remain chained by the past. If Melusine could not be stopped peaceably, he’d do what needed to be done.
Ceff drew Melusine away from me and the circle of children, but as he tired their fight returned to where I fought The Piper. Ceff looked at me and his heart filled with love and a fierce protective devotion. He gripped his trident and lunged for a killing blow.
Melusine danced away and swung her tail at his feet. Our fight became a blur of blood and weapons, but I’d learned an important truth. Ceff had been ready and willing to kill Melusine to protect me—just as I had been forced to kill the lamia to save him.
A weight lifted from my shoulders and I blinked rapidly as my vision cleared. I was back in my bed and Ceff’s arms were around me. My hand still rested on his face as he stretched out along my side, body pressed against me. Ceff watched my face intently and I blushed.
“You’re back,” he said. I nodded. “And we are still touching.”
Blood rushed to my face, cheeks burning. If I blushed any harder, I’d probably pass out. Ceff rubbed a finger in circles just below my ear and I forgot all about embarrassment. The heat from my face had shifted lower, much lower.
Though I was still at risk of passing out.
Ceff smiled and I bit my lip. His face was mere inches away and I had no idea what to do. Being inexperienced sucked.
His fingers trailed down my neck to a bruise at my collarbone. I gasped as Ceff leaned in and pressed his lips against the purple skin.
“Does this hurt?” he asked, lifting his eyes to my own.
Ceff stared at me through tousled hair and I struggled to catch my breath. I shook my head and Ceff returned his lips to my collarbone. His kisses were cool and soothing against my heated skin.
Ceff moved lower, leaving my skin tingling as he followed a trail of cuts and bruises along one shoulder and down my arm. When he reached my injured wrist, he blew a kiss along the bandage and lifted my arm. Ceff’s body slid alongside my own moving upward as he raised my arm above my head. He set my wrist gently on a pile of pillows and held it there, fingers gliding down my arm to wrap around my uninjured bicep.
He leaned in and brushed his lips along my jaw. I turned my face toward his, but he grazed my lips with the barest hint of a kiss and smiled.
“Patience,” he said.
It was easy for the sexy immortal in my bed to suggest patience—not so easy for me. I pressed my chest against Ceff and gripped his neck with my free hand, pulling him closer. I felt like I would go supernova. My lips parted and I panted as Ceff pulled away. I stared at his swollen lips, so near but unreachable, and my skin began to glow.
Ceff kissed my chin and slid down my chest, leaving a trail of kisses to my waistline. I was surprised the thin tank top between us didn’t burst into flame. Ceff slid a finger under the thin cotton, teasing my skin with his touch. He smiled up at me and quirked an eyebrow in question while holding the edge of my shirt in his hand.
I’d promised to be honest with Ceff and tell him what I was feeling, but at the moment I was at a loss for words. I nodded and slid my fingers through his hair to once again grip the back of his neck. I tried to pull him to me, wanting to feel skin on skin.
No more gloves. No more weapons. No more walls—just me and Ceff.
Ceff moved his face to my stomach and I gasped. His lips caressed my skin in widening circles. He was careful not to press against the wound at my side, though right this minute I didn’t care about the pain.
I’d waited so long for this moment. Feared it like a bogeyman stalking the shadows. But the fear was gone and all I wanted was to be closer to Ceff. I lifted my hips and moaned.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Ceff’s voice was husky and his eyes were glowing bright green as he studied my face. We’d agreed to be honest about our feelings and right now, I was an open book.
“Yes, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I said.
I reached for Ceff with glowing fingers, drawing his body to my own. This time he didn’t pull away.
Later that night, much later if the slant of light coming through my bedroom window was any indication, I rested my head on Ceff’s chest. He stroked my cheek and I closed my eyes. Shockwaves still rolled through me at his touch.
“Tired?” he asked.
“No,” I said, surprised.
I had been dead to the world when Ceff carried me up to my room, but now I was bursting with energy. My skin continued to glow, giving off waves of heat. I looked down and shifted the sheet half draped across my body. I wasn’t tired, but the wound at my side had started to bleed through the gauze. I was supposed to be resting, not doing mattress gymnastics. When Kaye said to spend the week in bed, I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what she meant.
I sighed. I needed to change the dressing if I wanted to avoid infection.
“I’m not tired, but I do need a shower,” I said.
Ceff lifted his hand and a string of water from a glass on the nightstand rose in a spiral ribbon to dance between his fingers.
“Would you like company?” he asked.
“Do pixies lick salt from your skin?” I asked.
Ceff lifted me into his arms and nuzzled my neck.
“Mmm, maybe I’m part pixie,” he said.
Ceff carried me to the bathroom and kicked the door shut.
Chapter 28
Steam rolled out into the loft as I opened the bathroom door. My superheated skin and Ceff’s water magic had filled the tiny room with steam so thick I couldn’t see. Not that sight was a necessary sense for what we’d been up to.
I stepped out into the apartment and blinked at my roommate leaning against the kitchen counter. It must have been later than I thought if Jinx was out of bed. Ceff and I were still holding hands, not yet ready to break the connection of our touch. I was pretty sure that if we let go, I’d have to suffer through the visions when we touched again.
Jinx looked between us and shook her head. I was wrapped in an old robe that showed too much leg and Ceff wore a towel low on his hips. Jinx had dark circles around her eyes and held a mug of coffee to her lips.
“I want my prudish roommate back,” she said. “She was much quieter and didn’t hog the shower.”
“Sorry,” I said.
We walked over to the breakfast nook and each perched on a stool facing Jinx. When she slid two mugs of coffee across the counter, I shifted my bare foot toward Ceff’s, twining our legs together at the ankle. There were a lot more ways to remain touching than just holding hands.
I flashed my friend a goofy grin and breathed in the scent of fresh coffee. My grin faltered when Jinx turned her face and I realized the dark circles weren’t entirely from lack of sleep. A large, purpling bruise rose along Jinx’s cheekbone.
That bruise hadn’t been there yesterday, which meant it wasn’t from the cemetery battle. Jinx was clumsy and no stranger to bruises, but the bruise on her face looked suspiciously like the imprint of someone’s fist. I cracked my knuckles and stared at Jinx.
“Are you alright?” I asked. “What happened to your face?”
“This?” she asked. “It’s nothing. You should see the other guy.”
“A man did this to you?” Ceff asked.
His voice was low and threatened violence. I could feel the anger vibrate through his body where we
