Standing here in my underwear in front of three Phantom dragons had to be the anti-highlight of my day.

Especially when they roared. The deafening sound echoed through the chamber, blasting my eardrums.

I stumbled back, falling on my butt in the water.

My heart leapt into my throat, and I scrambled deeper, away from them. I could tell immediately that none of them were Draka. One stalked forward, its transparent shimmery scales gleaming as it loomed over me with its great jaw hanging open.

“I’m supposed to be here!” I cried. “I mean no harm!”

The water splashed behind me. Roarke jumping in to come save me, if I had to bet. But I didn’t dare take my eyes off the Phantom dragons.

“No! Go back!” I shouted to him. They wouldn’t want outsiders nearby.

The dragon above me roared louder. Yep. They didn’t like him coming closer.

The splashing from behind stopped. The dragon leaned over me until its great blue eyes were level with my own. Distrust gleamed in their depths.

I swallowed hard, sweat breaking out on my skin.

Why was this happening? I had the map. I was supposed to be here!

I had to show them I was one of them. But I was utterly drained. Managing even an ounce of magic sounded impossible.

Not that I had a choice.

I had to turn Phantom-ghosty or get chomped.

I called on the last of my power, letting the icy magic of my Phantom gift flow through me. It took a long, stressful moment to catch on, but my skin turned blue and transparent.

The dragon backed off, its gaze considering.

I stood on shaky legs. “I’m Delphine Bellator. I had a map that led me here.”

A tense moment passed. I held my breath.

Finally, blue light swirled around the three dragons, and they transformed into human-shaped Phantoms wearing long, simple robes. Just like Draka. Each possessed timeless features. Mostly human, a little bit not. I thought one might’ve been a man, but I wasn’t sure.

The one who felt the oldest approached. I had no idea how she felt old, but she just did.

“You may stand.” Her voice was smooth and deep.

“Uh, okay.” I stood on shaky legs, glancing behind me to check on Roarke.

He stood in the water up to his waist, frozen in place, his gaze riveted to us. Smart man. It definitely wouldn’t please the dragons if a non-Phantom got involved.

I turned back to the Phantoms. “So, um, I’m here for some answers. About controlling my magic. But…but who are you?”

Wow, I was handling this smoothly.

The woman smiled. She was so transparent that I could make out the details of the slate wall behind her. “We are the last of the Phantom dragons, and we have been waiting for you for a long time, Guardian.”

“Me?”

Oh fates. There was that Guardian thing again. Just like what Draka had called me. “Is Draka one of you? Where is she?”

“She is our fourth. But we don’t know where she has gone or what has happened to her. Something knocked our vessels off the pedestals. Draka’s vessel disappeared then. We don’t know where she is.”

That sucked. Worry gnawed at my chest. “Is she in danger?”

“Perhaps.”

Damn. “But that’s why you were in the lake, then?”

“Yes. The Coblynau protect us, normally. It should be impossible to reach us here. Except for you, because you had the map.”

Double damn. “So if I’m supposed to be able to reach you, that means you can help me get control of my power? Because I’m having a hell of a time controlling my new Ubilaz demon power.”

She nodded. “Yes. That is a particularly difficult one to control. Worse, the curse upon your mind makes it impossible.”

“Who cursed me? How do I get rid of it?”

“The Shadows cursed you. Your goals are directly opposed to theirs. But the curse has been breaking down with time—you’ve been overcoming it. First by perfecting your ability to transport when you were a child, and then by practicing with your Phantom magic and ice magic. Some types of magic come more naturally to you than others, of course.”

“Of course?” She was losing me.

“Yes. That which you were born with. The Phantom magic and the transporting, specifically. Stolen powers are much more difficult to manage. But we have something that will help you. A talisman.” She walked to the water and knelt, laying her palm flat upon the glittering blue surface. Her blue robe floated on the lake around her, glimmering in the light.

The water glowed bright from the very deepest part of the lake. Instinctually, I stepped out of the water and watched. The glow became almost blinding until it coalesced into a tight little spot and zipped through the water toward the Phantom. She gripped something shiny and stood, then handed it to me.

I stared at the gleaming sword hilt in her hand. There was no blade, just the hilt, and it was decorated with incredible inscriptions of some kind.

“Is that my sword?” I asked.

“Not the one that you so carelessly wore into our water, no.” She thrust it toward me, and I took it.

As soon as I clasped my hand around the metal, it felt as natural as if I’d been born with it in my hand. “Then what is it?”

