“Miss me?” he asked in a low, rough voice.

There were no words to describe what I’d been through the last three days. Emotion choked me until I couldn’t speak, and I did the only thing I could.

His lips were warm and firm and they parted under mine, our breath mingling as I explored his mouth. The taste, the smell, that could only be Nikolas, invaded my senses, and I trembled as my Mori reacted to him. After a minute, his hands came up to frame my face, and he took possession of my lips with a hunger that made my head spin. Fire raced through my veins as the kiss consumed me.

He whispered my name and brushed his lips against the corner of my mouth, my nose, my eyelids. I melted under the tender assault. Then he pulled me down so my cheek lay over his heart, and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to get my heart rate and breathing back to normal, and I smiled when I felt his heart racing as well.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said huskily. “I should go away for another week.”

I lifted my head and scowled at his satisfied expression. Before I could make a retort, someone cleared their throat a few feet away.

“Maybe I should come back later,” Chris said in a voice laced with laughter.

Nikolas’s gaze didn’t leave mine. “Good idea.”

“Where is she?” Jordan called. A few seconds later, she said, “Oh. Well I guess she’s feeling better.”

“Come along, Jordan. Let’s give these two some time together.”

“But –”

“We’ll see you two later,” Chris said and then I heard him lead Jordan away.

Nikolas’s hand came up to brush away the hair falling around my face. “You look tired.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well.” I rested my cheek against his chest. “Are you really here?”

He kissed the top of my head and held me close. “Yes.”

I closed my eyes, content to lie there wrapped in his arms and breathe in his scent. I didn’t care that we were lying in the middle of the lawn or who saw us. Three days ago, I’d feared I would never be able to touch him again. I wanted to hold onto him as long as I could.

“Aine said you’ve been working hard to get your control back. Looks like she was right.”

“She and Eldeorin are so good to me.” I sighed deeply. “Eldeorin said I have to start training next week.”

“Yes, he told me that.”

“He didn’t say how long it would take.” I bit my lip. I couldn’t expect Nikolas and the others to hang around here indefinitely, and the thought of being here without them put a damper on my happiness.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He rolled us until we were lying side by side in the grass. Then he put a finger under my chin and forced me to look at him. “You are a terrible liar. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

It was hard to think straight when he was so close and looking at me with such tenderness. “I was just wondering how long I’ll have to be here. I know you have responsibilities and I don’t expect...”

His smile made me forget whatever I was going to say. “I’m not going anywhere. I may have to leave for a day or two sometimes, but I’ll come back.”

“Oh.”

“You thought I’d leave you after the chase you led me on?”

I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I took off the way I did. I was upset, but I should have talked to you instead of running away.”

His hand toyed with my hair, sending delicious shivers down my back. “I’m sorry too. I handled the whole thing badly. I saw how upset you were, and I should have known you would run.”

A smile played around my lips. “You did know. That’s why you had the twins follow me everywhere.”

“A lot of good it did.” His smile matched mine. “At least Seamus and Niall won’t be making any more wisecracks about how you never would have given them the slip in Maine.”

“How long did it take you to find them and realize we were gone?”

“About thirty minutes. Then we spent the next thirty scouring the woods.” He frowned. “How did you two get past all our sentries?”

“Jordan didn’t tell you?”

“She said she was going to let you tell that story.” He arched an eyebrow. “Well?”

I plucked at a blade of grass. “You promise you won’t get angry?”

“I think we’re beyond that after everything else that’s happened, don’t you?”

I told him how Jordan and I had left Westhorne, and he stared at me in disbelief. All traces of humor left his face when he heard how we’d changed in the mill and hiked to Derek’s to buy the car. To his credit, he didn’t comment on it, but I could tell he wanted to.

“Then you drove to Boise to pick up Roland and Peter.” His brow creased. “What was in Salt Lake City? Jordan and the others wouldn’t tell us much about it.”

“A friend who set me up with a laptop. You traced Roland’s and Peter’s cell phones there?”

“Yes.”

“You almost caught us at our hotel and we had to take off.”

“I know, and I spent the better part of a day searching for you there. Why did you go to Albuquerque?”

“How did you know we were in Albuquerque?”

He gave me a smug look. “You aren’t the only one with resources. Although, I have to say yours are impressive to help you get as far as you did with us on your trail.”