“Tsk tsk, Cousin. Such naughty thoughts.”

I gasped softly as Eldeorin appeared outside the gazebo, wearing a sly grin. My hands covered Nikolas’s arms, and I waited for him to start yelling at the faerie for his part in my vigilante activities.

“He’s in what we call a waking dream,” Eldeorin said. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”

“What kind of dream?” Aine had put the hellhounds in a waking dream once, and she’d said it felt exactly like real life.

Eldeorin’s eyes gleamed. “A very good one. Not quite as interesting as what you were thinking about a minute ago, but he won’t complain as long as you’re with him.”

My face flamed. I didn’t know if it was from imagining what Nikolas was doing in his dream, or because Eldeorin had guessed my thoughts when he arrived. “How do you know what I was thinking?”

His soft laugh floated toward me. “I didn’t, but I do now.”

I sighed in frustration. “Did you come here just to toy with Nikolas? He’s pretty angry at you.”

“Right now your warrior is feeling something, but it’s definitely not anger.”

“Eldeorin!”

He chuckled and stepped forward until he was directly below me. “Love suits you, Cousin.”

My ire faded. “I know.”

“I’m happy for you. You are good together, and I can see how much he loves you.” He laid his hand on the railing. “I came to tell you I must leave for a week or two, but I will return to continue our training.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I have been called home to assist nymph triplets who are experiencing a difficult liannan.” He smiled suggestively. “It is a messy job, but someone has to do it.”

I scoffed. “Yes, I’m sure it’s such a burden.”

Eldeorin laughed and backed away from the gazebo. “I’ll see you soon, Cousin.”

“Sara? What just happened?”

I turned in Nikolas’s arms so I was facing him. Confusion was etched across his face as he stared down at me. “Eldeorin paid us a visit. He put you in some kind of dream state.”

Nikolas swore under his breath. “I really don’t like that faerie.”

“Eldeorin’s a bit outrageous, but he does have a good heart.” I reached up to smooth the scowl from his face. “You’ll be happy to know that he’s gone to Faerie for a few weeks.”

“This must be my lucky day.”

“Best day ever.”

He lowered his head and kissed me until my head was spinning and my legs had turned to rubber. When he pulled back and smiled at me, my stomach dipped at the heat in his gaze.

And then his phone rang.

I was really starting to hate that damn phone.

He actually groaned as he pulled the phone from his pocket. “Nikolas here.” He gave me an apologetic smile as he listened to the person on the other end for a minute. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Duty calls,” I said as he hung up.

“Sorry. One of our teams reported in with some intel and I need to be there. I wasn’t expecting to hear from them today.”

I was disappointed, but I understood the importance of his work. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s your job.”

We left the gazebo and started back to the house. When the lights of the mansion came into view, I sighed quietly, knowing our night had come to an end.

“Do you want to come to the command center with me?” Nikolas asked when we neared the house.

“Yes,” I said eagerly. I wasn’t ready to let him out of my sight just yet.

He smiled as we skirted the house to head next door. Our alone time might have been cut short, but the promise in his eyes told me we were going to pick up where we’d left off. Maybe not tonight, but it was going to happen.

Soon, whispered the voice in the back of my mind. Mine.

I smiled to myself. Soon.

* * *

“This place looks so different from our last visit,” Jordan said as we walked into Blue Nyx with Nikolas and Chris the next day. Except for the two huge bouncers and a few cleaning staff, the place was deserted. It could have passed for a normal club without all the nonhuman patrons filling the dance floor.

Chris shook his head. “I can’t believe you were here that night and I didn’t see you.”

Jordan’s laugh echoed through the empty room. “Oh, you saw her alright. We walked right past you at the door.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “The faerie glamoured you.”

“Sara was the hottest nymph I’ve ever seen,” Jordan said slyly. “They don’t wear much, do they?”

Nikolas’s head whipped toward us, and Chris smiled sheepishly. “I, uh...” He looked at Nikolas. “She didn’t look like herself, so it really wasn’t her body I saw...”

“Jordan, stop messing with Chris,” I scolded loudly. “It looked nothing like me. And I could have gone a long time without bringing that up.”

“Me too,” Nikolas and Chris muttered at the same time.

On the second floor, Nikolas nodded to the guard outside Adele’s door before he knocked. The fact that the guard recognized him made an irrational knot of jealousy burn in my gut. Nikolas had already told me he knew Adele because she sometimes provided the Mohiri with information. There was absolutely no reason to be jealous of a gorgeous, sultry succubus who lived off the sexual energy of men.