sets the plate in front of me before sitting across from me. I pick up my fork, still a bit hesitant, and take my first bite.

Flavor explodes in my mouth, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I really didn’t want to have to lie to him about it tasting good. I would have done it, but I would’ve felt bad.

Thankfully, everything about it is perfect. The fish, the rice, the egg. I can even taste the citrus notes and herbs. I find myself going back for a second bite right away.

“Wow, this is really good, Rukh.”

“You’re not lying?”

“I would never,” I lie. “No, it’s seriously good. How the hell did you learn how to make this? I’ve never even made it, and I’ve only had it like twice in my life.”

“I told you, I found a recipe.”

I shoot him a look, sensing that there’s more to the story.

“Okay, fine. I asked one of the workers at the market. She happened to know a lot about it, and she talked me through every step. Thankfully, I remembered it all by the time I got back.”

“This is amazing. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

“I wanted to make you feel special.”

“Don’t you already do that every night?” I wink.

“Well, yes. But still, I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Again, don’t you –”

“Can’t you just accept that I wanted to spoil you?”

“Fine, sorry, sorry. Thank you.” I laugh.

As soon as we finish breakfast, we decide to go out for a walk through the woods. It reminds me of when we first met, not that far from here. I think back to that day and how much I misjudged him, thinking it was him doing all that killing. How I tried to attack him and how easily he shut me down like it was nothing.

Things have changed so much now, which I’m thankful for. Where would I be right now if I hadn’t followed my instincts that day and tracked him down? Would I still be out there, wandering all alone and searching for a new place to call home?

Probably not. I doubt I would’ve survived much longer on my own, especially not with that witch out on the loose. Which leads me to think about that woman and how she must have died thinking that I would be following her shortly after due to her curse.

I’ve fully come to terms with the consequences of that curse now. In fact, I don’t even really see it as a consequence. Instead, I see it as a blessing. Being bound to Rukh is certainly no inconvenience. The only time it really affects me is when we go into town sometimes and I sense someone evil, and even then, we’ve found ways to make sure that it doesn’t bother me too much.

Rukh still goes out hunting for souls now and again, but not as much as he used to. And I make sure to ask for as little detail as necessary, if any. It’s not that I hate what he does, it’s just that I don’t like hearing how evil people really are. I always knew, obviously, but it’s something I like to try to ignore as much as I can, and he always respects that.

Our life together is all about balance, and we’ve found the perfect recipe. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

“Where are we going?” I ask. “We’ve never been this way before.”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Another one? Is it my birthday or something?”

“No, but that reminds me. When is your birthday?”

“I actually don’t know. I’ve never even tried to find out, never celebrated it.”

“Well, we should. Not find out, but celebrate it. We should give you a birthday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Hmm. I have an idea. What if we make it the day that we were bound? If you think about it, I went through a big change that day.”

“I love that.” He smiles, pulling me in close to his side.

“So what’s the surprise?”

“We’re almost there, you’ll see.”

A few minutes later, we reach a clearing. In the middle of the clearing is a blanket and a stack of books. I stop, looking at him.

“What is this?”

“I thought we could come out here and spend the day practicing your magic. I know that it bothers you that you don’t know that much. We don’t have the same kind of magic, but I figured I could at least help and try to give you pointers.”

Tears well up in my eyes, and I let them fall. I’ve never voiced this insecurity to him, but somehow he knew. That’s how much he pays attention to me. I can’t explain how that makes me feel.

“This is… perfect. I love you so much, Rukh. Thank you.”

“I love you, too. And I’m so happy that I found you. I’m so thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. That I get to surprise you a million more times, in a million different ways. Because I will, Annette. If you think this is the only time we’ll have a day like this, think again. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you feel special. It’s never going to end.”

I throw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. The scent of him pushes my senses into overdrive, making the tears come even faster. But after a moment, I pull it together. I don’t want to ruin this perfect day by letting my emotions get the best of me.

“I want nothing more than that, Rukh.”

We spend the rest of the day looking through the books he brought and practicing some small spells. Once I get tired, which doesn’t take very long since magic always wears me out, we head back to the cabin.

Our home. Our safe haven away from the rest of the world. I couldn’t ask for a better place to call mine. Or a better person to share it with.

Want more of Protheka?

Sign up for Celeste’s newsletter!

Join Celeste’s Facebook group here!

Subscribe to the Protheka YouTube Channel!

Follow Celeste on TikTok!