"Good morning, gorgeous," Nathan says with a grin.

"Good morning, handsome face."

Nathan pulls back and looks at me funny.

"What is it?"

"Your eyes changed. They are a deep purple with sparks of blue. Go look in the mirror."

Excited and nervous, I shake the sheet off and walk to the bathroom. Leaning over the single counter, I look into the mirror. My eyes definitely changed. They are so pretty. The blue is very bright against the deep purple color. Turning to my side, I look over my shoulder at my b.u.t.terfly tattoo, and it is the most vivid tattoo I have ever seen and almost lifelike, the colors so bright and beautiful. I smile.

Moving back to Nathan, I see him picking up food from the front porch. I pull on his dress shirt and b.u.t.ton a few b.u.t.tons. The shirt hits just below my b.u.t.t. I glide to the table where there is an array of breakfast items such as donuts, Danishes, bagels, and fresh fruit.

I clear my throat. "There is something I have to tell you, now that we have gone through a commitment ceremony and we have realized we are meant for one another. The tattoo on my back is a symbol of sorts. When I was little, my mom told me it would be so bright and vivid when I found the one. It would have faded over time if I didn't find the one, and I would have died by my twenty second birthday."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"It was against the rules. You had to be the one to make things right between us when you broke us apart. And I couldn't tell you until we were married. It's a family thing." I slide the top of the shirt down to show him the b.u.t.terfly.

"My G.o.d. It's so beautiful, Riley. I remember seeing it before, but it wasn't that bright and vivid. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I couldn't tell you, even when I so desperately wanted to. I wouldn't even tell Bea who you were, for fear she would interfere and seal my fate. You see, if we hadn't found each other, I would have died like some of my ancestors. If they didn't find the one by their twenty second birthday then they died. My mom didn't want that for me. Unfortunately, Bea will suffer the same fate if she doesn't find the one she is meant to be with. And I'm very worried about her. Sometimes she can be careless, and I don't know what to do to help her."

My words were going a mile a minute and Nathan reached over, placing his hand over mine.

"Breathe, Riley," he tells me.

I take a deep breath and grab a donut.

"Everything will be fine." He cups my face. "You found me, didn't you? That day you walked into my cla.s.s, my whole world changed. Bea will be fine. I promise." He leans over to kiss me on the forehead.

"How can you promise that?"

"Riley, we'll figure it out. Maybe when we get back, we can go on a little road trip to visit my brother. Maybe she just needs a change of scenery."

I took another deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Now, as much as I'd like you to wear my shirt all day and nothing else, I do have a plan to leave the house. We are going to a very special and sacred place."

Standing up, I turn, but Nathan grabs my wrist, pulling me back.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are Riley?"

I nod.

"Well, you are. My beautiful gorgeous love. Your eyes d.a.m.n, are they magnificent. I love you and never want to be away from you."

"Do you promise to never go far from me?"

"I promise. I don't even want to breathe without you."

Chapter Twenty-One.

RILEY.

After eating and showering, I get dressed in one of the dresses Bea let me borrow. It reaches down to my feet and has spaghetti straps. And I slip my feet into flip flops.

"You look pretty. Is that new?"

I look myself over and smooth my hands over the light material. "No, Bea let me borrow a few of her dresses. So, where are we headed?"

Nathan takes my hand, as we walk out the door. "We are headed to a very special place my lady. You'll just have to see it to know what I mean."

I smile. Hand in hand, we walk along the cobble stone street, my flip flops patting against the stones. Some pa.s.sersby wave or nod at us, and we nod back. The community is so genuine and holy that no crime exists in this town. Nothing bad happens, and you can just feel the magic in the air. The people are nice and don't hover. They nod in acknowledgment, but don't ask questions. They just go about their day. We pa.s.s a few merchandise stands and stop at one in particular that sells jewelry.

"We should get rings, to represent our bond," Nathan suggests. "What do you like?"

Scanning the wide array of rings, I point to a ruby diamond with a silver band, simple yet elegant.

"Try it on," Nathan suggests.

Sliding it onto my finger, it fits perfectly, like it was made for me.

"I love it."

"Then we'll take that. And I'll get this silver band to match."

He slides the ring on his finger and it fits. With our new purchases, we are on our way, continuing on our journey.

"Thanks. How do you know so much about this place?"

"I'm a wizard, remember? I know all the magical places and what we need to do to bond. Plus, I'm immortal. Guessing by your new eye color, you're immortal now, too. You will never age, physically. Usually, these things don't progress so quickly. Our bond must be so solid and strong that you are changing quickly. Do you feel different?"

"I kind of feel different, but in a good way. It's hard to explain. It feels like colors, sounds, and everything is more heightened."

"That's good. We're almost there," Nathan says as we walk up a green hill. The gra.s.s is so green, I bend down to touch the blades and the diamond in my ring sparkles against the sunlight.

We make it to the top of the hill, and before me is the most gorgeous view. A waterfall.

"Wow."

"We are going to go there. Get in the water naked and let it bless us. This place is the most sacred place on earth," Nathan says.

"Won't anyone see us, naked?"

He chuckles. "No. No one will see us."

He squeezes my hand.

"The water is pure, and nothing affects it. They say it's a magical place, to be able to come here, to be blessed by the townsfolk, and the water is the most exquisite temperature."

Walking down the opposite side of the hill, we make it to the lagoon. No one else is around, and I can't help but still feel nervous about being naked. Somehow, Nathan ends up behind me and slides my spaghetti straps down until the dress has fallen to the ground. He places soft kisses along my b.u.t.terfly tattoo and my nervousness disappears. When he comes face to face, I can see the desire in his eyes.

"You have to behave, at least until we make it back to the bungalow," Nathan says.

