“I hear the sadness in your voice. I would like to revisit this conversation in a quieter time. But for now, why don’t you learn magic?”

I stood, whipped out my sword, and sliced through the spell. Immediately I felt the small tug of the sword, asking for a little bit more power to keep it completely stocked. I resisted, to see what would happen. After a moment, the feeling died away.

“I really like this sword. Thank you.” I tried to step forward, but felt his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “You want to soak in the moment of me thanking you, huh?”

“You’ve cut a ward. Usually some sort of defensive measure happens afterward.”

“Yes, professor, that is true. So why are we standing still, waiting for it?”

His hand disappeared from my shoulder.

I stalked forward, waiting for the ball to drop. “I am learning to be a mage, after a fashion. Did you not hear me in that mage’s house? I study spells and incantations, but there’s a lot of information, not to mention tons of spells that are virtually the same other than their names. A spell that shocks people can be performed in ten different ways, did you know that? Ten!”

“Pick one and then you can shock a person.”

“Yes. That is the logical conclusion. The problem is, I’m a perfectionist when it comes to magic. Maybe one is better than the other. Maybe the versions are different because of climate or environmental differences. I don’t want to try each one, because I’m also cautious. I’ve seen what happens when an idiot with too much power tampers with unknown spells. So then I look up each variation and try to figure out why it’s different from the others. All that takes time.”

“I assume you are the idiot with too much power?”

“I am not the idiot with too much power because I’m not tampering with spells I don’t understand. But thanks for the finger pointing, ass.”

He smiled again as we made it to the three steps that led up to a modest porch. No defensive spells had come, or even vibrated from within the house. It was then I remembered what we were dealing with: a community.

“Move!” I shoved Darius to the side and ran the other way.

Not a moment too soon.

A wash of magic rolled through the yard from behind us, churning the air with heat. It bounced against the porch and stopped. I’d seen that spell before—it was supposed to contain blue fire. This one contained a glowing blue orb instead. The caster had sent it in the right direction, but not with nearly enough power.

“This is what I’m talking about. Step in here.” I walked into the spell and closed my eyes in bliss. It was a lovely dry heat, like a sauna. “Comfy.”

Darius lightly grabbed my arm. He was reaching in instead of walking in. “It is too hot for my liking. I will not be grieved by my inability to take a bath with you.”

“You won’t be grieved because vampires in water smell like rotting flesh, or because you realize I’m not into dead things and you don’t want to embarrass yourself?”

“You have consented to let me feed from you. It is only a matter of time before you desire to feel me, skin on skin.”

“I consented to let you feed if you absolutely had to. But you’ve fed. A lot, actually, considering you just did so again last night after only a week or whatever. You have to be stuffed. We’ll have killed the mage or died trying long before you need to feed again.”

“Something about you makes me thirsty beyond my control, Reagan. The human last night did nothing to curb the insatiable need that you inspire within me. It made me want you more. I will not last as long as you believe.”

“That is an extremely poetic way of saying you’re screwed, isn’t it?”

“I will screw you, yes. Very softly at first, until you are mewling and writhing. Then, when you beg me just right, I will screw you hard, deeply, until you are screaming for holy damnation. I will be the only thing you think about for the rest of your life.”

“Sounds horrible. Remind me—did you like getting shot in the leg, or no?”

His hand left the bubble of the spell.

“That’s what I thought.” I let my own heat coat my body, fire not quite realized, dissolving the spell. “This neighborhood must be a coven, but their combined power is nothing. Pooled together, they would barely get through to the Realm. What were they doing with a powerful mage living among them?”

“You know about magic, but you do not know the culture of mages and witches?” Darius turned as a deadbolt clicked over. “The house is now unlocked.”

“Thanks for actually doing something. Other than pissing off a powerful alpha and hanging me in the air by my butt, that is.”

“I have also made sexually explicit verbal advances on you.”

“Inappropriate sexually explicit verbal advances, at that. That’s a mouthful of awful, is what that is.” I walked up the steps as the deadbolt clicked over again. I sighed and cocked a hip in annoyance. “Really, Darius?”

“That wasn’t me. The human must be by the door.”

“Ah. Which means she knows a vampire is outside. That’s got to be terrifying.” I knocked. “It’s me from the other day,” I called. “The girl who took out that mage.”

I heard heavy footsteps before a curtain in the window at the front of the house shook. I stepped down two steps so she could better see me.

After squinting in the window for a moment, her face disappeared. The porch light blazed down on us and Darius flinched away before he could stop himself. Margaret’s face appeared in the window again. Her eyes shone in recognition as she scrutinized Darius. A moment later, the deadbolt clicked over and the door shimmied open. As if on cue, the sound of more locks clicking and doors opening drifted over the quiet street. All the neighbors were up and watching the intruders.

“The spell woke them,” Darius muttered as he looked behind.

I nodded, though he couldn’t see, and resumed my place on the porch.

“What are you doing here in the dead of night?” Margaret asked me in a hushed, disapproving voice. “You gave me a huge fright.”

“I’m working. You have a minute?” I took a step closer.

“In the middle of the night? Absolutely not! Come back in the daytime, young lady. You ought to be—” She cut herself off as Darius appeared beside me.

“You are being rude,” he said in that cultivated and eloquent voice, clearly displaying his own disapproval. We might be pushing ourselves on her in the middle of the night, but his tone was so convincing, he made her seem like the barbarian in this situation.

It seemed to work. Half sputtering, she backed up out of the way and held the door for us, her face pink. As we entered, her gaze shot past us, to the people obviously watching.

“You can invite some of your friends, if that would make you feel more comfortable,” Darius offered gracefully.

“Yes, of course,” she said, as though she hadn’t meant to. “I’ll just…do that.”

“Maybe first you would prefer to show us to our seats and inquire after refreshments? Reagan would probably love some coffee.”

Margaret stared at Darius like he had two heads. “Sure. Yes.”

“You’re laying it on a little thick,” I murmured to Darius as Margaret ushered us into her home and planted us on the fluffy couch in her living room. The layout was very similar to the mage’s house next door.

“While she is probably an excellent hostess, given the strange crocheted items—”

“Those are doilies,” I supplied.

“—and full tea set, she is frightened and displaying signs of guilt. She is not at her best. I am merely shepherding her.”

“I see,” I said as she stood in front of us, wringing her hands.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.

“I would love tea, please,” Darius said pleasantly.

“Actually, we won’t take up much of your—”

“Tea would be fine, thank you.” Darius used his soft though forceful voice to cut me off. Margaret disappeared with a sigh of relief.