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It was too much, too fast, and she had reasons for why this was a terrible idea. She just couldn’t remember any of them right now. Not as he took her hands in his and a giddy, selfish thrill shot through her.

“Talya Caro,” Skye whispered, and she tried to shake her head. Tried to remember how to breathe as he looked up at her with wide, earnest eyes and said, “will you please… let me use the shower first?”

For the second time in under a minute, the world fell out from beneath her.

“It’s freezing,” he said, the beginnings of a smirk hovering at the corners of his mouth. He’d no doubt heard those infinitely long moments when her heart had stopped beating. “And wet. And you useso muchhot water.”

Taly pried her hands from his. “I’m going to kill you,” she said, low and dangerous, and Shards, why the hell was she smiling at this asshole? “You are so dead.”

“You can’t say you didn’t deserve that.” Skye was on his feet now, already scuttling towards the back door. “After what you did to me on the roof?”

He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t stop Taly from trying to grab him.

He dodged—a blur of motion. “So, about the shower…” He dodged again, swatting her fist away. “Is that a yes?” Dodged again. “I’m just going to take that as a yes.”

Skye lunged for the door, but Taly rooted his feet to the ground with a flash of golden aether and slipped past him.

“You know I can break out of this,” he called after her, laughing.

“Oh, I know,” she said, grinning wildly as she turned and braced one hand against the back door. “But I don’t need to stop you. I just have to beat you upstairs.”

And with that, she slammed and locked the door.

As it turned out, even having a head start on a shadow mage didn’t equal an easy victory. It took exactly five seconds before Taly heard the side door open and close. Even using her magic to quicken her pace, Skye had already caught up by the time she skidded into the main hall.

Across the room, their eyes met. He thought he’d won. She could see it on his face, in his smug, reckless smile.

But she was standing beneath the stairs, right in the center of the spiral, and all she had to do was look up, all the way to the domed top, and find her destination. It just had to be a point that she could see…

Taly phased, slipping through the Weave and reappearing on the top floor. Skye’s whispered curse followed her all the way up, and she glanced down, only to find him zigzagging across the central column, leaping from the banisters silent as a shadow.

She stopped wasting time, barreling into their shared apartment a moment later. The washroom was halfway between their rooms. She sprinted for it and tried to slam the door behind her—but he caught it, wedging his foot in the frame before she could lock him out.

The washroom was all white tile trimmed with dark wood. There was a deep clawfoot tub in one corner and a large openshower on the back wall, partially concealed by a pane of fogged blue-green glass.

That’s where Taly lunged, giving up on the door. “It’s mine,” she crowed gleefully and threw out another spell.

One he easily rebuffed with a flare of violet aether, grabbing her around the waist just as she managed to set foot in the shower.

“Cheaters never prosper.” He was laughing as he said it, the words nearly lost beneath her squeal of surprise when he lifted her off her feet. His fingers immediately went for her ribs, and she let out a shriek, twisting and writhing, using the glass for leverage and just managing to wriggle out of his grasp.

She retreated further in. Skye matched her step for step, until her back hit the shower wall.

It was easy to forget sometimes just how much larger he was. But not when he was this close. Standing with his body just brushing hers, arms braced on either side of her, caging her in. She had to crane her neck to find those green eyes staring down at her.

They were both panting, grinning, though his had an edge to it. For the first time in her life, Taly knew without doubt that he hadn’t meant for her to win.

That felt good. That feltreallygood.

“You cheated.” He said it like he was stating a fact.

Taly fought her smile. The issue wasn’t that Skye was a sore loser. He was just unfamiliar with the concept.

“Even if that were true,” she said, placing both hands on his chest and giving a firm push. He humored her by stepping back. “That doesn’t change the fact that I got here first, and that this is nowmyshower.” She reached behind her. “And I take trespassing very seriously.”

Then she turned the faucet, watching as ice-cold water rained down on his head.

Skye’s lips thinned as he closed his eyes. His dark hair quickly became plastered, water streaming down his face and soaking his collar. Any part of his clothing that wasn’t already damp from the rain became drenched.