Cherish
by Tracy Wolff

Copyright © 2023 by Tracy Wolff. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

1

A Ribbon for
Your Thoughts

“Do you think we’re ever going to see this place again?” The question slips out as Hudson and I walk past the campus to the diner where we’re supposed to meet Eden and Heather.

Originally, we’d settled on the university center, but the coffee is better at the diner, and I think Heather’s trying to impress a certain dragon.

“Of course we’ll see it again,” he tells me, sliding a comforting hand into mine. “What even makes you ask?”

I shoot him a look. “The last time we were in the Shadow Realm, it took us years to find our way back to this world. And I forgot you.”

The guilt of everything I’d forgotten has danced at the corners of my mind for months, but now that I have my actual memories of our time in Adarie back…it’s like a punch to my heart.

All I want to do is turn around and go home, so I can just think about everything. So I can be with Hudson as I sort through the memories, cherish all the things that made me fall in love with him that first time—including those damn bird calls of his.

The fact that he had all this inside him for months since our return, and I didn’t have a clue… The pain of it is indescribable. It makes my stomach churn and turns every part of me to an open, gaping wound.

Which only gets worse when Hudson laughs down at me and adds, “You say that like it’s a crime.”

“It feels like a crime,” I answer, battling against the tears that burn the backs of my eyes.

He squeezes my hand, rubs his thumb back and forth over the double promise ring on my left ring finger—half from Giant City, half from the Shadow Realm. “I already told you, I’m the guy who’s lucky enough to have his girl fall in love with him twice. I don’t feel bad about that.”

“For now.”

He lifts a brow even as he looks at me with teasing blue eyes. “Does that mean you’re planning on falling out of love with me?” he asks. “If so, I’m not okay with that part of the plan.”

“Obviously I’m not planning on falling out of love with you,” I tell him with a snort. “But I didn’t plan on falling out of love with you the last time we left the Shadow Realm, either. Shit happens.” Not to mention we still don’t even know why I lost my memories. As soon as I’d gotten my memories back, Hudson had suggested it might have something to do with the giant-ass amount of time-dragon magic that slammed into me, but I have my doubts.

“Well, then, I’ll be the guy who has the distinct honor of having his mate fall in love with him three times. There are worse things in the world.”

“Yeah, because it worked out so well the last time.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe how much I—”

“Hey.” He cuts me off, pulling me into his arms here on the busy sidewalk, right between a drugstore and my favorite fish taco place. “It did work out well the last time. We’re here, aren’t we?”

“Now,” I answer. “Now we’re here.” But there were a lot of months wasted where we weren’t here. A lot of pain, a lot of suffering, a lot of heartache. Is there any wonder I’m not anxious for either one of us to have to go through it again?

“Now is all that matters. You’re my mate. You’re always going to be my mate, and I am always going to love you. How could I not?” His eyes twinkle as he adds, “Hey, ‘I came across time for you, Grace. I love you. I always have.’ And I always will.”

It’s ridiculous, but even knowing he’s quoting one of our favorite movies from our months trapped in his pseudo-lair doesn’t stop my heart from melting. Then again, melting my heart—and the rest of me—has never been a problem for Hudson. Even from the beginning.

That doesn’t stop me from busting his balls a little bit, though. “James Cameron called. He wants his line back.”

He laughs. “Caught that, did you?”

“The fact that you just Terminator-ed me? Yeah, I caught that.”

“It’s not my fault that movie has so many great lines.”

“No, but your absolute and abiding love for it is completely your fault.” I take his hand, tugging him along and into the drugstore.

“What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.” He looks around. “What are we doing in here?”

“Checking out the gift-wrapping section. I want to see if they have any sparkly ribbons,” I answer as I lead him toward the back of the store.

I didn’t think it was possible, considering the way he’s been looking at me since I told him I remembered everything that happened in the Shadow Realm, but Hudson’s eyes go even softer. “You want to pack her more ribbons?”

His voice is as rough as my aching heart as we both remember the tiny umbra he loved like a daughter. The one who sacrificed her life to save his. No, she isn’t dead. I have to believe she’s out there, waiting for Hudson to find her again.

“Don’t get all mushy on me now. It’s pure selfishness on my part,” I say, coughing a little to clear my suddenly tight throat. I pick up a thick roll of sparkly gold ribbon and study the package. “I need Smokey to like me.”

“She does like you.”

I turn from my contemplation of glittery red versus shiny pink ribbon to give him an are-you-kidding-me look. At which point, he hastily gathers up both spools of ribbons—and an extra glittery silver one as well—and heads for the nearest cash register.

“Maybe ‘like’ is a strong word.” He pauses to grab a box of cherry Pop-Tarts off the snack display on the way to self-checkout.

“Maybe ‘like’ is just a full-on lie,” I counter, taking out my credit card to pay.

But Hudson beats me to it, as usual, tapping his black American Express. I take the purchases to put in my backpack as we leave the store.

He doesn’t say anything else as we walk, but he’s holding my hand like it’s a lifeline.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s more worried about this trip than he’s letting on, but before I can ask him, he murmurs, “She’s going to be there, right?”

