A rush of power poured into Shay the moment the words were out of Nicole’s mouth. Her wish moved through him like a living thing, the force of her soul using him as a magical conduit, compelling him to create what she desired most.

Every possibility flew through his mind at once. A pool of magic swelled inside him and radiated out from his primal core, surrounding and shielding the Starlings. Then it sent them away.

The magic didn’t send them far. It didn’t separate them, or deposit them on the other side of the globe, just far enough from Marrow’s clutches to be safe.

Nicole’s shoulders fell the moment her mother and father disappeared from sight. He didn’t have to see her expression to know how she felt. She was half relief, half sorrow.

Her parents were safe. But then again, her parents were gone.

Marrow, on the other hand, didn’t have any conflicting emotions. His face was a portrait of pure rage as he glared daggers up at Nicole. The rage pouring out of him was some of the most intense that Shay had ever felt.

“You bitch!” he shouted up at her.

Nicole straightened her spine at the slur.

“You want to call me names, traitor?” she yelled back. “That’s right. I know why you want the book, and if you even think of trying any other tricks like that again, I will make sure that Oberon knows too.”

Marrow froze. For a moment he was speechless.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last.

“You’re a fool if you think this changes anything,” he said. “This isn’t over. I will be back.”

“And we’ll be here, ready to kick your ass…again,” she spat at him.

And with that, she pulled down the window, and threw the curtain over the glass.

Together, they waited in silence as the wind died down and they heard the telltale sound of the portal closing.

Only then did Nicole let go of the breath she’d been holding. The rush of emotion that overtook her was enough to knock her down to the floor. And she wasn’t the only one.

Shay nearly collapsed from experiencing the secondhand effects. The new infusion of her soul sent shockwaves right through him. He felt everything inside her much stronger now.

Finally he understood the full horror she’d felt seeing her parents at Marrow’s mercy. He felt the depth of the love she held for them. The horror she’d experienced seeing them threatened.

Where he’d only felt a drop before he now felt a flood. An overwhelming crash of bright and strong feelings.

Her soul was powerful, beautiful to the point of being almost all-consuming. It burned inside him like a wildfire sweeping across the tinder and dry brush of his ancient understanding. And like any cleansing fire, it gave the energy that allowed the new seeds to sprout.

He immediately went to her side and kneeled down. He grabbed her hand, but the feel of her skin against his only made the fire grow deeper.

“Nicole,” he said.

She didn’t say a word.

“Your parents are fine,” he assured her. “They aren’t far away. You’ll be able to go to them once this is over.”

Nicole nodded, showing she understood, but she didn’t give any other reaction. She didn’t look up, or move, or say a single word. And with all the pain radiating out of her, her silence felt like torture.

He needed to hear her words, not to understand what she was feeling. That he understood well enough. Her emotions pulsed inside him along with his blood. What he needed was for her to interpret those emotions.

“Nicole,” he pleaded. “Say something.”

“I shouldn’t have made the second wish,” she finally said.

Shay took her hand and pressed it flat against the center of his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”

She finally turned his way and met his gaze. Tears filled her eyes.

“No, it’s not,” she said. “Now you’re trapped here.”

That’s what she was worried about? Him? Not about the state of her own soul?

“I told you it was fine. It was my decision.”

“One that you’ll regret,” she said with strange certainty.

“No, I won’t.” He tried to reassure her, but she let out a bitter laugh.

“You will,” she said with unwavering certainty. “You may know everything about magic, but you don’t know anything about mortality. If there’s one thing that I know, it’s that rash decisions lead to regret.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he said.

“Easy to say now, but wait until you notice your first gray hair,” she said. “Wait until you fully realize that your time here is limited, and you’re bound to a woman and a world that you have no feelings for.”

No feelings? How could she say that?

“You know that’s not true,” he said.

Nicole shook her head. “I’m not talking about lust.”

“Neither am I,” he said. “Why do you think I asked you to wish your parents to safety?”

“Because you felt guilty.” Her answer was instantaneous. And honest. And completely wrong.

“No,” he said. “I told you to do it because I knew that watching your mother die would kill you as well, and that wasn’t something I could bear to happen. I’m not bound to you, Nicole. I choose you.”

