“I can’t even see…” Her voice was full of laughter, dots of turquoise humor peppering her aura.
He kissed her. A slow, deep kiss.
“Youdon’t need to see,” he murmured, intending to lower her to the bed until he noticed the state of it.
“Oh, we hadn’t wanted to move you, it’s a mess and—”
“Mira, this house is full of beds and they all belong to me. We can use them all if you want, start at one end and work our way down the hall, defacing the hallowed chambers of my ancestors.”
He kicked in the door to the adjacent bedchamber. “You said we have until tomorrow before this wears off?”
She nuzzled into his neck. “Can’t say for sure.”
“Then better to make the most of it while it lasts,” he moved with a grace that he couldn’t have achieved before, but with how light Miranda felt in his arms, he could walk and maneuver her body without effort.
The things he could do with this kind of strength. He could see how the power would be tempting, though his intentions were a fraction less sinister than what Graves had planned. But only a fraction, since his intentions for the still unmarried Miranda were, in some circles, considered contemptible.
And, by the end, the bed was beyond repair. Three of the four posts holding up the canopy were cracked and sagging toward the floor. The frame was on a dangerously uneven slant and the wall would need to be re-plastered.
Miranda was catching her breath as he enjoyed the sight of her with renewed clarity. Her tawny skin glistening with sweat, the sheets twined with her toned arms and legs. And that yellowshade of utter satisfaction pooling around her body. He was going to chase that color every single day.
“What are you staring at? Can you see my aura right now?”
He nodded.
“Is it weird to want to know what color it is?”
“I wouldn’t know about weird, I never conferred much with other Night Fae on the subject. But it’s not just one color. And each of those colors has a meaning. The same color, but on different people, can have an altered meaning.”
“How do you know what they are?”
“Intuition, I think. The meanings just come to me.”
“And…what does mine look like?”
“Yours is a solid band of proud and courageous cerulean. But dancing outward, like you are trying to light the world, is a passionate ruby red and adventurous tangerine. Then, occasionally, if you experience a strong emotion or feeling a new color can show up.”
“Is that why you’re staring at me?”
“Well, it’s mostly because you’re beautiful, and I plan to stare at you whenever I can, but you’ve got a shimmer of sated yellow which is my favorite color so far. It’s a nice visual confirmation of my unquestionable prowess at satisfaction.”
She lightly smacked his shoulder, but even the sore one felt entirely new. Her playful slap had all the pressure of a butterfly wing, but the message was clear. “Your admonition has lost its edge,” he commented. “Could it be that you’re warming up to my insufferable charm?”
“Never.”
He started to crawl over her, head looming closer to hers. “I’m willing to bet that you have. In fact, I’d wager that you actuallylovewhen I’m a scoundrel.”
She twisted so she was flat beneath him. “Don’t push it. You may be stronger than me, but remember,” She brought up herknee where he straddled her, her aim just slightly left of doing damage. “It’s only temporary, and I’m not above delaying my revenge.”
He bent like he meant to kiss her, but then changed his course at the last moment, teasing at the peak of her breast with his lips. “I’ll give in if you admit it.”
She squirmed, thighs squeezing together. “Not a chance.”
“Suit yourself.”
His lips were feather light, barely even a graze, and when she tried to press her body closer, he was able to pin her with a hand on her stomach. He was careful about the pressure, watching her for signs he might be pressing too hard, but Miranda’s eyes were squeezed shut, every part of her wiggling and tensing with mounting frustration as his mouth whispered over sensitive skin. “I have plenty of patience, Mira. Endless patience.”
“Shut up,” she hissed.
