I pushed on with everything I had. Black spots danced in my vision. Agony welled up through my body.

Emery grabbed me by the back of my vest and flung me, trying to sacrifice himself to get me clear.

Over my dead body! Probably literally.

I twisted and reached back, catching hold of his wrist and refusing to release it. I did get a good yank in that time, ripping at my shoulder. He used the momentum, took a leap, and we rolled beyond the line.

Sweet air rushed into my lungs. The bone-crunching pain drifted away, leaving only an unpleasant memory in its wake. Gasping, Emery army-crawled toward me. He half lay on me, his hands on my face, looking worried.

“Are you okay?” He peered in my eyes before looking down over my body, touching gently. Back up at my face, he ran a thumb over my chin. “Penny, are you hurt?”

I breathed deeply, staring into those Milky Way eyes. “I’m okay. But that was a close one.”

His relieved exhale fell across my face. “Yes, it was. I couldn’t see any magic drifting down. I have no idea what kind of a spell that was.”

“It connected with something in the ground, I think. I can’t be sure, but in the beginning, that’s what it felt like.”

A small line appeared between his eyebrows and he shook his head. “I’ve never heard of something like that. But the guild has access to a lot of resources. With all their manpower, they could afford to keep a huge spell running.”

“Whatever this spell was, it must’ve created the dead feeling there. The lack of anything natural. Which will stifle their magic in the end, mark my words.”

His thumb still stroked a burning line along my jaw. His eyes roamed my face slowly, landing on my lips. “We should get going. We don’t want to be caught. Right now, they don’t know who was lurking around.”

I nodded, but my hand had its own ideas. I felt up his arms to his shoulders, the warmth in my chest intensifying.

His head bowed a fraction, his eyes glued to my lips. Someone shouted behind us. He jerked away and looked over his shoulder.

“We have to go.” He got to his feet and pulled me up with him. “Can you walk?”

“Of course I can walk.” Limping counted.

“Come on, Turdswallop.” He swooped me up, and for a second I thought he would carry me romantically in his arms. Instead, he flung me over his shoulder and hastened toward the tree line. “Let’s get you in that bath you were talking about.”

“Will you join me?” I hadn’t meant to say it. It just sorta fell out of my mouth.

I held my breath in the silence that followed, knowing I should retract the question…but I didn’t want to. The guy was way more experienced than I was. I’d probably make a fool of myself with whatever followed the bath. But for once, I was sure the result would be worth the embarrassment.

Finally, he answered, his voice thick. “I don’t think your mother would approve.” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket. I saw the crack in the screen from my dangling position. He’d obviously fallen on it.

I opened my mouth to argue, because really, what parent would approve of their unwed child’s naked activities, but I let it go. My mother had given him an awful lot of harassing about his life. He was probably still working through the sting. Eventually he’d get his confidence back, and I would awkwardly pedal myself out when the time came. No sweat.

The driver met us at the pickup point, and we gratefully fell into the plush leather seats.

“That ward’s going to be a problem,” Emery said softly, looking out his window. “It doesn’t give us much time, even if it would let us in a second time after overstaying our welcome this time.”

“If we think on it, maybe we can counteract it, like with the invisible bubble I created.”

“If that bubble fails, though, we won’t have time to get out.”

“Okay, well, then we’ll need to get in another way. Clearly the Looming Press of Death knew we were up to no good.” I saw his cheek lift in a smile, but he didn’t turn back my way. “Just look at where we entered the compound. If I were them, I’d leave all the non-access areas booby-trapped. So then, we get in through a normal access way. That should help us get around the problem.”

“Pardon me for interrupting,” the driver said. His eyes studied me in the rearview mirror. “But Mr. Regent has access to that facility during non-peak hours. He can get you into the compound, and into a couple of the buildings, too.”

This time, Emery did look away from the window. His expression said he was not amused, but he didn’t comment.

So I did it for him.

“And you only thought to mention this now, after we risked our lives to break in?”

The driver’s eyes flashed to me again, but they held no apology. “Mr. Regent’s orders.”

“They want control over the situation.” Emery looked back out the window. “And they want their magic.”

“What magic?”

“The magic you’re going to help me make.”

After we’d had showers and an impromptu nap, the driver brought us to a spacious, mostly empty warehouse near a shipping yard. The daylight hours were waning and I was exhausted, but we couldn’t stop now. If we wanted the vampires’ help, we had to play their game.

Or so Emery had said.

“Wow.” I widened my eyes as we approached the ingredient station. Every type of herb imaginable rested on the long table. Various stones, gems, and even sticks dominated the other end.

“Check out those power stones.” Emery picked up a stack of papers and started leafing through.

Large and small, the stones and gems were an array of beautiful colors and textures, each prettier than the last. Power pulsed within them, the feelings warring or working with one another. Two of them needed to be separated immediately. They absolutely hated each other.

It was times like this that I was reminded why people thought I was so weird.

“What do you want to know about them?” I asked, zeroing in on one in particular. It was shaped almost like a diamond, and the inside looked like fire. Streaks of red were enhanced with dark red and black, giving a blazing sort of appearance and vibe. I placed it in my palm and let my eyes drift shut, feeling the pleasant pulse match the beating of my heart.

Electricity sizzled across my skin, and I felt Emery silently draw near. For a large man, he could walk softly. “A red beryl, as rare and beautiful as you are.”

