The walk back to the house is a short one, for which I am grateful. Summoning the Moon Goddess took more energy out of me than I anticipated, though I had a feeling it had more to do with what she said than the magical aspect.

When we get back to Finn's room, he leans over to kiss my cheek and bids me goodnight.

"Wait," I say in confusion as he turns to leave. "Where are you going?"

He blinks. "Um, to bed?"

I frown. "You don't want to stay?"

He chuckles lowly. "Want has nothing to do with it, my lovely mate."

My frown deepens. "Well, I just figured that since we're mates, you were expecting to-"

His voice cuts off my statement. "I expect nothing, Onyx. Besides you to get some rest, you look exhausted."

I realize then that I'm going about this all wrong. My terrible fighting skills is the only thing worse than my skill with talking to males. "Finn, will you stay with me tonight so I don't have to keep sneaking into your room?"

He looks surprised by my outright invitation, but I have no reason to be shy, not anymore. I have waited for happiness for too long, and at some point, it needs to become my responsibility to make it happen.

He pauses, and for a moment, I'm worried he may say no. "Do you still promise to keep your hands to yourself?" He teases, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"No."

"Good," He responds, laughing, though his eyes widen slightly at my brazenness. "You weren't holding to that promise very well anyways."

I roll my eyes, but cross the room so I'm standing in front of him. I take his hand, the one he cut for the summoning, and inspect the wound. It hasn't healed yet.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Go to Ronin so he can heal you," I demand.

Finn looks amused. "It's just a cut, Onyx. I think I'll live."

"But it could get infected! What if a deadly bacteria goes into the wound while you're sleeping and when you wake up, it's green! And your eyes are yellow! And you die within the hour!" I panic, my voice rising slightly. I thought I already lost a mate, I could not lose another.

Finn laughs, pulling my head into his chest. "Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life?" He teases, and when I look up at him, his eyes are glowing in adoration.

And I realize that he's right. We are to be together for the rest of our lives. And the thought of being with Finn forever is not so scary at all.

In fact, I can't think of anything I want more.

"Please?" I switch to pleading, knowing that he won't tell me no. I don't know why the sight of his hand bleeding is so troublesome to me, but it is.

Finn sighs, but the corners of his mouth are still turned upwards. "Yes, dear," He replies slightly mockingly, once again kissing my forehead before leaving.

While he's gone, I take a bath, once again using his soap, but this time, I needn't make any excuses as to why. Everything makes sense. Finn makes sense.

And he is mine, as I am his.

That knowledge brings more color to my face, makes my eyes glow a little bit brighter. And when he returns, he looks nearly as happy as I feel.

When he walks in, he freezes, staring intensely at me. "I can't believe this is the sight I'll get to return to every night. There is no man more fortunate than I, not half as lucky nor blessed."

His words make my cheeks flush, and when he strips to his boxers, it does nothing to stop the reddening. Finn's beauty is something out of fairytales, something I can hardly comprehend but doesn't seem to be real anyways.

He turns out the light and gets into bed next to me, the first time we have been under the covers together before falling asleep, and suddenly, all of my bravado disappears and I feel very, very nervous.

Finn pulls me into his chest, and our limbs intertwine for the first time before we fall asleep, and not afterwards. I can hear his heart beating fast, and I'm sure he can hear mine.

I say nothing, I don't know what I could say to explain my gratitude to him for all he has done for me. For his patience, for his kindness. If he is my other half, than I am a better person than I thought.

The thought comforts me as I drift off into a blissful rest.

***

When I wake up, I can tell that I've slept in quite a bit. The sun is already shining through the windows, and when I look at the clock, I realize it's already afternoon.

My dreams had been far too peaceful, too happy, and I had no doubt that Finn was the reason. Speaking of, I had no idea where he went. Waking up alone can be scary in our world.

I relax when I see a note on the nightstand, in Finn's perfect, flowy handwriting that reads:

My love, my other half, my Onyx-

I deeply apologize for having to leave this morning, so you must awaken alone. I promise this will be the second to last day you will ever wake up without me by your side.

But I have a surprise planned. A date. And unfortunately, I must be away for most of the day to set it up.

I made muffins for you when you wake up, they're on the counter in the kitchen. I told Dean that I would sick Ronin on him if he ate any of them, so there should be plenty.

Be ready by 7.

I love you, always.

Finn

His words replace my insides with butterflies. He has told me twice before that he loves me, but seeing it written out so clearly on paper makes everything much more real.

I read the note approximately twenty times before putting it in my dresser. I want to keep it forever.

I still have a few more hours to get ready, and so I try to pass the time by reading the first book Finn gave me- A Tale if Two Cities. But my heart still races and my fingers shake from nervousness at the idea of a date, and I find it hard to concentrate, even though Finn's annotations fascinate me.

