Firebird

Chapter 20

Kyla

It was nearly dawn when the celebration died down. I pulled Beck up to our rooms, giggling the whole time. When we reached my door, he pulled me in for a kiss. We stumbled into my room, laughing together. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him again.

"Stay in here with me." I told him, smiling.

"Do you think your father will be mad?" He asked. "I know I've stayed in here before but I don't want to risk it if it will be a problem."

"There's no rules against us sharing a bed before we wed." I said. "You could move all your stuff in here and my parents wouldn't be surprised."

"Good." He said, leaning down to kiss my jaw. "Because I don't want to part with you ever again."

I couldn't answer him as he trailed kisses down my neck. He reached behind me and grabbed the top button of my dress. He paused then and leaned back to look me. I knew he wanted permission. I nodded and smashed my mouth to his. The kissing became frantic as he worked to get the buttons undone. My hands shook as I scrambled to get his shirt off. The final button on my dress came undone and his movements slowed. His hands were gentle as he reached up to pull the straps off my shoulders. He pulled back and watched while the dress slowly came down. We were both breathing hard as the dress fell to the floor. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for another kiss. I backed us up, without breaking the kiss. The moment my legs hit the bed, we tumbled down on top of it. He braced himself above me and looked into my eyes.

"Is this what you want?" He whispered.

"Yes." I whispered back. He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. So soft, so gentle. We said nothing more as we became a tangle of limbs. Faintly, the sun came up, lighting up the room. The start of a new day. A new life.

                                                  . . .

      I woke up a few hours later, feeling sore but happy. I opened my eyes and smiled. Beckett's sleeping face was adorable. I reached up and ran a finger down his cheek. He mumbled and rolled over. I got out of the bed slowly and put my robe and slippers on. I started to make my way down to the kitchen for a snack before I heard voices in my dads office. I walked up to the door and knocked. I heard my dad tell me to come in. When I walked in, I immediately saw my dad and the head guard, Marco.

      "What's going on?" I asked as I sat down. My father cleared his throat.

      "We just received word that Vallan returned home to find his home in shambles." He said. "He's declaring an all out war."

      "So we prepare." Marco said. "He won't catch us off guard this time."

      "I agree." I chimed in. "We train harder and tighten security."

      My father nodded but refused to meet my eyes. I watched as he took a deep breath and sat up in his chair.

      "I want Beckett with you at all times. I want at least one more of his guys with you too." He said, turning to Marco. "We need men with my wife too. There will not be a repeat of last time. I will not lose my daughter and I damn sure will not lose my wife again."

      "Understood sir." Marco said. He stood up and nodded at us both. My father sighed and rubbed his eyes.

      "Dad, breathe." I told him. "We'll beat him. We can do this."

      "I just want you and your mother safe." He said quietly. "Start spiraling into your magic. Work on it everyday and build it up. Teach Beckett. Help him discover what abilities he might have. We need any edge we can get."

      "Of course, dad." I told him. He nodded as I stood. I gave up on the snack and went back up to my room. Beck was still asleep so I climbed back into bed with him. I curled up in his arms, savoring his warmth. I didn't dare move after that. I wanted this moment to last as long as it could before war broke out.