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"Are you sure you want to do this? What if you're still bound to the property; won't it hurt to try to step away?"
Soren shook his head and pulled his lips between his teeth. "I have to try, Gem. Hazel didn't answer this question in the tome, so we have to take a risk."
I chewed the inside of my cheek. Archer had told me long ago what would happen if they tried to step off the property, and it sounded excruciating, nothing I'd ever want to see Soren experience. But it was clear he wouldn't be stopped.
"All right," I conceded, holding my hand out to him. "Here, hang on to me."
He held his breath, and an internal debate flashed in his cerulean eyes. Would he inch his way over or—
Soren took a huge step into the street. His eyes went wide, and his lips rattled together as he exhaled.
"I know this is a big deal for you, but it was a little anti-climactic for me."
His laughter filled the square, which had returned to its normal state after Winter Spirits. "Did you want me to fall to the ground like I was being electrocuted to death? We could give it another try."
I gave him a playful whack on the shoulder. "Of course not." I stepped closer to him and pressed my body against his. "This is actually really exciting. Now you can take me all kinds of places," I whispered, tangling my fingers in his hair.
"You could teach me how to drive," he said.
A sly grin took up residence on my face. "We could do it in the back of my car."
"I could take you to the best restaurant in Boston."
"We could make out in the back of movie theaters."
"You are very single-minded in your answers."
"Yep."
Not that Soren could blame me. Ever since I reclaimed ownership of the Reynard, my shifts have been interrupted by a certain Kobold at least once a day. He wasn't going to let time with me slip through his fingers again. And neither was I.
Soren laced his fingers with mine, and we started down the sidewalk. He took his time looking into each shop and was overly excited to wave at tourists. I would have normally ducked my head in embarrassment, but his new sense of freedom looked very good on him, and I didn't want to miss a second of it.
"I read they had the sentencing for Raven yesterday," he said. "Her dad didn't seem pleased that she was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment."
"Well, as you've gathered, I'm sure, not many people in our family take too kindly to anyone being less than cookie-cutter-perfect. Besides, I think that even after the spell from the tome wears off, Raven would still benefit from therapy. Her father probably could too."
"Speaking of parents, do you think your mom is ever going to invite me to dinner? I'm still looking forward to winning her over."
He didn't mean it; this was our inside joke. I threatened him with a beautiful dinner at my parents' house whenever he got in a slump with missing Archer. It was understandable, but it tore me to pieces when he got stuck in a rut about it. The reminder that things could always be worse seemed to snap him out of it.
"I mean, I don't know if she'll ever be able to get past the time you basically told her I was using all the skills I'd learned in the beds of different men to fuck you real good," I said with a smirk.
He shrugged. "I thought she would appreciate the way you were applying things you learned in the real world to your relationship."
"Speaking of our relationship, I was thinking."
"That's a dangerous thing, but enlighten me."
"Now that we're here," I swept my hand out in front of me, "maybe it would be nice to get away. Travel to somewhere new. Maybe find a place we both love and want to stay at for a while."
Soren stopped walking and looked into my eyes. "If it hadn't worked—if I were still bound to the hotel, I would have been just as happy as I am right now. You understand that you give me something to look forward to every day. I don't care where we are as long as you're with me, Gemma."
"If you were still bound to the hotel, you know I'd have stayed with you. I'd never go anywhere else again if it meant that I'd be with you." A thought suddenly entered my head. "I guess we need to stay at the Reynard, though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Who will scare the hell out of the guests if you aren't there to bang on the walls and shit?" I said with a giggle. "Plus, I kind of like this commitment thing. I guess I had it in me all along; I just needed the right person to commit to," I murmured, putting my hands on his cheeks and pulling him down to kiss me.
"Is this your way of asking me to marry you?" he whispered against my lips.
"I don't know—what if it were? What would you say?" I asked, sliding my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck.
His eyes sparkled. "I'd say to name the time and place and I'll be there; I'm not going anywhere without you. Remember when I told you I wanted you to have the kind of life you dreamed of before coming to the Reynard?"
"Yes."
"I look forward to giving you that life now, Gemma. Whatever you want, it's yours."
"You've got it easy then, Mr. Hyde. Because all I want is you."