The Realm Protectors

Chapter 45 - Lyra

The air is chillier this morning, standing outside on the ponte. I could not sleep after the darkness elementals escaped last night. For some reason, I was afraid of what could happen, now that Griffin Gray is back out in the wild. And some of the information that the Ravena Crow woman told us... I sigh. The gateway still stands down on the horizon. My heart pounds at the thought of what could have happened to my home city, if it were not for their incredible power and bravery last night. The Nox has already killed many people. I cannot stand to watch them kill any more.

"Hey," Carter's voice carries softly across the ponte. I turn to see him standing in the doorway of the hotel, holding his arms to defend against the chill. I smile, opening the blanket I have wrapped around my shoulders. He scurries over, standing next to me and wrapping half of the blanket around his shoulders.

"Hello, my boyfriend," I say, leaning my head against his arm. He startles.

"You want to be my girlfriend?" He asks, shocked.

I pull away slightly to look at him. "Of course!" I grin.

Carter's cheeks turn slightly red. "I just thought that... after last night, I wondered if you actually didn't want that since you pulled away and–" I push up onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips gently to his cheek. His skin is warm, and he is blushing harder when I pull away.

"I would be honored to be your girlfriend, Carter," I tell him. His face breaks into the most joyous grin I have ever seen, his eyes lighting up with happiness. He wraps his arms around me, lifting me up and spinning me around. I find myself giggling as he hugs me tightly, pressing his face into the crook between my neck and shoulder. I rub his back gently. "Can we celebrate with milkshakes?"

"We can get all the milkshakes you want," Carter says, his voice against my neck making my stomach flip. He stands up straight, holding my face in his hands. "And I'll take you dancing – ooh! And rollerskating! And we can stay up late and look at the stars! We can do anything you want, Lyra. Anything."

I find myself smiling. "My sisters will be very jealous that you are no longer single." Carter laughs, the joyous sound making my heart pound. His eyes find mine, such a beautiful shade of the deepest blue. It reminds me of the sky during twilight, or the deepest waters of the ocean off the Stellune coast.

"Lyra," He whispers. His voice is strangely husky. "I... I really want to kiss you right now." His eyes flick down to my lips and back up to my eyes. I find my eyes mimicking his movement. His lips look very soft.

"I think I also want to kiss you,"

Carter starts to lean in, tilting his head slightly to the side. I close my eyes, lifting my face to meet his. His lips touch mine – a feather-touch, a brush – before coming back again. Sparks burst in my head as our lips connect, warmth blooming in my chest. One of his hands strays into my hair, the other sliding down to my lower back. He pulls me towards him, deepening the kiss. My hands slide into his hair, running through the soft, short locks. I shudder as he pulls away for breath. I open my eyes to see him looking at me. Carter's breath is warm against my skin, eyes alight with a raw emotion I have seen flickers of in him in the past few weeks.

"That..." I stumble on my words. "That was breathtaking." He chuckles lightly.

"I agree," Carter replies, his finger tracing loops on my lower back. His smile is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Carter looks at me as if I am his whole world.

"There you are," Someone says from the hotel end of the ponte. We turn around to see Faris leaning against the open door. "We've all been looking for you."

"I came up her to find her," Carter blushes. He turns back to me. "I was supposed to tell you that we're meeting to discuss our next steps after what happened last night,"