Butterflies filled my stomach, and I smiled, opening my eyes to find him staring at me. “This one has a lot of power even though it’s not very big.”

He stepped up to the table and put out his hand. “Let me know which ones want to be my friend.”

I laughed and moved closer until my side was touching his, watching as his hand moved over the stones. He looked my way. “Well?”

“Oh. You were serious?”

“Of course. Some girls have dolls. Apparently you have rocks. I can work with that.”

I crinkled my nose. That wasn’t the best analogy…

“Haven’t you been working with power stones for a long time?” I ran my hand down his arm and then grasped his hand, homing in on the rocks again as I concentrated on the pulse of his power and energy.

“Yes,” I said. “I can use any power stone, but some are easier to work with than others. I’m wondering if that’s because of something you can feel but I can’t.”

“Ah.” Our hands moved over the various rocks and gems. A nondescript brown one, as dull and plain as they came, surged when our joined touch floated over it. I took my hand away, and it settled back down, the power simmering. “That one should be used if we’re working together.” I pointed. “Keep moving your hand over them.” I closed my eyes, paying attention to the surges and grumpiness. Because some of the stones were not pleased with Emery’s energy. Too wild and crazy. That made me smile.

“What?” Emery asked.

I opened my eyes and pointed at the various stones that would work best for him. “The reactions between your and their energy are funny. I’ve never experienced a grouchy stone before, but you set it off in them.”

A funny look crossed his face and he started laughing. “You’re a trip, Penny Bristol.”

“That’s one way to put it.” I grabbed a few more stones for myself and tucked them into my utility belt, which Emery had insisted I wear over my jeans.

He handed me a sheet of paper. “I heard somewhere that you can do a spell if you have directions. Here are some directions. Can you handle it?”

“Oh no.” I waved my hands and backed away. “No way. I’m not falling for that again.”

A grin tickled his lips. “This isn’t going to turn you into a zombie, Turdswallop.”

“There are plenty of awful things out there, and this could be any one of those things. No. I’d rather watch from a safe distance.”

“It says what it does. Right on the top.” He pointed. “This one is titled and everything.”

“Anyone could write a fake title and vague description on a piece of paper.” I shook my head.

“Trust me, the vampires don’t want to kill us.”

It was the trust me that had me reaching forward like a fool. “I will never forgive you if this kills me.”

He laughed and separated two sheets of paper before dropping the stack to the table. “Let me know if you need any help. It has the elements—sorry, ingredients—listed, so you should be able to match up the feeling with the item.”

I nodded, glancing over the sheet of paper. As with last time, power and energy surged around me. A force I couldn’t explain came over me, and the words and characters jumped on the page. It was calling out to me, willing me to bring the spell to life.

“You’re a natural.” Emery was studying me. “If I’d had any doubt before, this would prove it. You were born to this, Penny Bristol. You’ll be one of the greatest mages the world has ever seen.” He paused. “But first you’ll need to properly learn to swear.”

I released the breath I’d been holding. “Jerk.”

He laughed, and it began. I went through the spell exactly like he’d said—like I was born to it. Ingredients came to life, and the magic weaved together so tightly and perfectly that it was a miracle to look at. With each spell, different emotions throbbed in my middle, pouring into my work as surely as the leaf of basil or pinch of dirt. It was my emotion that glued it all together and made it sing.

After each, I tucked the spell into a color-coded casing like Emery had showed me, and moved on to the next. As the day waned and my exhaustion rose, I reached the end of the list Emery had given me. He was back to staring at me, his pile of spells only a fraction larger than my own.

“Ready for the last one?” He held up three sheets of paper. “I can’t do this alone.”

“Why not?” I wiped the hair away from my wet forehead and headed over, taking the pages and looking over them.

He moved until he stood at my back, then reached his arms around me and slid them along mine. “Because it requires multiple mages working in tandem. It’s a beast of a spell that will require extreme focus. Focus I only have with you.”

“You need to work on that.” My words were wispy, and I leaned against his body. The hum deep in my core rose to a fever pitch. This time, I didn’t want to ignore it. I wanted to soak in it and let it overcome me. Emery was the first man I’d ever wanted to give myself to completely. In some ways, it felt like I already had. I’d given my magical self to him in its entirety, and now I wanted to follow up with the rest of me.

I tabled that for now, since I didn’t think a warehouse was the optimum place to express my growing need, and read over the spell. Some parts required the mages to work together, and others—the hardest bits—were divided between the two.

“Ready?” His hands tracked back up my arms and then down my sides until they rested low on my hips.

Maybe this warehouse was exactly where I should express myself. Judging by my body’s sudden fever pitch, it certainly seemed so.

“Yes.” I nestled against his collarbone, and when I tilted my face up, his lips immediately settled on mine. The energy and power I’d come to expect didn’t disappoint as it rolled over and through us. I deepened the kiss, turning and looping my arm around his neck.

As though a floodgate had burst open, passion overcame us. I slid my hands under his shirt, feeling the sculpted muscle there. He cupped my butt and pulled me tighter against him.

I moaned against his lips and worked my hands between us, ripping at his belt and reaching in. He groaned and followed suit, tracing his fingers along my panty line before dipping in and making my mind buzz.

An unsettling ache vibrated through me, a need that defied thought but required action.

But there was one thing that he had to know before this went where I finally wanted it to.