“Because you aren’t fixed in your ways.”

“Says who? I want promises that my guy’ll be in one bed: mine.”

“No doubt a vow to the Lore? You’re power-mad for those vows. What if we committed, and you realized your feelings for me were just an infatuation? A schoolgirl crush? We’ve known each other for such a short time.”

Instead of reassuring him she felt more, Josephine said, “I bet I could get Desh to make me a pledge.”

Rune’s eyes narrowed. “By the way, a male demon’s horns are considered sexual organs. Your asking to touch them was as good as offering a hand job. You probably didn’t know that, since you’re mentally the equivalent of a human. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“You’re right. I didn’t know that.” She tapped a black claw to her chin. “But I will the next time I ask him.”

Rune clenched his jaw. She could proposition Deshazior—doing anything she pleased with the demon—and Rune couldn’t say a word about it.

Whatever she read in his expression made hers light up. “My old man’s jealous of Desh! I’ll bring you around.”

“Or maybe I’m furious that a fledgling storm demon disrespected me. He was only a twinkle in his sire’s eyes when I was six thousand years old!”

In a singsong tone, she said, “Jea-hel-lous.” She floated higher to nip the tip of his sensitive ear!

He didn’t know if that made him want to fuck her, spank her, or hug her. “Perhaps I’ll run into some Orea up here, nymphs who live on high mountaintops. Then we’ll see who’s jealous.”

She alighted on the plank again. “And what would you do with them? Bone them? When you’re so scared?”

“I’m not scared. I’m just not overjoyed.”

“My man is old and jealous and scared too.” The sun hit her dazzling smile.

Gods, she was stunning. “I’d simply rather be somewhere else. Now, shut up, child.”

“So it wouldn’t bother you if I did this?” She jumped up and down, bouncing the plank. “Will the Orea come and save their favorite stud?”

“You’ll pay for this when we get to solid ground.”

“What if I did this?” She inched closer to him. Closer. She didn’t stop when she reached him, just proceeded—into his body.

“Josephine, no.” Chills skittered up his spine. Yet at the same time, having her inside him was curiously . . . erotic.

They began to dematerialize. “What are you doing?” Dread overwhelmed him when his fingers passed through the chain.

She stepped off the fucking ledge; they hovered in the air.

He peered straight down at the drop. His lungs seized, his heart about to explode. Trace away! Would she move with him? Or would he throw her off? What if she lost control and fell? Mind in chaos, he yelled, “Enough!”

She floated him back to the plank, then disentangled herself. Once she’d solidified beside him, his phobia kicked in with a vengeance, applying to her as well. “Stay on this godsdamned plank.” He shoved her between him and the mountain—leaving room only for his toes to remain on the board.

“What’d you do that for? You’re hanging off the edge now.”

He bit out, “I don’t know. You need to be kept close. But not bloody inside me.” In this position, he could see straight down her shirt to her pale cleavage. Just to distract him, a bead of perspiration trickled past her necklace, down between those alabaster mounds. When he focused on that view, he found this situation wasn’t as troubling. In fact, he was hard. He wanted to lick the sweat from every inch of her skin.

She walked her fingers up his chest, twining her hands behind his neck. “My dark fey’s protecting me again?”

He dragged his gaze to her face. “It wouldn’t be the first time. I did try to safeguard you below.”

“You were so fast against Desh! And you’re a lot stronger than I thought. Which is saying something since I saw you drop a building when I spied on you.”

He’d never scented her when she’d watched him—because she’d been air. “My strength comes with age. In the Lore, old man means strong man.”

“I feel your strength when I’m inside you. Possessing you gives me a high.”

“You’ve done it to me more than once?” It struck him. “In Tortua.”

She nodded. “I wanted to make sure I had an out if you tried to gank me or something. So I found an in.”

“Why would you ever materialize? You’re invincible as long as you’re intangible. Why not go twenty-four hours a day?”

“I like having a body.”

He would like having her body as well. “Have you possessed others when they have sex?”

She grinned. “Oh, yeah.”

He clutched her closer. “Do you make them do things?”

“I’m a voyeur only. I try not to make shells move. Messes with their minds.”

“You don’t say.” His jaw was sore from his own hits. “I had no idea why I was punching myself in the face. And then to step off the ledge?”

“I usually can’t sense anything inside a shell, but I tasted your fear and felt your heart thundering. Sorry I scared you.” Just as her delicate fingertips had climbed up, they began to trail back down.

“What’re you doing, Josephine?” He barely recognized his voice. Gods, she made him feel reckless. And exhilarated.