Nicole blinked. Her lips parted as he spoke. Her gaze flickered over his face, looking for some trace of deception on his face. It had to be an old habit because if she could feel even a fraction of the love inside him, she would know that every word he spoke was the truth.

She drew in a few shaky breaths. “Are you certain?”

Suddenly, Shay knew that no words were ever going to convince her. He was going to have to show her instead. So, he reached out and wrapped his hand around the base of her neck.

She let out a soft breath as his mouth met hers. His lips pressed hard against hers, but one sweet taste wasn’t enough. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Her mouth opened in surprise and he took advantage, deepening the kiss, tasting her fully.

It was a heady sensation, feeling the full force of her desire. The feel of her soul mixed with the taste of her body was overwhelming.

And at the same time it still wasn’t enough.

And she felt the same way. She wrapped her arms around him, raked her fingers through his hair. She pressed her hands hard against the column of his back, practically begging him to come closer still.

The fire in her veins made his burn all the hotter, until the flames entwined together creating an inferno that was out of control.

Nicole had never kissed a man with the intensity that she was now kissing Shay. Her body thrummed sensation. Though not everything she felt was physical.

The closer she became to him the more emotions she felt…and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure they were all hers. Some were so foreign, so new, that they had to be Shay’s…but that wasn’t possible.

Was it?

And did it even matter right now? The truth was at the moment she wasn’t sure she cared.

All that she cared about was him and her. The two of them together. Right at this moment. It was all that mattered. It was the only thing that mattered.

Desperate to feel more of him, Nicole yanked his shirt over his shoulders, exposing his chest. She pulled back just far enough to run her hands over the hard plane of his chest. Damn, he felt good—hard, and strong, and radiating desire. Her fingertips almost burned with the heat between them.

She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted Shay right now, and it seemed like he felt the same.

He pulled down the zipper of her dress and slid the fabric off her shoulders. Nicole couldn’t help but giggle when his fingers fumbled with the clasp of the bra. She guessed he’d never had to deal with one of those before.

She helped him out, reaching back and freeing the hooks and eyes. The garment snapped free, and she slipped her arms from the straps, exposing her breasts.

Shay let out a breath at the sight of her naked body—a long, low hiss. It was the sexiest sound Nicole had ever heard. The tremble of desire she felt went straight down to the marrow of her bones.

And then he took her.

In one fluid motion, he picked her up and strode toward the bedroom. He didn’t stop until he laid her down on top of his mattress. He moved in beside her, molding his body to the side of hers, as his hand moved between her legs.

A moment later, it was her turn to gasp as his fingers slipped between her vulva. Back and forth, he swept along the length of her opening, sliding his fingers over her wetness.

Nicole closed her eyes as she let out a moan. This was as close to heaven as anything that Nicole had ever felt, and she didn’t want it to end.

And it didn’t. Though it did intensify.

A few seconds later, Shay brought his fingers up to the bud of her clit and moved them in slow circles around the sensitive flesh. Now, Nicole wasn’t just moaning.

She curled her fingers into the blankets on top of the bed and arched her back as his movements gently picked up speed. Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, Shay slipped a single finger inside her…and then another. They pressed against the walls of her pussy, stretching and caressing her. Nicole didn’t know how long she could take it.

Then again, she didn’t know how long Shay could take it either. His whole body was tense, and he was growling along with her short, hard pants of breath. Every sound he made was primal and full of passion.

Finally, when she was dangerously close to the edge, Shay pulled his hand away. Nicole opened her eyes just long enough to see him tearing off his pants. A moment later, his legs pressed against the needy skin of her inner thighs.

“Yes.”

The single word escaped her lips as he pressed inside, filling her completely. There was nothing else to say.

Just yes.

Yes to him and her. Yes to how right they felt together. Yes to how perfect the pleasure of the moment was.

So she said it again.

And again.

And again.

She kept saying it as he moved in and out of her, her pleasure building to unbelievable heights.

Nicole had no idea how long they went on like this. Time seemed to both go on forever and disappear completely when they were wrapped together. Nothing had ever been so right before.

All she knew was that when she went over the edge, Shay was right there with her, riding the same wave, clinging to her, holding her, pulsing deep inside her and not letting go.

And when she finally caught her breath, spent from the most complete lovemaking she’d ever known, Nicole knew he’d meant every word he’d said before.

He’d chosen her.

Shay Madrid had chosen her.