I grin, because I could not be any happier in this moment, sharing such a special bond with the man I'm meant to be with, the man I will spend the rest of my life with, the man that stole my heart at the beginning of the year. This is a special moment for us.

When he strips out of his clothes, he reaches for my hand and we walk into the water together as it envelopes us. He was right about the water being the perfect temperature. It's cool, but not too cold. My skin relishes the feeling of it, as it laps at it. I dunk my head under and come back up, smoothing my hair back.

"Come here." Nathan pulls me close and I wrap my legs around his waist. "Hey, I said behave."

"I am." I giggle.

He dunks us both under the water and kisses me. Kissing under water is an experience in itself. The contact of his lips feels smooth over mine. Breaking from the kiss, I swim away from him, laughing as he tries to catch me.

When he catches me, I giggle breathlessly.

"Are you really mine?" he asks.

"I am. I'm all yours, Nathan."

"Good. Are you ready to go back to the bungalow?"

I nod.

With the water drenching our bodies, we get out and I pull my dress back on as it clings to my body. Nathan dresses and grabs my hand as we trek back to the bungalow. I take in the scenery around me the purest water, the greenest gra.s.s; the serenity of it all overwhelms me. It's peaceful and calming. And it's practically the best kept secret. I smile as people walk by and bow, pressing their hands together. Nathan and I nod. More food is placed on the steps when we arrive. So much food for two people.

Nathan and I bend down to pick up the trays, four in total. I place the meat tray and the fruit tray down. Nathan juggles the breads and vegetable trays.

"Let's just put these in the fridge for now," he suggests with heat filled eyes. "I'm hungrier for you at the moment."

After placing the trays in the refrigerator, he stalks toward me, hunger filling his eyes and they practically glow. He sweeps my hair to the side and kisses my neck softly. Leaning my neck to the side, I allow him access. His fiery tongue sweeps along my skin.

"Mmm, you taste good," he says.

Desire pools in my belly, as I reach for the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head, his pec muscles flexing. Raking my hand over his tanned skin, he sucks in a breath.

"G.o.d, Riley," he whispers.

With my dress now pooled on the floor, I work Nathan's shorts and his boxers and push them down. His mouth covers mine as his tongue greedily takes over. He runs his hands over my skin, burning it with his touch. The sensation thrills and excites me as my desire filled body begs for more.

Bringing me to the bed, he sits on the edge while I move to straddle him. Moving us to the center of the bed, the canopy curtains sway around us. With Nathan, our love making feels magical. My body begs for him to touch it, in every crevice, over every inch of me. My hair curtains our faces, blocking any light out as I kiss him. He tweaks my nipples with his fingers as I hover over him. Cupping my breast with one hand, his tongue laps over my nipple. Tilting my head back, I let out a moan.

"Let it out, Riley. I want to know how good I make you feel," he says against my skin.

Adjusting my position, he moves inside me and I rock against his hardness, back and forth. Leaning up, Nathan kisses me. Desire burns inside and comes flooding out as I convulse against Nathan. He lets out a moan and matches my rhythm until we are both spent.

"G.o.d. I'll never last long enough with you."

"You don't hear me complaining. Now I'm hungry," I say while rolling off him.

Removing the food from the refrigerator, none of the food needs heated, so we just make a plate up and eat in bed. Only having breakfast this morning, I'm feeling ravenous. After eating two plates, I'm stuffed and I wrap myself around Nathan while we lie in bed. With my arm across his stomach, my eyes flutter shut, letting exhaustion take over.

Waking the next morning, I stretch and feel the empty s.p.a.ce beside me. Pulling on my robe, I run my fingers through my hair and go look into the mirror. My eyes are still deep purple with blue sparkles. They are mesmerizing, but not as much as Nathan's gold irises. I find him in the kitchen making us a plate of breakfast.

"Are you ready to head home today?" he asks.

I sigh. "Not really. I love this place. I never want to leave," I say wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him.

"It's a magical place. And I enjoyed every minute of it, sharing it with you."

"Mmm, me too." I kiss him and unlatch myself from him, so we can eat.

"We'll meet the deacon before we leave and then we'll be on our way," he says.

After eating, we shower together and get dressed. But not before he takes me once more before leaving. Hand in hand, I smile like a love sick fool. With our luggage packed, we haul it to the carriage as it arrives to take us to The Manor.

Inside the carriage, the air is thickening around us, like it might rain. Nathan squeezes my hand, while he clutches it. Arriving at The Manor, we are escorted inside and we meet the deacon that bonded us.

Inviting us into his office, he instructs us to sit. The walls are all dark wood and elements of a deep burgundy accentuate the room. The leather chairs sit opposite of his carved wooden desk.

Sitting in the chair, the leather is cool against my skin. The deacon studies us for a moment, inspecting us. When our eyes connect, he sits back, folding his hands on his chest.

"It looks like your bonding was quite successful. I'm impressed with your progression. How do you feel?" he looks at me.

"I feel great. I'm happy. I'm in love."

"I can see that. It's in your eyes. Nathan, Riley, you may be dismissed. I wish you both nothing but greatness and a lifelong bond."

We stand and nod in acceptance and turn to leave.

"See, easy peasy," Nathan says.

"Gosh, I was nervous, even though you said not to worry about it. I felt like I had to pa.s.s a test."

"Well, you kinda did. But I knew you would. We are bonded for life and we're immortals now. I can't wait to introduce you to my brother."

Back in the carriage, it is taking us back to the car. Our journey has ended here, but our bond is stronger than ever. I feel more powerful than ever, and Nathan probably has something to do with that. We share our magic now, making us a powerful duo. With Nathan's arm around me, I feel blissful. My state of mine is content, and my soul is at ease while our love blooms inside me.