Shay spent the rest of the evening feeling the constant play of ideas flowing through Nicole’s mind.

Most of the plans she came up with led nowhere, but he sensed that was her process. She filled her mind with possibility and worked her way through the options, refusing some immediately, taking her time to scrutinize others.

He’d never met another soul who thought quite the same way she did. Never felt anyone that was so…he struggled to put a name to her essence.

Pure? No, she was too filled with natural conflict for that.

Real? There had to be a better word.

Alive?

Even that didn’t fully encapsulate the special quality that glowed inside Nicole’s soul. The energy she radiated was unique. Something that was hers and hers alone.

Shay only knew how she made him feel. He’d never known a more delightful sensation. She burst with energy but wasn’t frantic. She was honest but not naive. Her flaws were on full display but she wasn’t a fool. She liked to believe she knew what she could handle, but she didn’t run from the truth when she was proven wrong.

He’d never met another soul like her. He was drawn in by her life.

And her beauty.

There was no denying his attraction to her. It was only growing stronger. Her soul’s glow made her features all the more appealing. Cleverness crackled in the deep warmth of her eyes. Her dark skin radiated with life. Her painted red lips tempted him to…

Shay turned his head away. Maybe it was better to take her example and lose himself in planning how to extricate themselves from this mess rather than get lost in baser thoughts.

Then again…

Both James Hook and Bron Douglas had already found love.

That made two exiles who’d done their part to break the second part of their banishment curse. Two men with wicked pasts who, by all accounts, had no right to expect good, strong hearts to find them worthy.

But it had happened.

And given the women that had fallen in love with them, it was no surprise that both James and Bron had fallen under the spell of that mortal emotion as well.

For a brief moment, looking over at Nicole, Shay wondered if it were possible for him as well. He’d never felt a pull like the one that tugged on him now, right in the center of his chest.

She illuminated the fathomless depth inside him, filled him with light. Her strength awed him. Her resolve against forces far stronger than herself was enthralling.

And then there was the way she looked at him.

The longing in her gaze that filled him with equal parts of desire and hesitation. The Heavens knew he wanted her. To taste her body like he now tasted her soul. To feel her inside and out. To satisfy every craving they shared.

Of course, right now probably wasn’t the best time to think of such things. It had only been a couple of hours since Marrow had threatened her life, and the weight of sleepiness was starting to drape over her shoulders. Her step slowed. Her mouth opened for a yawn. A few minutes later, she sat down next to him on the couch with a defeated thud.

“Well, it’s happened,” she declared. “I’m too tired to think. All I hope now is that the answer to defeating Marrow will come to me in a dream.”

Hope. It was Nicole’s favorite concept, and given the uncertain world she lived in, he understood its allure.

She curled her feet up on the couch next to her. “I’ll take the couch tonight.”

“You should sleep on the bed again.”

Nicole shook her head. “I don’t like kicking you out of your own room.”

“You’re not kicking me out of anywhere,” he said. “I don’t know if Marrow will come back tonight, and this room is better for keeping watch.”

It was a partial lie. There was little chance that Marrow would be back any time soon. Especially not before sunrise. Even with an entire palace worth of magicians working on portals, it would still take them time to build up enough energy to send another. But Nicole didn’t know that.

At least he didn’t think she did, but based on the narrow look she was giving him now, he wasn’t so sure.

“It isn’t fair that you should take the whole watch,” she said. “We should split it.”

“It’s my responsibility to protect the shop,” he reminded her. Fairness didn’t enter into it.

“Well, here’s the thing.” She patted his thigh. Shay tried not to tense at her touch, but that was nearly impossible after being hyperaware of her presence for hours now. “There’s no way I’ll be able to fall asleep if I’m riddled with guilt, so here’s what we’re going to do. You can take the first watch and in four hours you can wake me up for the second.”

Nicole didn’t give him a chance to argue. She simply stood up from the couch and started for the bedroom door. She made it halfway there before turning around.

“I hate to do this to you.” Her eyes flashed to the side in embarrassment. “But can I borrow a shirt from you?”

“A shirt?”

“To sleep in,” she explained. “I don’t have any other clothes with me, so I’m going to need to keep these as nice for as long as I can.”

That was all? That was the request that had her cheeks flushing? Did she know the things people usually asked of him? They were nothing as innocent and practical as that. He rose from the couch with a smile.

“Your wish is my command.”

Her eyes widened to the point that he could glimpse a perfect circle of gleaming white around her dark irises.

“Oh, no. That wasn’t a wish,” she rushed to say. “It was just—”

He patted her shoulder as he passed her and pushed open the door of his bedroom. “It was a joke, Nicole. Just a joke.”

