24. Lyndon

Chapter 24

Lyndon

Four Months Later

" O kay, that's it." I pushed the laptop shut, never wanting to look at a computer screen ever again. "We just finished the first of likely many, many documents to file to create a sanctuary city."

Darcy rocked on my lap, where he had been perched for the last hour of the paperwork, facing me and driving me crazy. I was hard as nails and so over anything that had to do with sanctuary cities or creating a safe haven for parahumans. The only thing I could think of was Darcy's dicks filling me up until I was screaming his name.

"I'm so proud of you. You did it."

I ran my hands down his back. Somewhere along the line, Darcy had lost his shirt, and his sweats were so thin it was almost obscene.

"It'll be a long time before I've done anything significant. But it's the first step, and I'm proud too. We're really doing this, sunshine."

"Maybe you should start preparing your sign. It'll take a while to get all that written on one."

I bit playfully at his neck. "Oh, shush. It's all important."

The idea to file for a sanctuary city had actually came from Kennedy when we'd first visited Darcy's realm. I'd been terrified to go over there, and when Rafe had greeted Darcy the way he had, and I'd seen how loved he was, I had half convinced myself he wasn't coming back.

I'd been wrong, of course. We'd stayed for two days and then used Ambrose's stone to get back here, where we'd been ever since. We had visited them once more, and Ambrose had now provided another stone, so Kennedy and Rafe could visit any time they wanted. Somehow, my once lonely cabin seemed to be constantly filled with people, but I no longer minded. I had isolated myself for too long, and I was done.

While we'd explained everything to Rafe and Kennedy, Kennedy had mentioned sanctuary cities. Apparently, there was a way to file a request to make a certain area a safe haven for an oppressed group or refugees. Obviously, it was complicated, and I didn't expect it to go through anytime soon, but there was a peaceful solution, one I felt that Darcy and I could manage. And just like that, the goddess's wild ass idea started to feel more plausible.

Darcy rocked on me again, his hands trailing up my shirt, claws grazing along my nipples.

"Sunshine," I warned, my eyes rolling as he played.

"You just worked hard for hours. You deserve a reward, Lyn."

I hummed and nuzzled his jaw. "Yeah, I think you're right. Fuck, I love you so much, Darcy."

He beamed at me, just like he always did when I said it. It still made me feel weird. I loved seeing him happy, but it had taken me way too long to say it, and I hated how it surprised him every time.

"I love you too."

Darcy latched his arms around my neck, and I stood, mine going under his thighs. His tail swung happily behind him, and I couldn't get to the bedroom fast enough.

My hands shook as I peeked at the contents of the velvet box one more time. Things had moved quickly once we'd come back from Darcy's realm, including that hole in my heart healing. He'd come back with me. I'd never wanted to doubt Darcy, but my trust issues ran deep and seeing was believing. That last little bit of fear had evaporated as soon as our feet had touched back down on my tomato plants. Darcy was all in, and it was about time that I was too.

Darcy was my mate, and I wanted to show him how much I loved him in every way I could. If either of us did mating bites like shifters, I would've been all over that. We might not have been able to magically mark our bodies, but I had a way to bind us together forever and finally make Darcy an official member of the coven. I just hoped he'd agree.

There was a knock, and then my parents crowded the doorway of my childhood bedroom. I had told Darcy I had a private coven meeting and left him at the cabin in order to prepare for this. Ambrose and Aria were on their way here with him now. I wasn't sure what they'd said to get him here, but I wasn't worried. They'd figured it out.

"Are you ready, dear? They should be here any minute," my mother asked. She was thrilled. Thankfully, her and Aunt Belinda had taken over most of the planning, so I'd had plenty of time to panic and overthink every single moment from the minute I laid eyes on Darcy all those months ago. I resisted the urge to check the box one more time and pushed off the bed.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous. He'll say yes, right?"

My mother rolled her eyes, but thankfully Dad seemed to understand my nerves. "I was so nervous when I asked your mother to handfast with me. My hands were sweating so much I dropped the box."

Mother smiled fondly at the memory. "Then, when he went to pick it up, he somehow missed and ended up sprouting daisies through the beams in my parents' porch."

Everyone in the coven knew that story—my parents told it any chance they got. But it did make me feel better. This would be okay. There was no way Darcy would say no, and very soon we'd be connected in every way.

My phone buzzed, which just added to my nerves. They were here.