Free Eternal Promise (Between Worlds Book 3) by Talia Jager

crashed on his. I didn’t hold back this time, nobody was watching. The kiss deepened and I opened my mouth to him. His hand slipped behind my head and pulled me closer. My whole body vibrated and I found myself wishing I could be with him right now, right here.
    Kallan left me breathless when he pulled away and I rested my head on his chest for a moment before he took my hand and we walked toward the archway we had come through hours earlier.
    I suddenly felt a shudder and stopped.
    “What’s wrong?” Kallan asked, scanning the forest.
    “Shhh.” I listened, but didn’t hear anything. I closed my eyes and felt a weird ripple run through me. Something felt off. “This is neutral land, right?”
    “Yes.”
    Opening my eyes, I said, “I had a weird feeling. I can’t describe it. Something happened just now.”
    Kallan shrugged. “I didn’t feel anything.”
    After taking a last look around, we continued our stroll through the forest, but the uneasy feeling stayed with me.
    “Do you think I could stay with you tonight?” I asked.
    He cupped my face. “You can stay with me whenever you want, but it will be frowned upon by others.”
    “Oh.” I hadn’t thought of that.
    “You want them to like you, to respect you, right?”
    He was right. “Yes.”
    “Then as much as I want to, I think it’d be better if we wait.”
    “So, you’re turning me down?” I said in a playful tone.
    “If you look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you don’t care about your reputation in this realm, I will take you with me.”
    I couldn’t do that. I did care. Not only did I want them to like me, I needed them to. I had to get in good with them so they’d look up to me.
    “See?” He raised his eyebrows.
    “This sucks.”
    “Rylie, we’ll be together soon.”
    “I know…but I want to be with you all the time.”
    “We will.”
    “Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Will you walk me…home?” I realized I was thinking of Azura’s house as home.
    “Absolutely.”
    Kallan walked me right up to the doorstep. He brushed my hair behind my ear. “Goodnight, my sweet.” His lips gently kissed mine.
    “Goodnight.”
    I watched him disappear before I stepped inside the tree house. I stayed in Azura’s home that night and slept more peacefully than I did at home in the human realm.
    Chapter Nine

    I woke early to the sounds of the forest and sat at the window seat in my room. The morning was beautiful and I didn’t want to waste it inside any longer. I had this urge to go outside. I put on one of the dresses that lined my closet and glanced in the mirror. My wings fluttered a few times. I traced my ears with my fingers. Ever since my transformation into a faery, my ears had a little point to them. It used to annoy me, but it didn’t anymore.
    I made my bed and put my pillow directly in the center. I made sure the rest of the room was in order before scooting down the stairs and out the door. The sunlight hit my face. It was just above the horizon. I sat down in a grassy field and leaned back on my hands. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun. A while later, I heard whispers behind me.
    Azura sat next to me. “Beautiful morning,” she said.
    “It is,” I agreed, looking around. There were flowers encircling us. “I swear this was all grass…”
    “Your happiness changed it,” Azura told me.
    “I did this?”
    “Yes.”
    “I wasn’t even trying.”
    She didn’t respond. I guess she was letting things sink in. I had the ability to change the earth even when I didn’t realize it. The ground could feel me. The flowers wanted to show my happiness.
    “How do you think things went yesterday?” I asked her.
    “As good as can be,” she answered. “How are you handling everything?”
    I took a deep breath before answering her. “I’ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty for what I did to Adam and for disappointing my parents. It has been an incredible burden. I didn’t mean to hurt any of them. Sitting here