I don't even think I had ever been on a date before, not really. Thane and I never went on one, and unless you count the lake visit with Finn as a date, this would be my first one.

What do I even wear? How should I do my hair? Finn hadn't given any details on the occasion, and it gave me anxiety thinking about wearing the wrong outfit. Everything has to go perfectly.

My ruminations come to a halt when there's a knock on my door. I expect it to be Finn, even though he said he would be away, so I'm surprised to open the door and see Kallista and Astrid standing there with bags in their hands.

Kallista looks mortified as she looks at me. "Onyx, what are you doing? Why haven't you started to get ready yet?" She asks in horror. Astrid rolls her eyes at her.

I look at the clock. "Um, because I have two more hours?" I say in confusion.

Kallista groans. "That's like 20 minutes in girl-getting-ready-time."

"I hadn't realized there was a conversion factor," Astrid mutters. "You're fine Onyx, we have plenty of time. Just go get in the shower and we'll set up."

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, still confused as they push past me into Finn's room. "Set up what?"

Kallista squeals, and Astrid winces. "You didn't think Finn would take you on a date without telling us, did you? He recruited us to help you get ready!"

My heart warms. Of course he did, no doubt knowing how anxious I would be. How could someone like him be my other half?

"Today is a very important day," Kallista says seriously, and Astrid nods.

I raise my eyebrows. "You know it's my first date?"

"No, because it's-" Kallista starts, and Astrid stomps on her foot, shaking her head, and Kallista's eyes widen. "Because it's your first date with Finn," She says quickly, and my eyes narrow in suspicion. "Hurry up and go wash your hair, it looks like a rat's nest!"

I sigh, grumbling as I get in the shower, but de-sour when I think about Finn. Lovely, sweet Finnley.

When I get out of the shower, Kallista gives me a silk robe to put on. "You guys are really going all out," I laugh.

"Direct orders from your mate," Astrid says seriously. And for once, I don't flinch when someone refers to Finn as my mate.

Kallista paints my nails while Astrid blow dries my hair, brushing it out as she does so. Once they're both finished, Astrid begins to straighten my hair while Kallista starts on my makeup.

"So you know everything?" Kallista asks excitedly as she powders my face. I cough as some gets in my nose, fighting the urge to sneeze.

"Yeah," I confirm, smiling slightly. "Listen, I'm sorry about everything. You know, leaving the first time. Being the reason Thane tracked you all."

Kallista waves her hand dismissively. "No need to be sorry, Nyx. All great fairytales have a few bumps in the road, a few monsters. It's what makes the happy ending so much more satisfying."

Her words nearly bring tears to my eyes, and if I wasn't scared of being yelled at for ruining my makeup, I may have cried. Could that really be what this is? A fairytale? Am I finally getting my happy ending with my Prince Charming?

When they're finished, my mouth drops open as I look in the mirror. They have completely transformed me into the princess Kallista believes me to be. My black hair is completely straight, and I'm surprised by how long it is once the curls are flattened. Kallista made my eye makeup neutral (which I was concerned about) using only nude shadows and dark mascara.

"Don't cry, you'll ruin the makeup and I'll have to kill you," Astrid says seriously, and it makes me laugh.

"Oh, man, I'm ruining my makeup!" Kallista wails, and sure enough, tears are streaming down her face.

"Kallista, why are you so emotional? It's only a first date," I laugh.

Kallista holds her eyes open as she fans them with her hand to keep the tears at bay. "Because you two are finally together! All is right in the world! I get to see my big brother happy with the kindest girl I know. It's all I've ever wanted for him."

Oh man, if Astrid hadn't threatened me, I would definitely be crying too.

"Go get dressed, we're running out of time," Astrid orders.

"What should I wear?" I ask, still unsure of what Finn has planned. I tried getting answers out of them, but they wouldn't give any information up.

"Finn bought you a dress, we put it on the bed for you," Kallista says excitedly, and we go back into the bedroom, where sure enough, there's a dress waiting.

It's a beautiful green gown, exactly the color of Finn's eyes, which makes me love it even more. It's almost casual, made of a thin cotton material, with a low cut in the front, and a high slit on the side.

My mouth drops open. "Finn picked this?"

Kallista laughs, and Astrid snorts. "Well, we may have helped. And by helped, I mean we chose it and Finn paid for it. It was a group effort, really. Dean drove."

Oh, Goddess, I have done nothing in my life to deserve them, to deserve Finn. Whatever good karma I had wracked up in a past life, I thanked my former self.

I put on the dress almost nearly as the clock hits 7. Kallista was right, time is different when you're getting ready.

