Was it really cemented, though? If she had her way, she would figure out how to craft a spell that would not only remove his parasitic companion, but keep his own soul and life intact. That had been her intention since the get-go, whether he knew it or not. Why should Rosalie be allowed to continue on with her life, after Salem’d had to suffer for all of those years with her riding shotgun? It wasn’t fair.
And perhaps, her reasoning was also a little bit selfish, as the idea of letting Salem go after growing so attached to him, after growing to love him, killed her. She didn’t want to lose him, didn’t want to say goodbye. Doing so would rip her apart, and she just–she couldn’t lose anyone else.
No–No, she couldn’t think like that right now. She had him, had every intention on giving him his life back once Rosalie was stripped from his husk. It would all turn out alright in the end. At least, that was her hope. There was always the chance that Salem would just want it all to end, given all he had been through. She could respect that, she really could, but saying goodbye? She didn’t know if she was strong enough to do that.
The woman hummed softly against his lips, her own arms tightening around his slight frame in response. God, but he fit against her so perfectly, didn’t he? Like two pieces of a puzzle, they were, seemingly meant for one another. How could anyone in their right mind give this up?
Several more kisses were shared between the two of them, the gestures lazy and sweet. “Mm…could say the same about you.” she offered in return, a soft smile curving her lips. “Not the worst thing in the world, if you think about it. We could be insane together.” she teased.
Time off? Oh…He was going somewhere, it seemed. Not unusual for him. He did pop off sometimes to do whatever, but always came back relatively quickly. Seemed as if this time, though, he’d be gone a bit longer, and he wanted her to go with him.
She’d often found herself wondering where it was that he spirited himself away to, so going with him might offer some insight. Plus, it would be time spent away with Salem, and when was the last time she’d had any sort of vacation?
If one could call this outing a vacation, anyway.
“I’m sure I can take the time off. Know a couple of people that can keep an eye on the place.” Wynter offered. “Where are we going?”
⸸˖ ‒‒‒‒‒ 𝕴𝖙 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖘𝖔 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍 time had passed since he'd met her and fallen in love, and yet Salem still couldn't seem to comprehend how real what he had with Wynter was. Sometimes he could swear that he'd dreamed the whole thing up, as the mere concept of someone like her being with someone like him just seemed entirely absurd. She was out of his league on so many levels, and yet she'd still chosen to give her heart to him; a gift that he was careful to never take for granted.
Salem had kissed her and she'd kissed him back; another concept that would give him butterflies whenever he thought about it too hard. It seemed as though he was lucky for the first time in his life, although he was cautious not to let those feelings get away on him. Life had a way of constantly knocking him on his ass, and climbing too high up that ladder of hope would only result in a farther fall and a harder landing.
To Salem's utter relief, Wynter had agreed to go with him without the need for prodding or pleading. It was just another testament to her feelings for him, which brought him more confidence and made his heart feel all the more full. His anxiety was quickly washed away by waves of warmth and a genuine smile began to pull at his lips as they met with her cheek, pressing a firm kiss to it. To say that he was pleased would have been the understatement of the year.
One of his hands raised, tattooed fingers gently tucking a piece of Wynter's hair behind her ear. ❝ It's a little difficult to explain. ❞ He paused for only a moment. ❝ It's a lot to explain, actually, ❞ he corrected himself. ❝ We're going to a place that you've never been to before. You've probably heard of it, but only in books and old stories. Maybe through rumors. ❞ He gave a small shrug of his shoulders. He realized that he was sounding pretty cryptic, but he was simply trying to give her a solid answer without sending her into shock. It was a lot of information to swallow all at once, after all.
❝ There's a world beneath our world. It's bigger than anything you've ever seen, ❞ Salem went on to explain. ❝ It's probably just easier if I show you... Do you trust me? ❞
Rosalie had sensed Wynter's potential as a magic-user from the moment that she'd met her, so discovering that she hadn't tapped into a vast portion of it had come as quite a surprise. Of course, it followed then that she didn't know about the existence of the underworld, and while Rose had wanted to rip it off like a bandaid and throw her into the deep end to see if she would sink or swim, Salem had his reservations. Perhaps it was because he was soft for her and looking to avoid piling on further trauma, but it had all worked out in the end.