“My father must’ve felt like this with my mother,” he said quietly, almost like he was talking to himself. His breath rustled my hair. “It must’ve started out like this. I want to give you the world, Alexis. I never want you to want for anything.”

“Two wants don’t make a right.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Trust you to laugh it off. I’m trying to tell you this new feeling is scaring the shit out of me.”

Well that wasn’t expected.

“Something just happened there with my magic,” he went on. “I’m honestly not even sure what it was, but it feels…” His voice drifted away.

I shrugged. “It felt good, whatever it was. Fiery but not painful. I liked it. I’d be down to do that again.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think I can do it again. It’s done, now. That’s it. I think.”

I frowned. “What is…it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Right…”

Thankfully, I had a lot of experience shrugging off random magical things for which I had no explanation. I’d been doing it most of my life, learned from my mother, who had always taken all my crazy in stride.

And along those lines… “I think I accidentally made the soul connection permanent. Sorry. But you were claiming me, or whatever, and—”

In a rush, he rolled me onto my back, settled between my legs, and thrust into me. I gasped in shock, then groaned in pleasure. His magic settled over me like a hot, sexy, tantalizing blanket. Fire burned across my skin again, achingly delicious.

“Found your—” I said, then I gasped again as he pumped into me before pulling back and thrusting harder. God he felt good. Better than anything in the world. Better than chocolate. “—sex trigger.”

He slammed into me, over and over, and I was hard pressed to move fast enough to meet his downward thrusts. Pressure built almost immediately. His magic sizzled. I yelled with each thrust, wild. Lost. Taken by surprise and loving it.

“Mine,” he whispered, and he reached down between us and massaged my clit as he stroked in and out. “Come with me.”

I wouldn’t have a choice. This train was smashing into the station.

“Now, Alexis. Come with me,” he commanded. His magic seared my flesh in the most gratifying of ways.

“Oh!” The wave of pleasure crashed, sweeping me along with it. For the fourth time that night. A girl could get used to this.

I trembled in bliss as he shook over me. Endorphins surged through my blood stream, and I could barely form a thought, let alone a word. He leaned down to kiss me softly.

“Surprise,” he said with a smile.

Mouth open, eyes wide, I was panting like a race horse ridden by a giant.

He settled beside me again, nestling me close to his body. “Clearly I was wrong about that magic,” he said with a note of pride.

“Uh-hum.”

“I have no control over it, though.”

“Mm. Mhm.” I swallowed and tried to get my bearings. “Saying that you’re claim—”

“No, no!” He placed his hand over my mouth. “Don’t say the C-word. It’s like a shot of nitrous and I need to take you immediately. Not make love—take you.”

He peeled his fingers off my mouth and paused, like I might say it again just for funsies. But honestly, this girl needed a break.

“Your C-word is a very different C-word than the one Mick at the bar always shouts out,” I said.

He chuckled softly. “That bar…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sponge off of Miles, anymore. In fact…I may have burned that bridge. Though he thought he was having a heart attack, so maybe not.”

“I’ve heard the lease on the building might be up for review soon,” he said in a rough voice. “Would the neighborhood care if that bar shut down?”

The neighborhood, huh? I smiled to myself. He was so transparent it was funny. Too bad Miles wasn’t a nicer person, because it looked like karma was about to deliver him a swift kick, courtesy of Kieran, and I wasn’t going to do a thing to stop it.

“That particular bar shutting down?” I rubbed my hand up his chest before touching my fingers to his chin. I turned his face my way and strained up to kiss him. “No. But hopefully a new bar will take its place. One that isn’t haunted, preferably. And still has a broken-down stool in the corner for Mick, though, because he doesn’t like anything too new or fancy.”

Laughter rumbled in Kieran’s chest. He squeezed me against him. “Anything else?”

“The bartenders should get to keep their jobs. It isn’t their fault Miles is a douche.”

“Right. Hypothetically, if a new bar were to go up there, Mick’s stool—”

“His whole corner. He’s territorial about that particular corner.”

“Mick’s corner, including his stool, and the bartenders, would need a place in the new establishment?”

“Don’t forget the bit about it not being haunted.”