Astrid nearly breaks my foot as she shoves it into a high heeled shoe, and Kallista paces around the room anxiously, looking at her watch every few seconds.

Once I have the shoes on, Kallista claps her hands together. "Alright, people, it's go time!" She shouts, and Astrid and I both wince.

We go downstairs, and Finn is waiting, laughing with Ronin and Dean. His face immediately turns solemn when he sees me.

Finn looks stunning in his clothing, a white dress shirt with khaki pants, so different from his normal attire of flannel shirts and jeans. His light brown hair is neat, all curls perfectly placed. He is the most gorgeous person I have ever seen, and I smile slightly when I remember that my first word to him was: Pretty.

I was right.

Finn's adam's apple bobs up and down, and his eyes darken. I'm glad I'm wearing makeup, otherwise I would look like an apple.

Dean whistles lowly. "You sure you want Finnegan, Nyx?"

Ronin punches him hard in the shoulder, and Dean winces. "He meant to say that you look lovely," Ronin smiles warmly.

Dean scowls. "I was getting to that part."

"Lovely is an understatement," Finn says, and quickly crosses the floor to me. "No words could possibly explain your beauty."

Finn gently kisses my lips. "Hi," he murmurs against my mouth.

"Hi back," I whisper, not capable of more than a few words for the time being.

"Get out of here, you crazy kids," Kallista laughs. "I better not see you guys until the morning."

Her words make my face heat up, and Finn rolls his eyes. "Don't listen to her," He whispers, and takes my hand.

We leave the house, Kallista and Dean making kissing sounds the whole way out, much to my embarrassment. As soon as we take a step outside, Finn scoops me into his arms, making me yelp in surprise.

"I can walk!" I insist.

"Not in those shoes," He laughs. "And not in the woods. Plus, I could never pass up the chance to have you in my arms."

While he carries me, I only stare at him. He has a perpetual smile on his face, showing his deep dimples that only make him more attractive.

"We're here," He says after walking in the woods for some time. I pull my gaze away from his face, and gasp when I see what he's been doing all day.

We're at the lake, but a different part of it than we went to the time. We're in a much more secluded section, underneath a huge cliff that overlooks it. There's a blanket on the ground with a picnic basket on top of it. There's candles everywhere, but that's not the part that takes my breath away.

He's covered the entire ground with poppies.

"Finn, you..." I struggle to find the words. "You did all of this for a first date?"

He grins, kissing my cheek. "No, my love. I did this for you."

I can't cry, I can't cry, I can't cry. Those are the words I repeat to myself as Finn sets me down on the blanket.

"I can't believe you did all of this for me," I whisper, my voice sounding wrong because I'm choked up.

"I had some help," He admits with a smile. "I pledged my gardening services to Dean for a month so he would let me steal all of the poppies."

He remembered. Of course he remembered that poppies were my favorite. When he asked, we were in a completely different place. I was destroyed from losing Greyson, terrorized by Thane, and didn't know we were mates.

But he did.

I press my lips to his, and there is no sweeter taste. He pulls away much too quickly, and I groan, disgruntled.

He laughs at my distress. "Not yet. You need to eat first."

He opens the picnic basket, pulling out copious amounts of food. When he retrieves a bottle of champagne and two glasses, I nearly laugh when I remember the last time he did that.

"It's a special occasion, I hope the police will understand," He jokes, popping the top off.

We eat and we drink, talking, laughing, and everything in between. My heart has never felt so full, so full of love. Everything about his personality compliments mine perfectly, and I could not believe that there was ever a point in time I ever believed that Thane was my mate.

I could not believe there was a time when I chose to forget him, to leave him.

We watch the sun set, and when it's on the cusp of darkness, Finn takes his hand in mine after clearing the blanket of all of the plates and glasses.

He looks nervous.

"Onyx, I have loved you from the day I met you. The day I met you was the day I lost you, and I will never lose you again. I have never known someone so kind, so passionate, or so caring. Before I met you, I only saw the world in black and white. Now that I have you, and have been fortunate enough to know you, everything is in every vivid color on the spectrum. Everything is brighter, cleaner, and clearer. And nothing is more clear than how much I love you, and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He says these words seriously, looking at me with so much intensity it sets my heart on fire.

"Finn, I-" I choke out, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Let me finish," He says, smiling nervously, his voice shaking slightly.

He releases my hand. He gets on one knee.

He reaches into his back pocket, and I gasp.

Finn opens the box, revealing a circular diamond ring.

"Onyx Knight, my mate, my other half, love of my life... Will you marry me?"

Sits back and sips tea.
Okay fine it's alcohol.
Mind your business.