“The snake bite,” she murmured.
“You’re tired—” I started.
“Please, Jon.”
The vulnerability made her sound like she might shatter if I denied her. Reluctantly, I sank to the floor and leaned against the bed. She perched on my shoulder and started the healing spell. Shutting my eyes, I allowed the now-familiar relief of her healing magic to wash over me.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Thankyoufor bargaining a spell from her.” She touched my neck gently. “Clearly, she’s an expert in transformation magic. Jon, this… This may really be the answer we’ve been searching for. I know it won’t be easy, but the stars finally seem to be paving a real path this time.”
“Are you sure I’m worth it?” I asked with a wry chuckle.
I knew it wasn’t justmeshe was changing for, but the insecurity was unshakable. She wanted the freedom that came with being human—no longer tethered to reclusive villages scattered in hiding. Branded a traitor to her own kind for the rest of her life because of the swirling runes etched onto her face. But what if she traded life among her own kind, only to realize how damaged I truly was? To feel like she made a horrible, irrevocable mistake ever entangling herself with me in the first place?
Sylvia’s wings buzzed to life, and she pressed a kiss to my jaw. “You never cease to amaze me with how little of yourself you truly see. I mean, where would I be without you?”
“Safe, for one thing.”
“Stop that,” she grumbled, perching on my bent knee and sitting with her legs folded to the side.Jesus, she was cute. She frowned, tilting her head at me. “You’re still worried about the risks with the gem?”
I swallowed, offering a small nod. “That’s putting it lightly. If anything were to go wrong… I just wish I could shoulder some of this for you.”
“We’ll be more careful than my father ever was. He searched and clawed for the gemstones alone. That’s where I’ve got the advantage. I’ve got you. And now, a very powerful witch who looks great in formalwear.” She flashed a grin up at me—the one that made me weak in the knees. I conceded a snort of laughter at her attempt to inject levity between us. Her voice softened, though losing none of its intensity as she held my stare. “I know what I want, and it’s right in front of me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you understand that, if I must.”
The rest of my life. Me. She wantedme.
“That’s a long time.” I offered a lopsided smirk.
Pink crawled onto her face as though just now realizing the weight of her admission. She stammered, trying to backtrack into something more fitting of the hazy grays that composed our bond.
I let her squirm for a few heartbeats, enjoying the blush that flooded her freckled cheeks—bright even under the traitor mark’s black swirling runes. A beast purred in my chest thatIhad made that happen.
Finally, I brushed the back of my fingers along her delicate arm, grounding her. I allowed her to see every ounce of longing I so often chained down inside myself.
“It’s hard to behave when you look at me like that,” she said with playful accusation.
“Oh, yeah?”
The way her smile softened was like watching the sun come out on the darkest day. “Makes me think of the list of things I’m going to do to you once I’m human.”
It was tempting to slip into the spectral plane with her. All I would need was a little soil to bind to the spellwork she provided to bring us there. But it was different in that realm. Here in the real world, she was warm.Solid.
If we survived the gala, we could have it all.
Sylvia stroked the side of my hand pensively. “Listen, I’m sorry Cliff is—”
“Throwing a bitchfit?”
“—upset,” Sylvia finished pointedly. “And I’m sorry I complicated this. As much as the gemstone can give us, I know it can make me a little…blind.”
I thought of the frantically desperate look on her face before she disappeared into the hotel and the way it heightened when I tried to stop her in the hall. But it was the glare of betrayal she had given me that really stung. I couldn’t wrap my mind aroundhow to keep her safe while holding myself to the promise of never trapping her.
“Don’t let it get to you,” I said, shaking the thought for now. “We’ve been dragging you into hunts since the night we met. Besides, it wasn’t just the gem that brought us here. We would have been splattered across the road if you hadn’t guided me.”
She made a face. “Thanks for the image.”
I chuckled. “I kinda hate to admit it, but maybe itislucky we ran into those weirdos before anyone else could intercept us. Lee’s right. These monsters can’t get into the hands of druglords and politicians. I can’t even imagine the lives lost if we can’t pull this off. If Ben hadn’t sensed you…”