“It is yours. Your Phantom blade. It will become part of you when it is whole. A talisman that will help you focus and control your power.”

“But there’s no blade.”

She smiled. “No. Nothing is ever easy.”

“You call getting here easy?”

Her smile didn’t falter. “You are near to the end, but you have farther yet to go. You must find the other part of the sword and prove yourself worthy of it. The hilt gives you partial control of your magic. Manipulating the past will be easier now because you’ve practiced it before. But the blade will complete the circle, giving you control of magic that you’ve failed with. Such as the demons.”

“Where do I find the blade?”

“I do not know, or we would have it. You are the only one who can find it. Use your gift. Once you’ve joined the two halves, you’ll have full control of your magic. This blade will become a part of you—forged with your mind and body. You’ll be able to kill demons with it, stealing their powers only when you desire. And it won’t require a sheath. It can be stored within the ether and will appear to you whenever you need it.”

“That would be handy.” In fact, all of that sounded very good. I’d loved my old sword, but this one felt just as good in my hand. Better even. And it had some badass upgrades. “But if my dragon—” I cut myself off, remembering at the last minute that Roarke was listening “If my gift didn’t work to help me find this place, will it work to find the blade? Or do I need a map for that, too?”

“No. Your sense will work. Our cave is protected from any who seek us using anything but the approved map. We didn’t want just anyone wandering in here.”

“Right. Of course. So, I’m just supposed to leave here and assume I can find the blade to this sword?” I held the hilt up.

“Yes. When you are ready, seek the blade and the control that you desire. It will be your talisman, imbuing you with control. You need only be near the blade for it to work.”

“But what if someone steals it?”

“It will always be yours. You can call it back to you.”

That was handy. “Who are the Shadows who cursed me?”

“That, I do not know. But you will face them in a great battle. To win, you must embrace your power. Acquire new ones.”

Ah, shit. Those were answers I didn’t like hearing. “When is this battle?”

She shrugged. The two behind her shrugged as well. Great.

“Am I immortal?” The question had been bugging me ever since I’d come back from the Underworld.

“No. Yes.”

“Which is it?” I wanted to add a damn it, but bit my tongue. Didn’t want to disrespect the Phantom dragon and all.

“All supernaturals are immortal in the sense that there is life after death in the Underworld. You, however, can cross the boundary from the Underworld to Earth, unlike your fellow supernaturals.” She peered around me, her gaze pinned to Roarke. “Except for that one. He shares the same power.”

“Oh shit. He’s not my brother, is he?” I didn’t want some Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia situation to go down. I really liked Roarke.

She shook her head. “No. I do not know how he shares that gift. It is rare for all but demons.”

Ah, bingo. Because he was half demon, which the Phantoms apparently couldn’t sense.

“But to answer your question,” she said. “You are immortal in that sense. Though as you’ve experienced, it’s not easy to escape the Underworld.”

“Sure isn’t.” More questions popped to mind. “What about my parents? Who are—”

A great shattering noise exploded through the cavern, then the thunder of footsteps.

Oh no. My ice wall had broken. The Coblynau were coming.

The Phantom’s startled gaze met mine. “You didn’t kill one, did you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Stupid! Now they will come for you!”

“I thought they were your protectors! Can’t you call them off?”

“No. Not once you have killed one. You must run.”

I whirled. A horde of Coblynau had spilled into the cavern. Roarke was out of the water, facing them, ready to battle.

“No time,” the Phantom said. Blue light swirled around her as she resumed her dragon form. She leapt into the air, picking me up in one of her massive claws.

Magic surged through me, power like I’d never felt. Almost as if I were hooked up to a magical battery. She replenished all that I had lost, and then some.

She swooped over the lake and plucked up Roarke in her other claw, then clutched us close to her belly.

Roarke’s wide gaze met mine as the dragon flew over the horde of goblins and out through the tunnel. I gripped the sword hilt tight in my hand.

Holy fates, this was wild!

As soon as we burst out into the fading sunlight, the cold hit me. I was in my underwear. In the mountains of North Wales. Shivers wracked me as the dragon flew us toward the edge and dropped us into the old iron mining cart. I was jammed in next to Roarke, the cold metal freezing my butt and the sword hilt gripped in my hand.

Behind us, the Coblynau spilled from the mouth of the cave, a maddened horde.

“Use your gift! Bring it to life!” The Phantom dragon’s voice sounded in my head.

I looked up, frantic. She hovered in the air above us, her gaze intent on mine.

