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“You will work yourself into a coma if you think it is necessary. I am telling you here and now that I. Will. Not. Stand. For. It.” And with that final comment, Hikaru grabbed Nikodemus Holland and translocated away, presumably back to their home in California.

“Well, that was…interesting…and maybe informative?” Gray turned confused eyes to me. “Also, terribly disturbing.” He swallowed hard. “I’m not sure there’s any graver sin than harming a pixie.”

Of course there were just as heinous acts, but I understood the sentiment. Pixies were one of the least aggressive species occupying the world. They were light, laughter, and beauty. Pixies could be hella protective, but only when genuinely threatened. Peaches’s approach to the two djinn he technically held mastery over was proof of that.

Slumped against the far wall, Keir stared at the floor, head hung and shoulders rounded. “We’ll do as told and leave the object for now. I trust Holland’s opinion. Gray’s too. If both of them say not to touch this thing until it is secure, then that’s what we’ll do.”

It wasn’t that I disagreed, but had to ask, “And what about Lazarus and our expected wyvern guest? Lazarus already knows about this thing. I doubt he’ll be too pleased to hear it has to stay where it is.”

Pushing away from the wall, Keir started back down the hall and toward the stairway. “If Lazarus has a problem, then he can take the eggs elsewhere. Honestly, I’m not certain why he hasn’t done that already.”

Gray’s raised eyebrow let me know he was just as confused by the irritation in Keir’s voice as I was. Not that I didn’t understand why Keir was upset, only why it was pointed in Lazarus’s direction.

Fingers intertwining with Gray’s, we followed Keir at a much more sedate pace. Not that I enjoyed being in this dank underground, but as long as Gray was beside me, I was surprisingly okay.

“What do you say we get something to eat and go looking for something else?” Gray said, leaning into me. “My brain’s too wired to rest.”

Mine was too. “Sounds good.”

Gray’s pleased grin and the increased pressure of his fingers in mine were all I needed.

Twenty-Three

Martin

Our quest to find more treasure didn’t last long. It seemed that now that he’d heard the core buzzweed’s song, Gray simply couldn’t shake it. Even with my help, the song still tugged at him. Gray said it was a constant hum poking his brain. His wisp form was very keen to constantly return to the core buzzweed. Gray thought maybe it was because the treasure hadn’t truly been revealed and claimed.

He hadn’t sounded terribly certain and I could feel his doubt resonate within the spark of his magic I now held. Constantly battling the core buzzweed’s song exhausted Gray and I didn’t need his piece of magic to tell me his stamina was fading.

We’d retreated to my quarters and found a completely different way to distract our restless minds. A decidedly more pleasurable and sticky way.

“I knew you had a great ass,” Gray murmured, his cheek pressed against my chest as his fingers traced circles along my left thigh. “A really great ass,” Gray hummed, clearly pleased with the situation. “Nice and strong with hips made for ramming that thick piece of wood between⁠—”

“Sweet Gaia, that’s enough.” My face felt feverish with embarrassment. I’d quickly discovered that Gray’s verbal filter was far looser than mine. Expressing his thoughts and feelings didn’t seem to be something Gray had trouble doing.

“Oh,” Gray practically purred. “I don’t think it’s hardly enough.” Tilting his head so his chin now rested on my chest, Gray’s light blue eyes stared up at me, a mischievous twinkle making them sparkle. Hand sliding from my hip to my cheek, Gray’s fingers lightly danced across my skin. “I never considered what it would be like, having sex with my anchor. I could feel your pleasure. It was like a drug, feeding off itself and growing stronger with each passing second. I’ve never felt anything like that.”

“Me either.” I ran my fingers through Gray’s soft hair. It felt like cotton. “I’m afraid you might be stuck with me now.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping beyond hope that Gray felt the same and that I hadn’t just scared him off. Will-o’-the-wisps were wanderers. Settling down wasn’t typically in their wheelhouse.

“I believe we are very stuck together.” Gray waggled his eyebrows. “We really should have cleaned up right away.” Gray sighed heavily. “I was enjoying lounging and relishing the afterglow and now we are well and truly glued together.”

My heart dropped. Did Gray think I was simply talking about our body fluids? Did he not understand that I⁠—

“Shh.” Gray placed a finger on my lips even though I hadn’t spoken a word. “I can feel you spiraling.” Going up on his elbows, Gray stared down at me, his lips quirked in a languid grin. “I’m being a little shit and teasing you. I should know better. I’m afraid you’re right. We are well and truly stuck together in every conceivable way. Before you freak out, I’m saying I’m afraid you’re right, not because of concern for me, but for you. We both know what I am and how dryad’s typically feel about will-o’-the-wisps.”

“I don’t feel that way anymore.” I hurried to reassure him. “I’m sorry that I ever⁠—”

“Don’t be sorry. Your concerns and feelings aren’t baseless.” Gray swallowed so hard I saw his Adam’s apple bob. “I… What I’m saying is that I kind of feel like I might have roped you into all of this. I feel like maybe I took advantage of your kindness and need to help your friends. I needed an anchor and you volunteered. I could have told you no. I could have⁠—”

“I don’t regret a thing. You know that.”

Gray’s smile was soft and held a tinge of sadness. “I do know that. I can feel it. In here.” He tapped his chest, right over his heart. “What I’m afraid of is that the piece of my magic lodged in you”—Gray tapped my chest—“is manipulating your feelings. If we hadn’t exchanged magic, would you still feel the same?”

My immediate reaction was to claim that I would. I forced that reaction down. Gray was being serious and he deserved an equal, well-considered response. Would I still feel the same? I wasn’t 100 percent certain, but I couldn’t imagine not loving him. The very fact that I’d so willingly agreed to be his anchor spoke volumes. I wouldn’t have been so adamant that I be the one if I hadn’t already had feelings for Gray. That was the truth I held to, the one that I came back to again and again.

“I can’t say it would have happened as quickly if we hadn’t shared our magic,” I finally answered. “I probably wouldn’t have been as certain and there would have been a lot more misunderstandings, false starts, and bumps in the road. But I believe the end destination would have been the same. Sharing our magic just made it a smoother journey.”

Head cocked to the side, Gray’s smile turned a little more hopeful. “Yeah?”