Jay laughed. "Good thing I'm her brother. I think it made me immune.
"Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was in love with Ash from day one. I know that was all that was holding me back. Well, that and the fact Tallis would have killed me probably dissuaded me as well." Ash leaned over and kissed Desmond, rewarding him accordingly this time.
"Why wasn't I, or any of us girls jealous?" Amelia asked.
Henry responded while pulling her closer. "It doesn't make every girl jealous. It makes some women protective. If a girl is already as malicious as Elaina and some of the mortal girls in her pack, then they become overwhelmed with anger and resentment. Yastine also falls into that category."
Tallis flinched and kissed me. I flinched slightly, too, at the mention of Yastine. I flashed back to the excruciatingly painful memory of my bones cracking. I looked up to see tears in Amelia's eyes. I didn't want her to feel that.
Tallis's arms wrapped around me protectively. I could tell that Amelia's projections were getting stronger now and leaking often. Tallis seemed to have tears in his eyes as well.
Then Ash spoke, continuing on with an explanation of the signs. "Smelling the dark ones is a sign that transformation is close, but the smell should be faint. In the rain forest, Aria got sick from the overwhelming scent. Isis was so strong that it would only make sense that her chosen descendant would be so much more advanced than the normal mortal witch."
It was as if they were all taking turns, clarifying each other's answers. It seemed to be Desmond's turn now. "Aria was the first person that we ever trusted with our secret outside of the smaller, less threatening covens. Her compassion for our situation was obvious from the beginning. She stood up to the entire community so that she could help us. She understood us and believed us, even though she barely knew us. She was so strong that everyone felt compelled to listen.
"The only time her strength ever wavered was when she felt like she couldn't have Tallis. But she regained her strength for the sake of her family. That is the same thing Isis would have done. Her weakest points were Merlin and her family."
Tallis winced and tightened his grip on me again when Desmond spoke of my weakness being him. I found his lips suddenly locked onto mine as Ayla continued.
"We all felt so protective of her. We felt compelled to trust her and love her from the very beginning. It made everyone incredibly protective, just as the whole light community had been protective of Isis.
"Isis brought unity to all light covens. Everyone trusted her, just as everyone trusts Aria. Without question. Although Desmond was upset by her presence, he never stopped the story that first day. He wasn't scared of her—just the rest of the family. He found himself trusting her before anyone else in the light community.
"It was astounding, really. Such trust led me to Jay and Desmond to Ash. Now it has finally led Tallis to Aria. Tallis questioned centuries-old magical rules just because he felt so connected to Aria. It's a good thing that he did, too."
Tallis kissed me again, and I done sitting down here. Every part of me wanted him more than I ever had. Our intense kiss got a rise out of Jay.
"Okay. This is getting uncomfortable."
Amelia started laughing as she joked, "Well, imagine being in my shoes. You just have to see it. I have to feel it."
Everyone started laughing, including Tallis and me, even though it was a bit awkward. He pulled back and spoke softly while the others started telling each other bye. "I love you."
I smiled bashfully, looking up at him while leaning in closer. It felt so good to hear him say that without his tone being laced with reluctance or guilt. I spoke quietly as I felt the desire to kiss him again.
"I love you," I said with my stupid grin. "Personally, I don't need perfection. I'm good with squandering our first time, just so that we can be together tonight. We can go somewhere else."
He threw his head back and laughed, finding amusement where there shouldn't have been any. I was serious.
"You're absolutely killing me right now." When I pouted, he worked hard—really hard—to stifle his teasing grin before he continued. "I really do want to make it special. Just trust me."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I suppose I can wait a little while longer. Just don't think I am going to wait for this as long as I had to wait for a kiss, though."
He snickered while shaking his head. "I won't make you wait that long. I promise. I don't think I could make it that long if I tried."
That was progress.
He took my hand, and we stood up, ready to attempt sleep once more, even though now morning was starting. He spoke gently while caressing my cheek.
"We do need to get some rest. Training will be crazy. There's a lot to do with little time to do it."
I nodded as we made our way back inside and back up the steps.
Tallis's lips brushed mine, and I opened my mouth in invitation for his tongue. He didn't disappoint. I would never get tired of him kissing me that way.
Our fingers laced together as he led me to the room and let me climb into bed first. We lay on the bed, peacefully wrapped in each other's embrace.