“Is it common for the lights to extinguish?” he asked me.
I fumbled for a match in the drawer. Knives, no. Bottle opener, no. Where are the matches?
“It doesn’t happen often,” I told him and finally found the box. I struck a match and lit the candle I kept on the counter. Coconut island getaway scented the room.
The tiny pool of light illuminated the kitchen. Kull blinked as he stared at me. I pushed a strand of damp hair out of my eyes, only now realizing that he was staring at me with a sort of slack-jawed expression.
“You’re very beautiful,” he said in a deep, husky voice.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks,” I mumbled and looked away. Two spoons and a cereal bowl sat in the sink. I decided it was a very good time to wash them.
He’s engaged, he’s engaged, he’s engaged.
Bill Clinton didn’t seem to mind in the least. Go figure.
“Olive,” Kull whispered. He wrapped his hand around my waist. Tingles spread over my skin. My throat tightened.
“Stop,” I told him. I’d intended a forceful tone. It came out more as a moan, which only goaded him more.
He pressed his lips to my ear. “Will you turn around?”
“I’m busy,” I whispered.
Thunder rumbled in reply. It was a long, drawn out sound that echoed through the walls and shook the light fixtures.
“You don’t want me?” he asked. “I’ll stop if you say so.”
I pressed the dishtowel to my burning hot cheeks. Why did he have to put me in this situation? I rounded and pushed his hands away.
“Let’s get two things straight,” I said. “First, you’re engaged. And as much as I would love to be close to you, I can’t, in good conscience, ruin a carefully planned marriage.”
He only smiled.
I plunged ahead. “Second, once we cross back to Faythander, you won’t remember any of this. It’ll be me that remembers and you that forgets, and we’ll be acquaintances again and nothing more.”
His chest rose and fell—his broad, barrel chest that I wanted so badly to run my fingers over. Although I’d laid out very good reasons why we shouldn’t be together, I hoped he didn’t listen to any of them.
He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. His lips felt surprisingly soft. As he caressed my fingertips, all I could think about was my bed and how empty it was right now.
Kull held my hand close to his chest. He didn’t move forward. He kissed my fingers and then released my hand. He would be a gentleman, of course, and respect my wishes.
Damn it all.
“The Dreamthief,” he said.
Good—change the subject.
“Does it follow you?”
His question took me off guard. I thought about the first night I’d seen the phantom in the mirror, right before I’d found out Jeremiah was sick. I’d seen the Dreamthief in my dreams. It taunted me.
“Yes,” I said. “I suppose it does.”
“Why would it do that?”
“I don’t know.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’ve no idea?”
“No. Do you?”
Lightning illuminated the sharp features of his face. “Perhaps it wishes to take you the same way it has taken your godson.”
No, I wanted to reply, but didn’t. “It only goes after children because it feeds off their dreams.”
“Why?”
“Because they can’t control fear like us—haven’t we already had this discussion?”
“It feeds off their dreams because a child’s fear is the most powerful—they can’t control it as we do. But some of us have other gifts—gifts to remember, gifts to control the elements, power that comes from both worlds.”
“You think it wants me for my magic?”
“It’s not an absurd concept.”
I glanced past him, only to see the bathroom light flicker. A shiver ran down my spine. “Maybe,” I admitted.
Wind howled outside, a wail that built in pitch until I thought my apartment might be torn apart. It wasn’t hurricane season, but it sounded like it.
“Let me stay with you tonight,” he said.
I eyed him. “Are you sure?”
“If the Dreamthief intends to take you, I’ll be waiting.”
If the Dreamthief took me, there wasn’t a thing Kull could do to stop it, but I appreciated his concern all the same. “You’ll have to sleep on my couch. You won’t fit.”
“I’ve slept on worse.” He smiled. “One becomes tolerant of his surroundings once he’s survived in the Wultland’s wilds.”
“What would Euralysia say if she knew you were staying the night with me?”
“I am not staying the night with you, I am protecting you. I don’t intend to sleep, and I shall keep watch in the other room if I must.”
“You’re twisting my words, Kull.”
“I am clarifying.”
I crossed my arms. He wanted to ignore the fact that he was engaged. Honestly, he acted as if his marriage would never happen. “Do you love her?” I asked him point-blank. I’d asked him before but never felt like I got a straight answer. Perhaps tonight would be different.
He opened his mouth. “I…”
I shook my head.
“Of course,” he answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Would you like a different answer?”
I swallowed. Hadn’t expected that one. And here we went again.
Yes, actually, I would love a different answer.
He pressed a kiss to my lips. My thoughts evaporated.
Except for me and him, the world disappeared. I had never known what joy felt like until that moment. I let him come closer. I forgot to breathe.
When he finally pulled away, my head spun. I grabbed the counter’s edge to keep steady. He stood too close. I pushed past him, stumbled to my bedroom, and closed the door.
My heart raced. I felt flushed and alive and amazing, and knew I had no right to be.
He shouldn’t have done that.
I climbed into bed. My head swam.
He really, really shouldn’t have done that.
A knock came at my door, but I ignored it. Whatever he had to say, I didn’t want to hear it. He’d messed up a perfectly good thing. Now, whenever I looked at him, I wouldn’t see a friend. I’d see someone much closer,
