Jericho noticed Teya had fallen asleep shortly after the movie started, but he enjoyed having her curled against him, and the story had drawn him in, so he sat back and let the film play. When it was over, he hesitated to get up. Teya looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to disturb her. She’d moved until her face was pillowed on his leg. Unable to resist the urge, he smoothed her hair away from her face and tucked the stray strand behind her ear. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her face against his leg.

As he sat watching her sleep, Jericho wondered how meeting her Fraction would go. He was worried about it, but it was what she wanted. Whatever he needed to do to stay here with Teyacapan, he was willing to do. Even if it meant he had to meet a bunch of strangers to try to prove he was worthy of their leader. He wished he knew what would be required of him.

Teya stirred again, bringing Jericho’s mind back to the present. She sat up and blinked several times.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Is the movie over?”

“It is.” Jericho ran one hand along her back, smoothing her hair as he went. She blinked a couple more times.

“How long has it been over?”

“A few minutes.”

“Are you hungry?” She yawned, covering her mouth with one open hand.

“Not particularly.” He watched as she glanced around and blinked several times as she tried to get her brain to wake up.

“What time is it?” She didn’t look at him as she asked.

“I have no idea.” Jericho shrugged. “I could tell you if I could see outside, but there is nothing here to give me any clues.”

She gave him a small smile. “It’s called a clock.” Teya stood up and stretched her arms over her head. Her joints popped as she rolled her head from side to side. Glancing across the room, he saw her look at an odd round thing with sticks sticking out at odd angles on the surface. “It’s almost ten.” Jericho wasn’t sure what that meant. Time as it was told now was an alien concept to him. He was used to using the sun and how much light there was to determine what should be done. The sun being down meant it was time for talk and bed. The sun being up meant time to work.

He must have had a blank look on his face because she gave him an understanding look.

“That means it’s about five hours after sunset...and it will come up again in about nine more hours, if that helps.”

“I am not yet certain of the concept of hours. But it does tell me it is long since nighttime.”

Heading into the kitchen, Teya pulled a pair of glass bottles from the refrigerator and brought them back to the living room as she explained to him the concept of hours and how they worked, ending with, “It’s early February, so we’re only about five weeks after the solstice. The nights are still long, but they’re getting shorter. Does it make more sense now?” She was sitting sideways on the sofa, one leg curled under her as she faced him and watched him from less than two feet away.

“It does, thank you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but being ten p.m. means it’s almost tomorrow, but we still have several hours before the sun comes up.”

“You’re correct. Very few things now revolve around the sun, in terms of schedule. There are somethings that still do, but not here in Vegas. Here, time matters little to anyone. We are a city of indulgence and excess. Norms come here to have fun. They don’t realize that supernormals run the town. Supes running the town is half the reason Vegas is open twenty-four hours. Day time is normal, then all night long is for the nightwalkers, like vampires and such.”

“Why do they care if normal humans are out all night long?”

“It makes their prey more readily available.”

“Prey? You allow them to eat the humans?”

“Well, they can feed on them if they don’t endanger the secret of our existence. This means they can feed if they don’t kill. Norms won’t keep coming if people regularly disappear on their visits.”

“Oddly, I can see the reasoning behind that.”

“Now that you understand, what do you want to do tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

“We could go out, see what’s going on, and do a little normal watching, if that interests you. Or we can go to bed.” She covered her mouth as she yawned again.

He was quiet a moment as he watched her. There was nothing outside that interested him more than the woman in front of him, and she was obviously sleepy.

“I think bed is our best option.”

“Are you sure?” Teya dropped a hand on his leg. “We can go out if you’d like.”

“I am sure. It is long after the time I am used to being in bed and asleep.” He didn’t tell her that bed and sleep hadn’t been a thing in the space between.

“If you’re sure.” Teya stood. “I’d like to take a quick shower first, though, if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead. I am in no hurry.” Jericho watched as she shuffled into the bedroom and could not help the smile that formed as he watched her go.

Jericho waited until she had plenty of time to get into the shower then went in the bedroom. Peeling the blankets back, he undressed and slid between the sheets. He lay there wondering what Teya would say or do when she saw him. Pillowing his head on one arm, he closed his eyes to wait.

Jericho woke when the bed moved as Teya slipped beneath the sheets on the other side of the bed. He opened his eyes and found the room dark.

“I did not intend to fall asleep. I was just waiting for you to join me.”

“No big deal.” She smiled as she lay down and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. “I was trying to slip in without waking you so we can both get some sleep.”

Jericho reached across the empty space between them, hooked Teya around the waist, and pulled her close.

“I want you here. You were too far away.” Jericho buried his nose in her long hair and inhaled her scent. She wiggled until she was nestled up against him. Jericho closed his eyes again and listened to the sound of her breathing. Not more than a few moments passed before Teya’s hand slid across his skin. She ran her hand around, drawing designs on his chest. He scowled and wondered what she was up to.

“How tired are you?” she whispered in the dark.

“I am a bit sleepy, but I could be tempted to delay my slumber.” A smile crept across his lips as she moved her hand down, smoothing her fingertips over his stomach. She ran a line over one hip, and he could not help his body’s natural response. Blood rushed to his cock as the woman who had provided him with everything continued to tease his body. He curled his fingers into the sheets beneath him and his body tensed. Her fingers wrapped around his hardened dick and he almost came off the bed. Teyacapan was no bolder in this realm than she had been in their dreams, but now, in this body, his senses were far more than he remembered in the dreams.

Jericho could barely see the outline of her body as Teya moved over him and leaned close for a kiss. Her thick hair was damp as it fell against him, making him shiver at the contrast of his internal heat against the cool length of her hair brushing along his skin. Tongues tangled and hands roamed until they were both breathing hard. Jericho couldn’t take the anticipation any longer and rolled Teya to her back. He wished he could see her face as he lined his cock up with her opening and pushed slowly into her. Before he could say something, she moved, stretched away, and hit something to make the lamp on the table come on.

“I wanted to see you.” Teya gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes. Jericho marveled at how she seemed to read his mind. He leaned down and gave her another kiss before once more lining himself up with her opening and thrusting inside slowly.

Teya’s fingers curled into his back as she moaned. “More,” she said, her voice breathy.

Jericho was only too eager to comply. He thrust into her again and her claws slipped from beneath her nails. Soon, the world had narrowed to just the two of them and the feelings and sensations of their bodies as they came together.

When they both collapsed against the sheets, gasping for air as they fought for the energy to move, Jericho wondered if it would always be this way between them, and without realizing it, said it aloud.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Teya said between gasps. “We were together in our dreams for centuries and things never faded between us. Why would they now that you’re flesh and blood again?”

Jericho didn’t have a response to that. Maybe she was right. He hoped so.