her…
He did, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet, but when he pulled away he had a fleeting thought about how he had felt nothing but an odd emptiness in his heart. He couldn’t really remember how it had felt to kiss anyone else, but something inside of him knew there should be something more than this eerie emptiness…
But even as the thought occurred to him, it vanished and he smiled, his mind cheerfully blank.
“So, when would you like to go?” he asked her, his mind suddenly deciding that this had to happen. He had to bring her home, had to introduce her to everyone so that they could understand.
Stella smiled and tapped her lips with one perfectly manicured fingertip, her eyes flashing with feminine power. “I’m ready when you are, handsome.”
They walked up the cobblestone walkway together, hand-in-hand. It hadn’t even occurred to him to wonder why Stella had so easily accepted his explanation of what he was, and where he came from…instead it had all seemed so natural and perfect, as if it was meant to be.
At least, that was how the little voice justified it, and he didn’t have the willpower to question the voice. Instead he was floating along in the dark recesses of his old self, barely aware of what was happening to him and content with what the voice told him was reality. And if his heart strained away from Stella, and ached bitterly whenever he looked at her, he didn’t understand the feeling and therefore brushed it off.
They came across Capri and Rian first, who were both sitting beneath one of the large willow trees, reading to each other and talking. When they saw Liam and Stella approaching, they both froze and stared in stunned silence.
“Hi guys,” Liam greeted, waving a hand at them cheerfully. Capri’s eyes shot to Stella almost immediately, and the disbelief and uncertainty she felt was obvious.
Rian instinctively shifted closer to Capri, eyeing the human girl coldly. He didn’t trust the gleam in the girl’s eyes, or the way she kept her hand clasped firmly in Liam’s, almost possessively.
“Liam, is this the girl…Stella, right?” Capri asked, sincerely in her heart wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. If this girl really made him happy, then who were they to judge him?
Liam beamed down at her before glancing at Stella, meeting her eyes. For a brief moment he said nothing as he stared at her, as though losing himself completely in the moment. Capri’s eyebrows raised curiously while Rian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Suddenly Liam shifted his gaze back to Capri and grinned. “Yes, this is Stella. Stella, this is Capri and Rian.”
Stella smiled politely. Capri took the cold strain in the other girl’s eyes as nerves, so she tried to return the smile in a show of good faith.
“So, um, how did you two meet?” Capri questioned, only to be momentarily distracted when she realized Rian was as still as a statue beside her. The tension in the air was unbelievably palpable, and she worriedly bit her lip.
“She was walking on the same beach I was and we just stumbled across each other.”
“I just thought he was the cutest thing I’d ever seen,” Stella said, looking at Liam fondly. “So when he told me about this place, I wasn’t too surprised. He seemed…otherworldly, if you will.”
Liam grinned and leaned down to kiss her nose affectionately, his eyes filled with humor and happiness. If only those watching knew how violently his heart was retaliating or how hard his mind was working to try and convince him not to listen.
“Isn’t she cute? I can’t get over that accent.” He laughed, wrapping an arm around her and winking at Rian. “We should probably head inside. I want Stella to meet everyone.”
They started to walk away, but before they could, Blythe and Jax appeared at the entrance to the castle, and when they spotted Liam and Stella, they both started forward.
As Blythe got closer, she suddenly broke into a
He did, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet, but when he pulled away he had a fleeting thought about how he had felt nothing but an odd emptiness in his heart. He couldn’t really remember how it had felt to kiss anyone else, but something inside of him knew there should be something more than this eerie emptiness…
But even as the thought occurred to him, it vanished and he smiled, his mind cheerfully blank.
“So, when would you like to go?” he asked her, his mind suddenly deciding that this had to happen. He had to bring her home, had to introduce her to everyone so that they could understand.
Stella smiled and tapped her lips with one perfectly manicured fingertip, her eyes flashing with feminine power. “I’m ready when you are, handsome.”
They walked up the cobblestone walkway together, hand-in-hand. It hadn’t even occurred to him to wonder why Stella had so easily accepted his explanation of what he was, and where he came from…instead it had all seemed so natural and perfect, as if it was meant to be.
At least, that was how the little voice justified it, and he didn’t have the willpower to question the voice. Instead he was floating along in the dark recesses of his old self, barely aware of what was happening to him and content with what the voice told him was reality. And if his heart strained away from Stella, and ached bitterly whenever he looked at her, he didn’t understand the feeling and therefore brushed it off.
They came across Capri and Rian first, who were both sitting beneath one of the large willow trees, reading to each other and talking. When they saw Liam and Stella approaching, they both froze and stared in stunned silence.
“Hi guys,” Liam greeted, waving a hand at them cheerfully. Capri’s eyes shot to Stella almost immediately, and the disbelief and uncertainty she felt was obvious.
Rian instinctively shifted closer to Capri, eyeing the human girl coldly. He didn’t trust the gleam in the girl’s eyes, or the way she kept her hand clasped firmly in Liam’s, almost possessively.
“Liam, is this the girl…Stella, right?” Capri asked, sincerely in her heart wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. If this girl really made him happy, then who were they to judge him?
Liam beamed down at her before glancing at Stella, meeting her eyes. For a brief moment he said nothing as he stared at her, as though losing himself completely in the moment. Capri’s eyebrows raised curiously while Rian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Suddenly Liam shifted his gaze back to Capri and grinned. “Yes, this is Stella. Stella, this is Capri and Rian.”
Stella smiled politely. Capri took the cold strain in the other girl’s eyes as nerves, so she tried to return the smile in a show of good faith.
“So, um, how did you two meet?” Capri questioned, only to be momentarily distracted when she realized Rian was as still as a statue beside her. The tension in the air was unbelievably palpable, and she worriedly bit her lip.
“She was walking on the same beach I was and we just stumbled across each other.”
“I just thought he was the cutest thing I’d ever seen,” Stella said, looking at Liam fondly. “So when he told me about this place, I wasn’t too surprised. He seemed…otherworldly, if you will.”
Liam grinned and leaned down to kiss her nose affectionately, his eyes filled with humor and happiness. If only those watching knew how violently his heart was retaliating or how hard his mind was working to try and convince him not to listen.
“Isn’t she cute? I can’t get over that accent.” He laughed, wrapping an arm around her and winking at Rian. “We should probably head inside. I want Stella to meet everyone.”
They started to walk away, but before they could, Blythe and Jax appeared at the entrance to the castle, and when they spotted Liam and Stella, they both started forward.
As Blythe got closer, she suddenly broke into a
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