“She is,” I answer, squeezing his hand back extra hard. “We’re going to find her, Hudson. We’ll start at the farm, and if Smokey isn’t there, we’ll keep looking until we figure out where she is. She’s there, just waiting for you to find her again. And we will. I promise.”

He nods, but I can tell he’s still worried. And I don’t blame him. Smokey hated me, but I couldn’t help but love her, if for no other reason than she loved this boy who’d never known love but deserved it all. And now that I remember the Shadow Realm and everything that happened there, her absence destroys me. I can’t even imagine what it’s felt like for Hudson all these months.

“Hey,” I tell him, moving us into an alcove between buildings. “Listen to me. We’re going to find that ridiculous little umbra.”

I try to put as much confidence as I can in my gaze, hoping the fear that Smokey didn’t make it is buried down so deep that Hudson can’t see it. Because, as much as we know that time-dragon fire resets timelines and sends those who enter the Shadow Realm to the point they were at just before they entered Noromar…I have no idea what would happen to a creature who was actually born there.

I grit my jaw against any thoughts that Smokey is gone forever and hold Hudson’s gaze, willing him to believe me about Smokey being okay.

When the corners of his eyes crinkle, a crooked smile lifting one side of his mouth, I let out a long breath of relief. He shakes his head. “She really is ridiculous, isn’t she?”

“So ridiculous. And if she wants to come back here with us, then we’re going to find a way to bring her back, too.”

“And what are we going to do once we get her here? She doesn’t exactly blend in.”

“We’ll hide her, of course. Like Lilo did Stitch—only a lot better.”

He laughs, exactly as I want him to, but I can still see the worry lingering in his eyes. It kills me. Hudson has done so much for me, has always made sure that I feel safe, even in the middle of the worst situations imaginable, and almost never asked for anything for himself. This is one thing that he needs—to know that Smokey is happy and healthy and okay. There’s no way I’m not going to move heaven and earth to make sure it happens for him.

He stares at me for a second, his eyes searching mine for the answer to a question he doesn’t even know he’s asking. “I love you, Grace.”

“Across time. I know,” I tease.

“Across everything,” he says, and he’s never looked more serious.

“I love you, too.” I lean in and kiss him, reveling in the little zing of sensation that works its way through me the moment our lips touch. “No matter what.”

He moves to deepen the kiss, and I let him, because I never want to say no where this guy is concerned. And also because I get lost the second he scrapes one of his fangs across my bottom lip.

Shivers shoot down my spine and my fingers curl in the front of his shirt as I give myself to him—to this—for just a few more seconds.

Then I force myself to take a step back, even though I want nothing more than to drag Hudson home and have my wicked way with him. Or the other way around.

But we’ve got things to do and people counting on us, so I smile up at him and say, “We need to go. Heather and Eden are waiting.”

He nods, then leans forward and nips at my lower lip one more time. I almost say to hell with it. They’ve waited this long—they can wait a little longer.

But then I remember Smokey and Mekhi and everything else we need to take care of. I reach for Hudson’s hand.

“Let’s go,” I tell him.

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue, and we head back onto the busy sidewalk. We’ve only gone a block or two before Hudson suddenly steps in front of me, his shoulders tensing.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, trying to see around him as my heart kicks up in my chest.

But he’s too busy scanning the surrounding area to answer.

“Hudson?” I query when several seconds go by and he doesn’t relax his vigilance or his stance.

“Sorry,” he finally tells me, stepping back. “I thought I saw something.”

“What?” I look up and down the street as I take a few calming breaths. There are several college students in school sweatshirts outside an ice cream shop, men and women in business attire bustling to and from work, and a mom pushing her baby in a stroller, but that’s about it. At least as far as I can see.

“I don’t know. I just…” He shakes his head as he takes my hand again. “It was nothing.”

“I guess so,” I agree as we resume walking, but I can’t help glancing behind us, just in case.

As we turn and cross the street, Hudson asks, “We’re not really going to let Heather come with us, are we? She’s human.”

“Hey!” I make a face. “Don’t say it like it’s such a bad thing. I was human for a lot of years.”

“You know what I mean. I’m worried about something happening to her.”

“Me too,” I answer. “Which is why we’ll let her come along for now. But the second we figure out how to get to the Shadow Realm, I’m buying her a plane ticket back here.”

“Oh, she’ll love that.”

“I’ll make it first-class,” I say, sticking my tongue out at him. “And she will love it—certainly more than dying at the hands of the Shadow Queen or who knows what.”

“Good point,” he admits as we turn the corner to the diner, the shiny front door no more than ten feet away now. “Besides, you’ve already got one needy person to take care of. You can’t be dividing your attention too much.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, brows raised. “Are you feeling needy?”

“Please.” He gives a proper British sniff as he holds the door open for me. “I was referring to Flint.”

I crack up, because he’s not wrong. But we’ve got this. As long as Hudson and I are together, everything is going to be okay.

I smile at him as I walk through the door and into the diner…and then straight into a very upset Jaxon and Flint.

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Release Date: December 3, 2023 Page Count: Content Warning: Read Content Warning No content warning available for this book. ×

Release Date: December 3, 2023

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Release Date: December 3, 2023

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