Swallowing, I looked down at Ember. She met my gaze, green eyes shining beneath her hair, stepped close, and slipped her arms around my neck. My breath caught, feeling every muscle tense as she pressed against me, still holding my gaze.

“Is this all right?”

I forced myself to breathe, relax. “Yes.” Carefully, not really knowing what to do with my hands, I placed them around her waist, feeling her shiver as well. She began moving, swaying back and forth with the music, and I followed her lead.

“I’m sorry for yesterday,” she murmured after a quiet moment, just circling with her in the center of the floor. “I didn’t mean to spring that on you. And I didn’t mean to take off like I did, either.”

“I thought I might’ve done something wrong,” I said quietly.

She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t you. I just…” She sighed. “I’ve never kissed anyone…or dated anyone. I was pretty sheltered growing up, there weren’t many boys around. Well, except Dante, and he didn’t count. I mean, he’s a boy of course, but he’s my brother so I don’t really think of him as a boy, not like you…and now I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She grimaced, ducking her head to hide her face.

“I’m just new at this,” she muttered into my shirt. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

She was so warm. Her body shifted against me, and I closed my eyes. “That makes two of us,” I murmured.

“But, it can’t be that scary, right?” She looked up, cocking her head at me. “I mean, compared to surfing twelve foot waves and shooting rabid zombie hoards, this should be easy.”

That coaxed a tiny smile. “You would think so.” I recalled all the battles I’d faced over the years; the fighting, the chaos, dodging bullets and claws and dragonfire. None of it held a candle to what was happening now. “At least I don’t have to worry about you wanting to eat my brains,” I said, then wondered where that had come from.

She laughed softly, the sound making my heart skip a beat. Pull back, the soldier warned. Don’t let her in. This is a mission, and you’re getting way too comfortable. Pull back, now.

I ignored it. Having Ember so close, her skin warm on mine, I could feel my resistance melting away, vanishing like a paper held to a flame. It should have been terrifying, made me retreat behind the wall I’d built up over long years of training. That barrier between myself and pain, of watching brothers and comrades killed, torn to pieces before my eyes. The mask I donned, blank and indifferent, when a superior officer was screaming in my face. I should’ve pulled back, but right now, I was more content than I’d been in a long, long time. I could get used to this, I decided, tightening my hold on the girl. I could, very easily, close my eyes, lower all my defenses, and lose myself in her arms.

Ember leaned close, resting her head on my shoulder, making my heart skip. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say,” she muttered, sounding frustrated. Her breath feathered across my neck, raising goosebumps. “I like spending time with you. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t…I don’t want you to leave.” One hand fiddled with the front of my shirt, tracing patterns and sending little pulses through me. “Of course, if I’ve read too much into things, go ahead and point out that dark hole so I can get comfortable, cause I’m never coming out again.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” I said, my voice coming out rather husky.

She looked up at me, her face inches from mine. Time froze around us, the other dancers fading away, until it was just us in the center of the music and the darkness. Her arms slipped behind my neck and tightened, pulling faintly. But she didn’t move from there, just continued to watch me with solemn green eyes, her fingers brushing the nape of my neck. This time, she would let me decide.

Running a hand over her cheek, I leaned forward.

“Hi.”

A new, unfamiliar voice interrupted us, making me pull back. Annoyed, I looked over to face a guy with dark, messy hair and a leather jacket. His arms were crossed, and he wore a dangerous smirk as he stared at me. I frowned, not recognizing him, but Ember gave a tiny squeak and stiffened in my arms.

“Riley?” she gasped, the instant recognition making me tense.

“What are you doing here?”

Ember

Okay, this night was officially weird.

I’d thought I knew what I wanted. Before coming to the party, Lexi had pretty much convinced me that Garret would be there. Kristin’s birthday parties were the stuff of legends, and half the town had probably heard about it by now. Even when I pointed out that he might not come, and I had no way to contact him if he didn’t show, that hadn’t deterred Lexi. She’d already made plans to stalk the beaches and local hangouts every day until we found him.

As Dante and I had pulled up in the car, parking behind the long line of vehicles already in the driveway, my hopes had shriveled a bit.

I’d thought Garret probably wouldn’t be there; he didn’t really seem the party type. I’d steeled myself for disappointment, telling myself that we could look for him tomorrow. All was not lost if he didn’t show up tonight.

At the edge of the yard, Dante saw a cluster of his seemingly endless circle of friends and hurried off to join them, leaving me alone. Rolling my eyes, I continued up the steps, planning to track down Lexi so we could cover more ground together. But then, as I’d walked through the front door, there he’d been, sitting on the couch and looking highly uncomfortable as Lexi tossed him what I hoped was not a condom. My stomach had twisted as I’d stalked up. even through the mortification, all I could think of was kissing him again, feeling his heartbeat under my palm, breathing in his scent. If these were purely human experiences, then I would just be human for a little while. Talon would disapprove, but Talon could go to hell. They’d already taken so much of my summer away. This part of it was mine.