When Audra woke up, for a long moment, she couldn’t figure out where she was. The bed was incredibly comfortable but unfamiliar. Her face felt raw and chafed, like that one time Beef got her a microdermabrasion facial for her birthday, and the newbie aesthetician had gone a little overboard. And although she’d clearly slept, exhaustion weighed down her limbs as well as her mind. It seemed like she should be trying to remember what had happened, or at least concerned about her current location, but she couldn’t drum up the energy to do either.

The blank wall she was facing gave her no clues to work with. She flipped over onto her other side with a lot of flailing and maximum effort. When she did, she was rewarded with a view of the room. Wide windows would provide a lot of natural light, although at the moment they were thankfully shrouded with blackout curtains. The barest line of sunlight peeked out from around the edges of one of them, so it was daytime. And light trickled in from around the open door to the hallway too.

It illuminated the sleeping figure of Darius, slumped uncomfortably on an armchair a few feet away. What a gentleman. He must have put her in his bed, and rather than leaving her alone or crashing out with her, he’d kept watch until sleep had overtaken him. As she looked at him, memories of the night before came back. The long search for Rebecca. Chad’s sorry state. The web, and the sandstorm, and the moment when she’d put Rebecca into the void.

Darius had taken the news well, but of course it must have hurt him. He would be worried. As soon as she could get out of this bed, she would start making calls. Uncle Grey had networked extensively with mages all around the world, but Audra had never bothered. She hadn’t seen the use of it until now. But she would make up for lost time, and hopefully bring Rebecca back before people started asking uncomfortable questions about where she’d disappeared to. There had to be some way to drive the djinn out of her. Audra wouldn’t rest until she found it.

Well, she would rest for the moment. She didn’t feel up to making those calls just yet, and if the clock on the nightstand was right, it was still too early to make them. Some of Uncle Grey’s mage friends lived like teenagers based on the few times she’d met them. She could afford to sleep a little longer. Rebecca wouldn’t notice.

As she fluffed the pillow and set it just right under her head, Darius stirred. He opened only one eye at first, but as soon as he realized she was awake, he shot bolt upright in his chair. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of grey sweats, and that was a sight worth seeing. With a jolt, Audra realized that she ought to be covered in sand and grime, but she was clean and dressed in an oversized t-shirt that had to belong to him.

“Are you okay?” he demanded, mistaking her discomfort for pain.

“I’m fine. Just fine. I…” She stammered, trying to find a way to ask what she wanted to know without being too awkward. “I don’t remember showering. I hope I didn’t get your bed all sandy.”

He relaxed visibly. “I’m not surprised. You were only half conscious. I waited outside the shower stall just in case you fell over.” He waved a hand. “But even if you did, I wouldn’t care. Sand washes out. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Me too. I mean, I’m glad you’re okay too.”

He broke out into a giant yawn. “I feel like I could sleep for a month, though. Give me a minute, and I’m sure I’ll wake up.”

“Do we have to? I’ll call for help with…you know.” Audra couldn’t bring herself to say Rebecca’s name out loud. Not yet. “But I can’t call for another couple of hours.”

“Oh.” He settled back in the chair. “That’s fine, then. You get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

A wave of shyness washed over Audra, but she forced herself to say what she wanted to anyway.

“You could come sleep in the bed if you want. I mean, it’s your bed. And I wouldn’t mind,” she said.

He looked at her for a moment before pushing up off the chair. “If you’re sure,” he rumbled as he slid under the comforter next to her. She could feel the warmth of his body just a few inches away, and it took every ounce of restraint she had not to curl up against his bare chest. She shivered at the thought of it.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

Before she could even answer, he put an arm around her, pulling her close to him. She had no desire to resist. His chest was warm and ridged with muscle, but surprisingly comfortable to pillow her cheek on. And his hand stroked her hair with a soothing rhythm that practically had her purring like a contented cat.