A joke?

Nicole had no idea that jinn were capable of such a thing. Shay especially. Either she’d been wrong, or he was a very fast learner.

Shay moved past her into his bedroom, and Nicole followed after. She watched from the doorway as he went to his closet and pulled out a button-down. The white shirt dangled from the hanger as he turned around. “Was this what you had in mind?”

“Perfect.”

Shay was big enough that his shirt would hang down to her knees. Perfect for a nightgown.

“Good.”

Nicole expected him to just drape it over the bed and walk away, but instead he extended his arm out in front of him, letting the hanger dangle from his finger. There was something undeniably alluring about his stance. Like he was trying to draw her closer. Like he wanted her near.

Heat filled Nicole’s cheeks. Maybe she was imagining it.

And what if she wasn’t? Wasn’t that what she wanted? Wasn’t that what she’d dreamed and fantasized about too many times to count?

Nicole wondered at the thrill that ran through her belly as she tried to take a step forward…and failed. She was being ridiculous. She’d been fine a moment ago. Hell, she’d been alone with him all day—all night even—without succumbing to the pull of her desire.

But that had been in the bookstore. On the window seat. In the living room.

This was his bedroom.

And they were all alone in it.

Damn it. She shouldn’t be thinking things like that. Not about the one guy who could actually feel her thoughts and emotions.

But it was just too hard to think about anything else when he was standing next to his bed. His dark eyes fixed on hers. His arm out beckoning her in. His body looking just as fine as ever.

Nicole glanced down at the floor, though she knew that it wouldn’t do a lick of good. He wasn’t just in her head. She’d invited him into her soul, and her desire for him went that deep.

She was certain of it.

“Nicole.”

Shay’s voice filled the room, wrapping around her and practically pulling her forward. It was the single most enticing sound she’d ever heard.

She lifted her head and gasped when she saw the embers were back in his eyes. The glowing golden sparks lit up his whole face, leaving no doubt that he felt the heat of their attraction just as strongly.

Damn it. All she’d wanted was a nightshirt, but she wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

“Maybe it would be better if we swapped,” she tried. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Shay didn’t move. His arm didn’t sway or tremble an inch.

“Come take the shirt, Nicole.” His voice was very bit as firm as his body looked.

She drew in a deep breath as she moved toward him, but the closer she got, the tighter her breaths became. The air crackled around him. She wasn’t just imagining it. It wasn’t just a metaphor to explain the pull. The sensation was as real as anything that she’d ever felt in her life.

He was like stepping close to a fire. The air changed around her. His heat pulled her in. Drew her near. Wrapped around her.

But Nicole wasn’t just dealing with her desire. Shay might be able to feel what was going on inside her, but she could literally see his emotions burning in his eyes.

The moment she was close enough, Nicole snatched the hanger off his finger and crushed it to her chest like a flimsy shield.

The look in Shay’s eyes didn’t change. If anything, the sparks grew stronger. Even worse, this close, Nicole couldn’t help but grow more amazed by the sight.

Not that it was a good idea to become too captivated by a creature as powerful as Shay.

Too late, she chided herself. You’ve already sold him your soul. There was no use pretending that she was the poster child for pragmatism now.

Nicole tossed the shirt down on the mattress by her side. Shay’s eyes followed the motion. His irises flared with the reminder of just how close the bed was.

She couldn’t lie. It was a heady sensation to know that she affected Shay so strongly…the same way he affected her.

She came up right against him, stopping just a breath away. She looked up at his face.

“I’d like to kiss you.” Nicole didn’t have a clue where all this confidence was coming from. Maybe it was the brush with her own mortality. After all, what was a little rejection when a fae general was ready chop your head off? “Would you like to kiss me?”

The sparks in his eyes answered first. They burst up, igniting all at once and transforming the dark pools of his irises to molten gold. Nicole couldn’t help the surge of pride the sight sent through her.

“You care what I want?”

A little laugh escaped Nicole’s lips. “I don’t know how kisses go where you’re from, but here they’re a shared thing. They’re only worth a damn if both people want them.”

Shay’s lips pressed together for just a moment before he nodded. “I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone more.”

No one had ever had to think so hard before deciding to kiss her, but she didn’t take his hesitation personally. Lack of want wasn’t what held him back. It was something else. His past. His incredibly long past. She didn’t doubt a man could round up a whole lot of personal demons in a life that long.

Well, maybe she could ease some of them now.

She lifted herself up on tiptoes and pressed her body against his. The moment she did, heat like nothing she’d ever felt before rushed through her like a wave. It nearly toppled her over. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm around his neck to steady herself. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin, soaking in the sensation of his hard body against hers.