The Coblynau were nearly upon us. There was no way to outrun them. Especially in my underwear and with Roarke’s wings torn up.

“Your gift!”

Shock hit me in the gut when I figured out what she wanted us to do.

She’d fueled up my magic, so it was possible. I gripped the sword hilt tight and called upon my gift over the past, envisioning this place up and running.

In a flash, it burst to life. I didn’t even have to struggle for it. The broken-down track repaired itself, and the rust flaked off of the cart. Real miners—not Coblynau—appeared around us, shocked.

The dragon swooped down and nudged our cart with her nose, sending us flying down the ramp. Icy wind burned my eyes as we hurtled down. The enraged screams of the Coblynau sounded from behind us.

“Holy fates!” I cried.

We plowed through the mist, the cart hitting the flat section of the mountain with a bump and careening around the curve, following the track. Another curve and we were on the next ramp, speeding down and out of the mist that had cloaked the mountaintop. An enormous vista of the black quarry and distant mountains stretched out ahead of us.

It was so thrilling that I couldn’t even feel the cold, a crazy rollercoaster ride straight out of history. Roarke gripped me from behind, trying to keep me from flying out of the cart. We were hurtling through space as we careened down the mountain. We passed the slate-cutting buildings and the shocked miners, but I had eyes only for the track ahead.

There was another cart, and it wasn’t moving nearly as fast as ours since a dragon hadn’t given it a nudge.

I focused my magic, imagining that specific cart sent back in time to where it belonged.

It disappeared, easy as that.

I gripped the sword hilt, grateful of its help, and held on for dear life as we plunged down.

When we reached the bottom near the lake, the cart flew off the tracks and skidded onto the beach.

The old boat still sat there, beached just as we’d left it.

Laughing, I turned to Roarke. “Wasn’t that amaz—shit! Run!”

Coblynau had caught up. We leapt out of the cart and raced across the beach.

“Morwena!” I screamed. “Help!”

She popped out of the water, her gaze wide, then swam for the boat. We jumped on board just as she climbed up.

“You’re going to owe me,” she said.

“Okay! Anything!”

Roarke pushed us offshore just as the Coblynau reached the water. Morwena took over from there, using the power of the water to direct the boat to the other shore.

I stood on deck, panting. “Holy fates, that was wild.”

“Beyond wild.” Roarke joined me, stripping off his jacket and draping it around my shoulders. He then swooped me off my feet and into his arms. Only once my bare feet were off the freezing deck did I realize how damned cold I was.

“Why are you naked?” Morwena asked.

“Long story.” I met her gaze where she stood at the back of the boat. “What do I owe you for helping us?”

“A favor. To be determined at a later date.”

“Deal.” I really didn’t have the energy to deal with it right now. I needed a freaking nap.

* * *

Roarke carried me all the way to the car. The whole way, I’d clutched the sword hilt to my chest. It’d been a little awkward when we’d walked through the festival, but the nice woman with the hot cocoa stand had given us a blanket and muttered something about the pixies stealing my clothes. We’d let her run with that theory.

By the time Roarke put me in the passenger seat, I’d warmed up a bit from the ride down the mountain. He walked around the front of the car, pulling his phone out of his pocket and punching in a number.

“We need a house. A nice one. With dinner and a healer,” he said as he climbed in and cranked the engine. “Text me an address.”

He hung up and pulled onto the road, making an eighty-seven-point turn to head back out of town.

“Who was that?” I fiddled with the heat, setting it to blasting.

“Same demon who got us a car. He’s arranging a house. After breaking through the blast house, I don’t have the strength to get us through the Underpath. I need to recharge.”

“How’s he going to find a house at this hour?” It was nearly seven at night according to the car’s dash clock.

“Holiday homes. You book them on the internet.” He glanced at me. “What, did you think we’d stay at his place?”

“No, I uh, didn’t think about it much at all. How can you get a house with so little notice?”

“Money.”

“So the demons are your travel agents and bankers and healers?”

“And chefs and drivers and messengers and whatever else you can think of.”

“Must be nice to be you.”

“It’s all right.” He smiled at me. His phone buzzed and he checked it, then punched an address into the GPS. The destination came up as a place about twenty minutes away. “How are you feeling? That was…an adventure.”

“Wasn’t it?” I laughed. “I’ve been on some crazy jobs with Cass and Nix, but this topped all of those!”

“Mercenary jobs?”

I stopped laughing.

Right.

