My heart expanded to ten times its normal size at the sound of that ridiculous nickname. I couldn’t help huffing out a laugh, expelling some of my pent-up energy. “Hi. You look good. Fresh.”

“Darius’s people cleaned me up and dressed me. Like last time.”

I nodded, waiting for Reagan to put away her sword and take out a dagger. She was like a weapons store when she went out to battle.

“Marie bought me a bunch of new clothes,” I said. “One ugly dress and suddenly I’m a pity case.”

He laughed and his body shifted, his chest pointed a little more in my direction. He leaned a little closer. I felt his desire to be near, and wanted to answer it with my own.

The pull of him washed over me, begging me to close the distance between us. Emery felt like a lifeboat in the midst of a storm. A place where I could safely unburden myself. He wouldn’t judge me or tell me I’ll get used to it—he’d just listen, and hold me, and make it more bearable.

Unless I was completely misreading him…

“Turn on the light so I can see what you’re doing,” Dizzy said, squinting at the dagger in Reagan’s hand.

“This ward is…” Emery scanned the house. So much magic pulsed in the ward that it was visible. The light flicked on, illuminating his face. His gaze came to rest on mine, and I drank in his beautiful blue eyes, so unique, with a ring of gold encircling the pupil, and from that, light blue streaking and webbing over darker blue until it all ended in a circle of smoky blue. It was like looking at the Milky Way on a clear night. “The best I have ever seen, Penny Bristol.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, my face heating with pride. Coming from him, that was an enormous compliment. “Reagan helped.”

“But I was told Reagan is not a mage.”

“No, she’s…” Reagan stopped what she was doing, the dagger suspended over Callie’s finger, and lifted her eyebrows at me expectantly. “She’s an asshole.”

“I’ve trained her well,” Reagan said.

“No, she’s just stating the obvious.” Callie sighed and reached for the dagger. “Penny, get up here and take over. Reagan is stalling.”

“I’m not stalling. I’m giving them a chance to catch up while you are distracted.” She nicked Callie’s finger. “Though she does need to do a little magic.”

Callie winced but didn’t pull back her hand. “Should he see this spell?” She nodded toward Emery.

“He’ll improve upon it.” Without batting an eye, I chose from the magic I had on standby in the cloud above me, and effortlessly re-created the weave. Reagan had been right: practicing over and over had given me magical muscle memory, and now, with the distraction of Emery standing next to me, looking at me, I just let it fly without having to think.

“Impressive,” Emery murmured, his eyes on my hands. “Is that your spell, or from a book?”

“Was that condescending?” Reagan put up her finger and tilted her head. “Judges’ ruling?”

“It would only be condescending if you were saying it,” Dizzy said with a smile, and patted Reagan on the shoulder. He stepped up to get his finger nicked.

“It originated from a book.” I waited for Dizzy’s welling of blood. “I changed it a little as our paranoia about the Guild increased, and then altered it when Reagan found holes or issues.”

“So you are a mage, then?” Emery asked Reagan. His gaze had turned analytical, even shrewd. He would soon learn that there would always be one very troubling unknown in this neighborhood. Her name was Reagan, and she delighted in being mysterious.

“Nope. An asshole, remember?” She tucked her dagger into its holster on her thigh.

Emery’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t push.

“You still didn’t tell us what you were doing.” Callie waited for me to open the door and step aside before she filed into the house, Dizzy falling in behind her.

Reagan stopped next to me, her back to Emery, who still hadn’t moved up the stairs. “I’ll keep them busy yelling at me. You know, if you want to bump uglies with Mr. Hot Pants. But if he plans on staying, we’re going to need to make some changes. I trust you. I don’t know him, which means I don’t trust him. No offense. Stranger danger, you see what I’m saying?”

While I was still trying to sort through all of that, wondering which part to respond to first, she strode through the door.

Emery looked out over the street, then up at me from under his eyelashes. I could tell he was uncomfortable, which made me nervous for how this conversation would go.

“You can come in.” I gestured at the door. “I just need some blood. Or…if you’re worried about knives, I can bring you through by touching you.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I hadn’t planned on intruding. I don’t want to mess up what you have going here. I just—” He slipped his hands into his pockets again, and my stomach knotted. “I still get forewarnings when you’re in danger. From what I can gather, I saw them when you were in Darius’s house.”

“Oh.” The breath exited my mouth in a rush. “Yeah. That was a dinner gone wrong.”

“And again earlier tonight. It looked like you were running on grass?”

“Ah. Um…” I glanced through the opened door, wondering if I should go warn Reagan that the Bankses were armed with knowledge.

A shape materialized from the entrance to the cemetery across the street, Smokey drifting through the shadows. If I hadn’t known he was for sure human, I’d definitely wonder.