His arms folded around her, enveloping her…and it was a good thing too, because suddenly Nicole wasn’t so sure that she could even stand anymore. She felt like she’d been swallowed up by a storm of lush desire, more profound and seductive than anything she’d ever imagined.

She felt like the Heavens. Pressed flush against him, the full force of her desire sang out to him. It stirred him in ways he hadn’t even known were possible.

He’d been with women before. Plenty of them. Like most creatures that spent a good deal of their time in taverns, Shay didn’t have too much trouble finding company. After all, what was a tavern but a place that a traveller could slake all of his thirsts?

But there was nothing base or common about the sensations pouring out of the woman in his arms.

She wanted him, yes. Just like he wanted her. But the difference was all the emotions she held inside. They were strong and powerful…and foreign to him.

All he knew was that he wanted to experience them for himself.

Her tongue swept inside his mouth, and he was lost. The sweet taste of her. The soft feel of her body. The hum of her gorgeous soul pulsing in his veins.

He’d never kissed anyone the way he kissed her now. Fully. Completely. And yet he still wanted more. More of her brightness. More optimism. More passion. He wanted to drink in the feel of her until she’d filled every last bit of emptiness inside him.

He wanted to take a step forward until her legs hit the side of his bed. He wanted to lay her down. To lose himself in her completely.

But that wasn’t what she asked for.

She’d asked for a kiss. A single kiss. Not to be ravished on his bed.

And so with all the strength he could muster, Shay pulled away while he still could.

A little sound of protest fell from Nicole’s lips the moment his mouth left hers. She kept her eyes closed as a hint of a smile played at the corners of her lips. Satisfaction glowed brightly in her cheeks and in the tiny crinkles that radiated out from her eyes.

“Now that was a kiss,” she said after a long moment had passed. Another few seconds went by before she opened her deep brown eyes. The irises shone like dark, polished amber.

She untangled her arms from around him and took a step back. Her gaze darted down to the floor as her smile slowly changed. She didn’t look embarrassed exactly, just…aware.

Aware of how their bodies had felt together. How warm and right. Aware of the mattress behind her and all the potential that their kiss had promised. Aware of how easily they could fall on the bed and bring all that promise to life.

But this time she didn’t reach out for him.

She didn’t ask for another kiss.

She just glanced down at his shirt on the bed.

“I should change my clothes,” she said.

There was nothing overly seductive about the tone of her voice. There didn’t need to be. Just the thought of Nicole stripping off her dress to drape herself in his shirt was enough to keep the fire inside him burning bright.

“And you would rather be alone to do that?” he asked.

If she could be bold, so could he.

“I think it would be…” She bit into her lower lip. “Wise.”

Shay smiled at her careful choice of words.

She was right. It would be ridiculous to pretend that there was no spark of desire between them. A kiss was one thing—a distinctly dangerous thing, sure, but something on a level that both of them could handle.

But if they gave in to those more fiery urges…

That would be a different story.

Right now, it was better to keep whatever was between them in the realm of playful. Of manageable.

“Agreed.” He couldn’t help raising his hand to trace his fingers down her soft cheek as he spoke. “But I would like to give you something before I go take up my post for the night.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Let me help you sleep,” he said.

Nicole shook her head. “I told you—“

“You told me not to use magic on you without your consent. That’s why I’m asking.” He raised a finger to her lips before she could say a word. “And before you argue, remember, I can feel everything that you’re feeling.”

Her eyes grew wide at his boldness. For the first time a real hint of embarrassment flashed over her features.

“Don’t worry. My emotions are equally…raised.” It was the truth, and a little of her tension faded. “I know that if I were to try to fall sleep right now, I’d toss and turn for hours. And you can’t fight Marrow if you’re exhausted.”

She eyed him skeptically for a moment, but he could already feel the worst of her resistance slipping away. After a long moment, she finally nodded.

“All right.” She raised her hand. “But only if you promise to wake me when it’s my turn to keep watch.”

He nodded. “I promise.”

She didn’t flinch as he raised his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb against her forehead. Her eyelids immediately fluttered. Tension swept out of her body in waves, and she sat down on the mattress.

“I’ll leave you to change,” he said, forcing himself to turn from her and walk out the door. She wasn’t going to remain awake very long, and she needed to change before she fell into a deep, restful sleep.

It didn’t matter that he wanted to stay and watch over her. He needed to be sharp. Focused. For himself. For the exiles. And for Nicole.

He couldn’t lose sight of the big picture. That was the thought he forced himself to hold in his mind as he clicked the door closed behind him.