Now was the moment of truth. Should I trust him and fess up? He’d had my back through that whole thing at the mountain and all the time before.

Yeah. I should trust him.

“No.” I turned in the seat to look at him. “I’m not just a mercenary. And Ancient Magic isn’t just a normal shop.”

“I could have guessed that.”

“It’s how we stock it that’s not normal.” My heart started to pound. Cass and Nix were okay with this. They were. Even Nix, the most suspicious person I’d ever met. I could do this. “I’m not a seeker, like I told you. We’re FireSouls. We use our dragon sense to find the treasure.”

The car slowed briefly. His hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles whitening, and he turned to look at me. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. But we don’t steal powers intentionally. I swear.” I swallowed hard, praying he’d believe me.

“Is that how you got the Ubilaz demon’s power, though?”

“No. When a FireSoul takes a power, it’s a conscious decision. I didn’t even realize I was taking the Ubilaz demon’s power. I never would have taken that!”

“You would have if you wanted a demon army.”

Holy fates. “I don’t want one of those.”

“I know.”

“And it’s not like I could control one, even if I had it. You’ve noticed, right, that they try to kill me? I swear, I didn’t do it on purpose. And we’re not bad people because we’re FireSouls.”

“I know that.” He glanced at me for a moment, holding my gaze. “You’re the best people I’ve ever met. I like you, Del. And I like your sisters. I’m not going to judge you for what you are. People don’t trust me because I’m half demon. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He glanced back at the road. I flushed, remembering that I’d held that prejudice about him when I’d first met him.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said.

My shoulders relaxed. “You won’t turn us in?”

But I already knew the answer.

He scowled. “Of course not. But I can understand now why you might have been hesitant to tell me that. And why it seemed that you were hiding something. It’s your whole life.”

“Exactly. And I’ve been hiding it a long time. That’s a hard switch to turn off. It’s ingrained in me.” I adopted Gollum’s voice and hissed, “Keep it secret, keep it safe.”

He laughed as he slowed the car and turned onto a narrow drive.

“Are we here?” I asked.

“Just about.”

A moment later, a house appeared at the end of the drive. It was large and old, but very pretty. Just the kind of thing a family would want on holiday.

Two demons came out onto the porch as we pulled up—the one who’d dropped off the car and a plump, grandmotherly-looking one who wore a flowered apron and had small pink horns.

She was so different than the demons who were attracted to the Ubilaz’s power. She looked really nice, actually.

Roarke stopped the car in front of the steps and came around to my side, pulling me out of the seat as soon as I’d opened the door. He lifted me up against his chest as I clutched the sword hilt that the Phantom dragon had given me.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said.

He glanced at my feet. “No shoes, remember?”

Now that he’d pointed it out, my toes were cold. And the icy ground looked even colder. As a matter of fact, all I wanted to do right now was thaw my toes in a warm bath.

“You look dreadful,” the grandmotherly demon said as we approached.

I frowned.

“Not you, deary.” She clucked. “Him.”

I glanced up at Roarke, who did look pretty bad. His hair was matted with blood from his head wound, and his face was still pale.

“Thanks,” Roarke said. “Are you the healer?”

“Riorda, at your service.” She smiled. “And the cook.”

“Thank you for coming.” He turned to the male demon. “And thank you for setting this up, Florus.”

Florus and Riorda nodded, then turned and went into the house. We followed, Roarke carrying me into the lovely old foyer. The wood was warm and gleaming, and the light sparkled from a crystal chandelier.

“You can take a bath if you like,” Roarke said as he set me down. “I’m going to let the healer take care of my wings, then we can eat.”

“Sounds genius. Thanks.” I started up the stairs, which were carpeted in a soft crimson runner that felt divine under my toes. Near the top, I felt the surge of Roarke’s magic as he shifted to his demon form. I turned, taking a peek, and winced at the sight of his torn-up wings.

Damn, they looked bad. I hoped the healer could get them back to normal. He didn’t deserve that for helping me.

I found a pretty bedroom at the top of the stairs and went inside. It was a large space, done up in many shades of blue, with a four-poster bed and picture windows. Two big armchairs sat in front of a massive fireplace, and a door on the other side gave a glimpse of the bathroom.

I hurried toward my destination, avoiding the mirrors like the plague. No way I looked even halfway decent after what I’d just been through. The sight of the massive, claw footed tub made me grin. It sat at the back of the large bathroom, which was done entirely in cream marble. Whoever had renovated the space had tried to retain the charm and details of the old house, but had given it all of the modern conveniences.