“This is really nice,” he said, surprising her. His chest rumbled with his speech, and she felt it deep in her bones.

“It is,” she agreed readily.

His hand traveled with slow laziness down to her shoulders, stroking away the tension and fear that still lingered there. Then it traveled down to her back, working away all of the soreness. She felt warm and pliant beneath the strength of his hand. When it cupped her hip and paused there as if asking a question, she could barely contain herself.

She rubbed her hand against his chest, only instead of seeking to soothe as Darius had, she was hoping for a different reaction. It came when her thumb ran over his nipple—the tiniest intake of breath, the clench of his hand against the hem of the t-shirt. She wanted nothing between them, the feel of his skin against hers as they touched each other. She wanted to bask in this feeling of being special and cherished. It wasn’t like anything she’d ever felt before, and she wanted Darius to know it but couldn’t find the words.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he said.

His eyes met hers with a heartbreaking hope in them, and she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.

“Oh, Darius, I don’t half deserve you,” she said.

“You do,” he said, gently protesting.

His thumb ran over her lips, and his hand cupped her jawline, and she turned her head to kiss his fingers. He groaned, a sound of restraint when she didn’t want him to be restrained at all. Without thinking, she reached down and lifted the hem of the t-shirt, pulling it off her body. She sat there then, bare and vulnerable.

“Is this okay?” she asked, looking down at him.

“Better than okay,” he said roughly, pulling her down to him. When her hand traveled to his groin, she felt for herself the truth of his words. His hips pushed against her in an involuntary spasm as his mouth found her breast.

“We should stop,” he said, even as his mouth traveled over her skin. “I don’t want to hurt you. You deserve only the best.”

“You are the best,” she said. “And I want you.”

His resistance evaporated in one final groan, and then his hands roamed her body, and he explored every inch of her with a gentleness that she’d never experienced. She’d never realized that such a strong man could be this gentle.

When he slid into her, he fell still for a moment, his eyes locked on hers, playing idly with her hair. A sliver of worry pierced her, and she almost asked what was wrong, but he seemed to pick up on her fear before she could even speak.

“I just want to remember this moment,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“Me too.”

She smiled and pulled his head down to kiss him, and when they cried out in simultaneous climax, it felt like it was meant to be.

 

After, they slept. When they got up a short while later and had brunch, it felt strangely comfortable. Like they’d been together for forever. Audra was used to a little awkwardness after the first time, especially in new relationships. But not this time. Not with Darius. She only felt loved and happier than she’d ever been.

At one point, she realized she should check her messages, and of course there were a hundred worried texts and voice mails from Beef, who was desperate to know what was going on. And Darius had a few too, from people at work.

“I’d better let them know that Rebecca will be off for a few days,” he said, shooting her a look. “You don’t think it’ll be longer than that, do you?”

“I hope not, but this isn’t my area of expertise,” she replied. “We should be able to get a better idea once I talk to Phil.”

“Phil. A mage named Phil. Somehow that strikes me as really funny. The Great and Mighty…Phil,” he said, grinning.

“Ha ha, very funny. Okay, so you go and do your work thing, and I’ll give Beef his marching orders. Then we’ll meet back up at your place?”

“Yeah, I’ll get my tire repaired too. So if we need to head out to see the Great and Mighty Phil, I won’t be crammed into your tiny little car.”

“You’ll…come with? It’s a road trip, you know. He’s in San Diego.”

He froze. “Do you want me to? I was making an assumption. I thought since…you know. That we were a couple.”

A warm spot grew in her belly. “Do you want to be?”

He let out a surprised snort. “Isn’t it obvious?”

She took refuge in humor, although she wanted to dance and cry at the same time. Finally, she had what she’d always wanted. She never would have thought things would happen this way, but they were, and she kept wanting to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

“Well,” she said archly, “I’m not an expert on the mating habits of the average werescorpion.”

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling at her neck.

“By the time I’m done with you, my lady, you will be,” he said.