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Perhaps not as delicate as others considering how her aura seemed to be supercharged, and she was able to draw from him and Carter. He wouldn't be surprised to find that she had mixed heritage somewhere in her lineage.

Now the three of them were on the bed staring at Babette where Babette had made herself comfortable on some of the pillows.

“Babette, you can’t stay,” Gio said firmly, giving Mila a sidelong glance. “Please.”

“How about you sleep with Aunty Bec?” Mila said, reaching for the dog. Babette made a huffing sound but snuggled into Mila’s arms.

“I’ll be right back,” Mila said.

They watched her disappear out the door. Carter tilted his head, and Gio knew he was listening to her walk down the stairs. When he chuckled, Gio raised an eyebrow.

“Bec was grumpy until Mila pushed Babette at her. Bec made a cooing sound and took the dog. She said something likebest dog everand shut the door in Mila’s face,” Carter explained. “She’s on her way back up.”

Mila walked through the bedroom door with an amused expression on her face. “I think I might have to share custody of Babette with Bec.”

Gio didn’t like that. An unreasonable amount of protectiveness rose up in him. “She can adopt her own dog, she doesn’t need to steal yours. I’ll speak to her.”

Mila pushed him to the bed. “Gio, I’m being silly. Bec is my best friend. She won’t steal my dog.”

“Sorry,” Gio said with a grimace. He didn’t know how to explain his emotional state, but Mila seemed to understand.

“I’m here, we’re doing this,” she murmured, taking one of his hands in hers.

Carter moved behind him and draped his arms over Gio’s shoulders. “Let’s get settled on the bed.”

Gio watched energy move across auras. “You can’t see it, but her aura is shining bright. It’s trying to spread into my aura, as if Mila is trying to feed me.”

Mila looked shocked. “I’m sorry?”

Her statement/question made Gio chuckle. “It’s a nice feeling. Like sitting in front of a cheerfully crackling fireplace.”

Mila looked doubtful but still nodded her head. “I’m so hot I’m on fire!”

Carter positioned them on the bed until they were sitting in a three person circle, all holding hands.

“This feels like I should be chanting,” Mila joked.

“No chanting,” he said. “Simply try to be relaxed and don’t let go of me.”

Mila’s expression turned serious. “I won’t let go,” she promised.

Gio closed his eyes and focused on finding Mila’s soul. The fire analogy wasn't entirely wrong. He reached deep inside of her and found her soul bright white with heat. As he gently separated a piece from it, he felt heat building inside of him.

Mila’s hand tightened on his, and her breath hitched. “That feels weird.”

Carter let go of Gio. He felt the bed shift and then Gio could tell he was embracing Mila. That helped Gio because her aura’s efforts to feed him were more directed with Carter.

The piece of soul he pulled from Mila into himself melded into his soul eagerly. His body heated up in a way he’d never experienced before. If he didn’t know better, he’d think it was a sudden fever!

With less care, he pulled a piece of his soul off. It hurt, but he ignored the pain. With care, he pushed it into Mila and nudged it against her soul. As should happen, her soul accepted it and the link between them snapped into place.

Power flooded into Gio. It was so much it almost hurt. It made him think of the first time he accidentally touched a live wire. Electricity was brand new, and he wouldn’t have survived if he hadn’t been a vampire. Mila was a reservoir of power looking for rivers to flow into.

Mila sucked in a breath. When Gio opened his eyes, he saw her looking at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

“Oh, wow!” she exclaimed, pressing a hand against her chest.

“Is that a goodwowor a badwow?” Carter asked.