Emery turned nearly immediately, eyeing the creepy guy as he loitered near the wall. Magic streamed up from over a dozen places near us.

“No, no!” I hurried down the steps and put my hand on Emery’s arm. A surge of electricity zapped into my hand from the contact, traveling up my arm and then through my body before exiting through my feet. My teeth clamped shut and my toes curled as my blood felt like it was flash-boiling. The breath exited Emery’s mouth in a gush.

A moment later, shaking in the aftermath, I yanked my hand away. “Sorry. Don’t worry about Smokey. That’s Smokey, by the way. Don’t worry about him—”

“This guy dangerous?” Mikey sauntered up the sidewalk, eyeing Emery. His gaze hit me next. “And you know what I mean, right? I can see this fool is dangerous. I’d want my sidearm when dealing with him. That I can handle. Is he dangerous?”

“He means magical,” I whispered to Emery.

“I don’t mean shit.” Mikey crossed into the street, going all the way around the cars in order to reach his house on the other side. According to Reagan, he wouldn’t hesitate to bump chests with wicked-looking thugs, but Mikey clearly wanted absolutely nothing to do with magic. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes, he is dangerous, but not to you,” I said, my hand hovering over Emery’s forearm now.

“All right. Just as long as we know what’s up.” Mikey climbed his stairs.

“Look.” My hand lowered a fraction, nearly touching Emery but not quite. I was honestly worried about that electricity again. I’d forgotten how much it hurt. When it hurt. Unlike when it didn’t. Which was…

My mind was buzzing, but for a different reason than when I forgot spells.

I cleared my throat, and Emery’s gaze came to rest on mine.

“Would you mind…” I thumbed the direction of the door. “Do you want to go in? This neighborhood is colorful. It’s best if we get off the street.”

That uncomfortable expression crossed his face again. “Listen, Penny, like I said, I don’t want to intrude. I just came to check in. To make sure you were okay. I’m fine to leave. You can go on with your life, conscience clear.”

I frowned at him, having absolutely no clue what he was saying. Just knowing he was trying to weasel away again.

Normal people probably would’ve let him do it, too. Those self-respecting girls who weren’t prone to embarrassing themselves. But if I’d learned one thing in the past twenty-four years, it was that I was anything but normal.

“Look, fine, I get it. What happened between us didn’t mean as much to you. It was, like, a blip on the radar. A few days.” I shrugged aggressively, because if you were going to make an ass of yourself, you should do it Reagan-style. “Whatever. But the least you can do is come into the damn house and act like a sensible human being. I promise I won’t cry over your shoes or anything. And when you leave this time, it will be with my foot up your ass. Because I know how to defend myself now, and I have no problem turning that defense into an attack if you’re going to try slinking away in the night again, especially after being super awesome and leaving sweet notes. I don’t even care.”

I grimaced, because I was pretty sure I’d missed the mark in there somewhere, but at least he knew where I stood. And where he did if he tried to skulk away, sweet notes or no.

A smile flickered across his lips and a sparkle came to his eyes. “Training with Reagan has been good for you. It’s given your natural fire a chance to shine.” His face dropped again. “I meant what I said, Penny. If you want me to leave so you can get on with your life, I’m good with that. If it wasn’t for—”

I punched him in the stomach.

I didn’t even mean to! I really didn’t. But a surge of emotion came over me, and before I knew it, I was expressing it in anger, fear, and a little desperation.

Emery wheezed and took a step back, bending at the waist.

Smokey started across the street. “Is he bothering you, Penny? Should I get Reagan for you?”

“He’s not bothering me, actually,” I said with my hands on my hips, ready for Emery to protest. I’d punch him again. “He won’t just get in the house like a normal human being. And I know that is rich coming from me, but seriously, what the hell? Is he back to see me, or is he back to dick me around? Is he even happy to see me, or—”

Smokey had already stopped, put up his hands in a universal I-don’t-want-to-know gesture, and started backing away slowly. I was still watching him when Emery straightened up, grabbed the back of my neck, and pulled me in.

I met him eagerly, wrapping my hands around his neck and connecting with his soft lips, intense and insistent. I fell into the feeling of him. His touch. The familiarity of his arms. The comfort of his strength and power against my palms.

Everything about him said, Home.

Smokey was gone when we resurfaced.

Emery’s body was still flush with mine, his lips only an inch away. “I only want what’s best for you, Penny,” he said, his hand braced against the side of my face and his thumb stroking my lips. “I know that isn’t me. I know that I should leave you alone. That I should give you time to find someone worthy. But I can’t. I can’t stay away from you. I think about you constantly. I pull up memories of your smile. Your laugh. Your eyes…especially when they burn for me, like they’re doing now. And I’m not strong enough to ignore your pull. So any time you want, I urge you to push me out of your life and shut the door. To do what’s best for you. But until then, I’m at your mercy.”