Fancy, fancy.

I set the sword hilt on the ground near the tub and fiddled with the taps, letting the water flow. I stripped off Roarke’s coat and my underwear and jumped in as soon as the water was a few inches deep. It was too hot, but I didn’t care. Slowly, the tub filled, thawing my muscles.

I stared at the ceiling, replaying the meeting with the Phantom dragons. Curious, I picked up the sword hilt that I’d set on the ground and studied it. The metal was something unique. At one glance, it looked like silver. At another, it looked like gold.

And the carvings… They were so ornate, and their swirls and loops looked almost like words.

The thing felt natural in my hands, and even my chest felt calmer. It was a strange feeling. Almost like my magic felt more tranquil. As if it weren’t ricocheting around inside of me, waiting for me to get a handle on it. I still had to find the blade if I wanted to control my Ubilaz power, but I was getting closer.

I could feel it.

I was definitely getting closer with Roarke, too. I was going to get answers to my questions tonight, I hoped. Though I was a bit nervous about it, I felt so much better after laying it all out there.

But what would he reveal? The bombshell about his magic being stronger when he touched me was crazy. Like we were a weird, deathly pair or something.

I shook the thought away. It was more than I wanted to process right now.

Once the water went cold, I climbed out. There were fluffy white towels on the vanity and an even fluffier robe hanging from the hook on the door. I dried off and put on the robe, then picked up the sword hilt, unwilling to let it go from my side. By the time I got out to the bedroom, I was seriously dragging.

The last few days had been exhausting.

The cozy armchairs by the fire called to me. Just one little sit. For a moment.

I sank into the one nearest the window, sighing at how amazing it felt.

Though it was a little chilly, the idea of getting up to build a fire in the hearth was out of the question. Even getting up to hunt down the thermostat wasn’t going to happen.

I snuggled deeper into my robe and fiddled with the sword hilt, gazing at the dead hearth.

This fireplace had once had a fire in it. What if I just brought it back?

I gripped the sword hilt and called on my magic. Before I’d even fully envisioned the fireplace roaring with orange flame, it had flickered to life.

Well, that was easy.

The warmth was lovely, glowing and bright. I could even feel that part of my magic inside of me like a distinct part of myself. It glowed like a bright light. As for the Ubilaz demon’s power, I could feel that too. It felt cold and dark, sitting right behind my ribcage on the lower left side. And I couldn’t control it. Not like I could control my gift over the past.

The thought bummed me out.

I wallowed for a moment, then became annoyed.

I had so much more control than I’d had before! After a good night’s sleep, I would find the blade to this sword, and everything would be fine.

To prove that I was getting better with my magic, I tried turning back the clock to a time when a cat might have been in this room. After a moment, a chubby tabby appeared, sleeping on a cushion in front of the fire.

I grinned and sat up straight, making kissy noises.

The cat looked up, and after a brief moment of confusion, stood and stretched, then jumped into my lap. I pet its warm fur, immediately comforted by the little body.

“Maybe I should keep you,” I said. “Name you Fang, or something.”

The cat just purred.

But of course I couldn’t keep him. If I didn’t send him back to the past where he belonged, I’d be catnapping him from whatever family he lived with. He clearly had a good life.

I sighed as a knock sounded on the door.

“You better go home,” I whispered to the cat, then sent him back to whatever year he’d come from. The cushion disappeared from in front of the fire as well.

The knock sounded again.

“Yes?” I said.

“Can I come in?” Roarke asked.

“Sure.”

The door opened and he entered, carrying a tray laden with sandwiches and a box of red wine. He looked much better—clean and healed.

“My favorite,” I said. “Thanks.”

“I thought you might be too tired to come downstairs.” He sat in the chair next to me and handed me a plate. “Cheese and onion.”

My stomach growled. “How are you? Are your wings healed?”

“Yes. Riorda is talented.” He bit into his sandwich, so I did the same, finally satisfying my growling stomach.

We ate in comfortable silence, starving after our adventures. The cheese and onion sandwiches were excellent, though they sounded like a slightly odd combo.

After Roarke polished off the last of three sandwiches in record time, he poured two mugs of wine and handed one over.

I accepted it gratefully, sipping in delight.

“I suppose I owe you some answers.” His tone was uncomfortable but determined.

“That’d be nice,” I said.

“And you want to know about my brother.”

“That was something I was particularly interested in. But also why you’ve been so damned distant the last few days. After I killed the Ubilaz demon last week, you said you liked me and you kissed me. Then…nothing. Radio silence. But you never left my side.”

