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Damn him and his talent for manipulating shadows. I moved to reach around him and open the closet door, but he caught my hand with his and pinned it above my head, grabbing my other hand and doing the same. I could still feel the magic of this house as if it were a hot coal deep in my stomach as my magic responded to his, surging up and sparking my hands.

“Hey now, firecracker, that was not very nice,” he teased, bringing his mouth down to the intersection where my neck met my shoulder.

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I laughed, breathless.

“Mmhmm,” he murmured against my skin, his lips moving in a soft trail of kisses up my neck and across my jaw. When his lips finally met mine, I felt as if my skin was on fire, the small closet space warming with the heat of our bodies.

My lips opened beneath his as he pressed his hips into me, driving and pinning me against the wall. The broadsword at my back pressed uncomfortably between my shoulder blades, but that was a passing thought as I felt every inch of him pressed against me, my hands held prisoner above my head.

He deepened the kiss, his lips pressing so hard against mine I was sure they would bruise, but I didn’t care. Hot need pulsed between my legs as he pushed into me. I felt as if no matter how close he was, it wasn’t close enough. I wanted more of him. I wanted to taste all of him. He parted my lips with his and slipped his tongue inside, mixing with mine. The sensation set my bones on edge. I moaned against him as the intensity of his kiss threatened to devour me and swallow me whole. I laughed against his lips and he pulled away enough to see my face in the darkness.

“Andwhatis so funny, firecracker?” He ground into me, causing me to gasp, a smile across his lips.

“I’ve just…” I started, biting my lip, “never felt this way before,” I admitted. He wouldn’t be able to see the flush that rose to my cheeks in the darkness, but I could feel it hot beneath my skin. His eyes darkened, and I could see a muscle tick in his jaw as he brought his lips back to mine possessively.

“Me neither,” he whispered against my mouth. “You’re mine.” his words were so quiet they were almost swallowed into the darkness as he nipped at my bottom lip. I bit him back, hard enough to draw a little blood. I licked it off, running my tongue slowly across his bottom lip, savoring the salty taste.

“Fuck,” he moaned, releasing my hands from above my head and moving his fingers to press into my hips. I gripped his shirt tightly in my fist as I pulled him closer. We had started to dry off since the rainstorm earlier and were only damp now, but I was itching to get out of these wet jeans.

As if reading my thoughts, Nik reluctantly pulled back, letting out a deep sigh. “We better be getting back. Who knows how many witches he sent after us through the portal to spy on us.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, my heart beating hard against my ribs so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I ran my thumb across his bottom lip, wiping the bead of blood away before licking it off my finger. Nik’s eyes were heated in the darkness.

He reluctantly turned and opened the closet door, careful not to make too much noise in case the witches hadn’t gone far. I followed close on his heels, trying my best to be quiet against the creaking floorboards, but I wasn’t nearly as graceful as he was. Nik scanned the area in front of the house and when he saw no one, he motioned for me to follow. We slipped out of the cottage quietly as the sun began to set over the water.

“We spent more time here than I thought,” Nik spoke in a hushed tone as we made our way back down the winding cobblestone streets. He nudged me gently in the side and it sent a wave of heat over me. I was growing accustomed to the feeling of the sword at my back, and though I had been nervous at first, I was looking forward to learning how to wield it.

We made our way out of the city and back up the hill swiftly, continually checking behind us to make sure Fletcher’s men weren’t on our heels. When we reached the top of the hill, Nik wasted no time and called the portal forth, taking my hand in his and stepping into the abyss.

The first thing I did when I got home was race upstairs and call Tess. I couldn’t believe that not only had I been to Istmere, but I had seen the city of Siraleth. I had felt the magic there, and Nik had kissed me. A few times. I felt hot all over at the thought of it. His body pressed against mine, his eyes darkening, the way he felt under my fingertips. I shook the thoughts of Nik loose and continued dialing, suppressing a giggle at the thought of Tess’ reaction.

“It’s about time!” Tess answered, a laugh in her voice.

“Who answers the phone like that?” I threw myself down onto the pillows, Waffles jumping up onto the bed to join me.

“I do. Your best friend, in case you forgot,” she teased, “I have been waiting all day for an update!”

“Well, I called you as soon as I got home,” I assured her, scratching Waffles under the chin until he started to purr.

“I thought you turned your phone off. My messages didn’t say delivered.”

“That’s because I was in a place where therewasno cell service, or no cell phones at all, rather.”

“Youwhat?You went to the other realm?” I could imagine her pouting on the other end of the line, feeling left out. I told Tess all about how I had used storm magic for the first time, and how easy it had felt. How natural. I told her how Nik had taken me to Siraleth to see the fallen city. How Fletcher’s men had followed us through the portal, but hadn’t caught us. I left the best part for last, knowing it would kill her.

“I have some pretty big news to tell you myself,” she announced.

“You go first,” I told her.

“No, you,” she insisted, “because I’m pretty sure I already know what it is.” I was pretty sure she had already guessed, too.

“Nik kissed me,” I sighed, biting my lip.

“I knew it!” she squealed through the phone. “I needallthe details.”

“It was hot. Like…scorching.” I could hear the soft pad of footsteps on the stairs. Was it my mom? Jake?

“Oh, you bad girl,” she teased, “what else?”