He chuckles. “Of course I don’t remember. Remember?”
We both laugh.
“Freya said you could recover your memories,” I say.
“But how?”
I drop my head flat against his sharply ridged chest and listen to his heartbeat—steady, solid, beautiful. “If I knew, I’d already have told you, but this is the most promising news we’ve had in a long time.” I turn then, and I kiss his chest, through his t-shirt.
His heart accelerates.
That makes me smile.
“What are you doing?” He’s smiling, so I know he’s not angry about it.
“I wonder whether we might dislodge more memories, the closer we get to each other.” I push upward and press a kiss to his mouth. “We entwined earlier. Maybe that dislodged that one.”
“What do you recommend then?” He eyes my mouth eagerly.
“Well.” I whip my pajama top off. “I think it’s time for us to talk about what happens after kissing.”
His eyes flare. “Yes, I’ve been wanting to talk about that.” His eyes drop to my chest, still covered by a sports bra. “And I have a feeling it starts with a discussion about human undergarments.”
I bite my lip.
This is going to be a lot of fun.
The door flips open. “Liz, Gideon called—” Coral shrieks. “What are you two doing in here?” She covers her eyes, drops her hand and stares, and then starts screaming again.
But she doesn’t leave.
I sigh. I suppose I can add scarring them for life to my list of atrocities as an older sister. “What do you need, Coral?” I pull my shirt back on.
She covers her eyes again, which is completely unnecessary. Both Axel and I are entirely covered, and she’s seen me in a sports bra—or less—hundreds of times over the years.
“Coral,” I snap. “Just tell me why you burst in without knocking or even calling out a warning.”
Her eyes are still covered, but she finally separates her fingers and peers through, saying, “The vanir are attacking Calgary!”
Which is close to the United States. Very close.
“Gideon called from Sydney, Liz. He says Mom and Dad are with him, and we can go see them!” Coral finally drops her hand, and she looks giddy. “I mean, the vanir thing’s bad, but they need us, Liz. All of them are begging for our help.” Coral has always enjoyed a good gloat.
This one could cost us a lot of lives, including her bonded, Hyperion.
“The vanir are dangerous,” I say. “To humans, but also to us, and to our bonded.”
“I know.” Coral’s face sobers. “But the thing is, I think we may be the only ones who can save them.” She’s right about that.
“Alright. We’ll be out soon.”
Axel’s already climbed out of bed, and he shifts beside us, straight into Azar’s form. I slide out of bed too, and I start to take my shirt off again, to change into proper clothing this time.
“Oh,” I say. “I should warn you, Coral. If you stick around, you might see something terrifying. See? I’ve taken my shirt off, and who knows what I may take off next. You better get out of here immediately.”
She scowls. “I actually need to ask you something else.” She glances at Azar.
“We entwined,” I say. “You can ask in front of him.”