“Can’t you take care of that now?”

“Yes, but I feel bad.”

“Right. So Mick’s corner and the bartenders get to stay, and the ghosts have to take a hike.”

I kissed him again, smiling as I did so. “Yes. Hypothetically, that’s about right.” I ran my fingers against his strong jaw. “So when are you going to clai—”

He slid his hand across my mouth. “Now you’re playing with fire.”

I peeled his hand away. “I like the fire. I like when you take me.”

He chuckled softly. “Give me a few minutes to work up more energy. Otherwise I’ll be a one-pump chump.”

I laughed, squeezing him.

Silence gave way to the crash of the waves beyond the cliff. The room darkened around us as the brilliant colors of the sunset faded away. The mood changed subtly, more subdued, until he said, “When my mother went back to the ocean—which my father should’ve expected—he went crazy and ended up torturing her for the rest of her life.”

I drew a line down the center of his abs. “Your dad is a shit-show, and I don’t need to go frolic in the ocean.”

He didn’t seem to hear me. “He must’ve still loved her. I can’t imagine this feeling will ever fade.”

My stomach flip-flopped and goosebumps spread along my skin. I held my breath.

“Out of spite, he tortured her even though he loved her.”

“Like I said, your dad is a shit-show. And unlike your mother, I’m not the epitome of a lady. If you fuck me over, I will wipe the world with your blood.”

He huffed out a breath that didn’t quite turn into a laugh. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

“Really?” I pulled back and leaned on my elbow, facing him. “I let you claim—”

He pushed his hand over my mouth and his cock straightened to attention. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “Not yet. Seriously, I’m not kidding. I won’t last long if we go again so soon.”

I laughed and pushed his hand away.

When his eyes opened, they were soft. He pulled me closer. “Ending up like my father is my worst nightmare.”

“Well. Just don’t lock me in a castle. My hair isn’t strong enough for someone to climb up.” I held up a finger. “But I’d be happy to stay in said castle, with unlocked doors, now and again. You know, in case you want to go back to visit.”

“It’s my father’s property. I will inherit it should he die.”

I didn’t want to mention that there was likely a clause that forfeited the inheritance should the son kill the father. It seemed in bad taste.

“Listen…” I ran my fingers across his smooth skin. “Did you ever think of contacting the Fire Elemental in Sydney? It seems like she’d have a vested interest in your cause.” I shrugged, keeping it light. “Can’t hurt at this point, can it?”

His breath rose and fell with his sigh. “When I learned my father had spies in the non-magical government, I worried he’d have them abroad, too, so I didn’t contact her. And he probably does, but after checking it out, it seems Dara has seen through his tricks and blocked his attempts.”

“So…that’s a good thing, right?”

“Yes. Which is why I finally made contact.” He stared at the ceiling. “She’s a no-go. She wants what I want, but I don’t think she wants to get in league with Valens’s spawn. She was entirely professional about it, but I got the feeling that she didn’t want to trade one tyrant for another.”

A buzzing interrupted our conversation. Kieran rose a little, lifting me with him, looking beyond the end of the bed. He flopped back down.

“Go get my phone, will ya?” he said.

“No, thanks.”

He sighed. “Worth a try.”

I snuggled into the unbelievably soft pillows as he rolled out of bed and hunted for his phone.

“Well. To hell with her,” I said to ease the blow, feeling the cool bedroom air drift across my skin. “Long story short, despite what people might think, you won’t end up like your father. Not in anything you do. Even if I lost my way and allowed you to control me, Daisy would put her foot down.”

A handsome smile lit up his face as he dug his phone from the back pocket of his discarded jeans. “I suppose that’s true. I’m impressed with how she stands her ground against the guys. She’s as strong as Mordecai is reasonable. They’ll land on their feet. You’ve raised some good people.”

“Thanks,” I said, my heart full.

Kieran looked at his phone for a moment before his gaze came back up to mine. He slid back in beside me. “Speaking of the kids, they want to go home.”

My heart sank. With all that was happening right now, home wasn’t a good plan. I’d recognized the logic of that from the beginning, I’d just been wary about the strings attached to the place Kieran had bought. That ship had sailed.