He scrubbed a hand through his hair and gazed into the fire. “They’re related, in a way.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He sat back and met my eyes. “My brother and I didn’t know our parents. For a long time, I didn’t even know that he existed. We had a couple good years before I figured out anything was wrong. But Caden was involved in dark magic. Really dark.”

I winced. That wasn’t good.

“I tried to cover it up, thinking that it couldn’t possibly be my brother who was doing such terrible things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Blood magic. The deadly kind. Not just the unwilling, steal-your-memory kind that was performed on Orson Reyes. But the kind that takes all of the victim’s blood to perform a terrible ritual.”

I swallowed hard. “Shit.”

“Yeah. And it turned out that it was him performing the rituals. If I’d stopped him sooner—if I’d just followed the standards and the morals that I held everyone else to—he wouldn’t have killed so many people.” He shook his head, his pained gaze somewhere far in the past. “I don’t even know what kind of magic he was trying to perform. Only that half a dozen people died because I didn’t follow my own rules.”

“But he was your brother. You were trying to protect him.”

“It doesn’t make it right. I tried to get Horatio from Cambridge to help, but he could do nothing. By the time I handed my brother over to people who could control him, it was too late. Too many people had died.” He met my gaze. “So you can understand why I might have been reticent to share this.”

“Yeah. But you tried your best.”

A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That doesn’t really help in this circumstance. I still failed.”

I could understand that. Hating that you failed even though you’d tried your best. “So what does this have to do with being so weird around me?”

“I don’t want to fuck up with you the way I fucked up with my brother—not that I believe I’ll need to turn you in for something. But my love for my brother blinded me. I didn’t see warning signs because I was too preoccupied.”

He took a sip of wine and I waited, knowing he wasn’t done yet. “I was alone a long time before Caden and I found each other. It’s not easy for half-bloods to make friends, so I spent a lot of time on my own. But there was a benefit. I mastered my powers. Became good at my work. I was focused, compartmentalized. But emotion—even just love for my brother—that distracted me. I made mistakes.” His pained gaze met mine. “I don’t want to make mistakes with you. I need to protect you.”

My heart twisted. “I can protect myself.”

“I know you can. It’s one of the things I like about you. But whatever is coming for you—whatever you are supposed to guard against—that may be more than one person can handle. Hell, it probably is. So I tried to compartmentalize again. Focus just on the goal—helping you learn your magic and survive whatever is coming. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

My heart thumped in my chest, painfully hard. Any doubts I’d ever had about him fled in that moment. I set my mug on the floor, then rose and went to him, sitting in his lap.

He looped his arms around my waist, and the sense of rightness that I felt was comparable only to when I was with my deirfiúr.

“Why do you think your magic is stronger when you touch me?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I wish I did. It’s easier to break through to the Underpath when I hold your hand. That’s how I realized it. At first I thought it was coincidence, but then I realized it was you. It’s one of the smaller reasons I’ve been…distant, I guess you’d say. I was trying to figure it out. You’re special somehow. Your magic. You.”

Yeah, but how? I wish I knew.

“But we’re starting a new chapter,” he said. “Total honesty.”

I smiled. “You’re a good guy, Roarke Fallon.”

He met my gaze. “Not sure about that. But I try.”

“I know.” I leaned in and kissed him, pressing my lips to his. This time, he didn’t pull way. Instead, he sank deeper into the kiss, clutching the back of my head as his lips moved expertly on mine.

I sank my hands into his soft hair. His lips felt divine, soft and warm and so skilled that the kiss stole all my thoughts. I was floating in a dream world that smelled, tasted, and felt like Roarke. I never wanted to leave.

After a moment, he pulled away.

“We need to rest,” he said. “As much as I’d like to take this farther, I’ve called Cass and Nix, and they’ll be here soon.”

I tried to catch my breath. “You did?”

“Yes. It’s vital that we get the blade to your sword, and they may be able to help. I thought you would want them here.”

“I do.” He was right about that. And he was also right about the fact that I needed to rest. The day was finally catching up with me, and my muscles felt like lead.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s take a nap. Together.”

He grinned, so sexy that my blood heated despite the exhaustion.

“I could be okay with that,” he said.

“Good. Me too.”

He stood, carrying me to the bed, and yanked back the covers before putting me in the middle. He then climbed in after me, tucking me in against his side. I curled into him, exhaustion pulling me deep.