My power reached out further, traveling farther than even I wanted it, and suddenly, it flung back into me. It was like another bomb that went off, but in me. Pain sliced me as my power smashed back into me. I gasped. A rush of blood filled my mouth and my head fell back like it was yanked from behind. I heard a cracking sound and then—nothing.

The world went to black.

I woke up feeling warm and safe, with an arm over my waist. It was nighttime, and Kellan was sleeping with me, his eyes closed and face turned toward me while he held me. I melted. He looked beautiful. There was no sign of the demon in him, and he looked angelic. His strong jawline, his perfect lips, his eyelashes that any girl would yearn for, and his cheekbones—I couldn’t help myself. My hand rose, and I rested my fingers over them, trailing down to touch the rest of his face. If he woke, he’d be startled, but I didn’t care. I almost wanted that.

I wanted to stop thinking and worrying about what was going to happen. I just wanted to be, and Kellan was in my bed with me. I wanted to just be with him.

As my fingers moved to his lips, it was caught.

His hand moved like lightning. He caught my wrist, but his hold didn’t hurt. It was a gentle, but firm grip and then his eyelids opened.

“You caught me.”

His eyes darkened, and he said softly, sending shivers down my spine, “So I did.” They were the good kind of shivers, the kind that made me want to forget all reason and logic and roll underneath him. Even thinking of that, my legs parted, and I licked my lips. My body began to grow warm.

Kellan noticed the changes, and his hand that was resting over my leg curved into my side. He applied pressure, bringing me forward, turning so we were lying face to face. Both of us were on our sides, and we were close, too close, and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to stop it. His hand ran down my side, sweeping over my leg, and he applied the tiniest bit of pressure. My leg followed willingly, sliding in between his. My hips shifted, moving closer to him. Our waists were almost touching, and his hand, the one still on my hand, didn’t move. It was burning its hold on me, permanently scarring me.

He waited, his eyes darting from mine to my lips, lingering there.

A small groan slipped out. Hearing it, I felt more heat rush to my face and knew I was blushing.

“Are you okay with this?”

“With you sleeping with me?” God yes.

“No.” He shook his head, his voice a caress in itself. “This.” His hand skimmed over my thigh, rising up to my arm and where the bed sheet was covering me.

I wore pajamas. Someone had changed my clothes, but I felt naked. I felt like it was just us, both naked, and the bed sheet, that flimsy little material was the only barrier between us. My breathing grew more rapid, and my heart sped up. I was sure Kellan knew the effect he was having on me. He knew everything about me.

“You’re right,” he murmured. His hand left the bed sheet and curved around my face, cupping the side of me. His thumb rested on my cheek, a tender touch. “I know a lot, but not everything. I wish I did. Things would be...easier.”

“What don’t you know?”

“What you hold closest to you.” He pressed his hand to where my heart was. “I don’t know what you have in there.”

I grinned. “A heart?”

“You know what I mean.”

He was asking how I felt about him. I nodded, biting down on my lip.

“Kellan,” I murmured, but I didn’t know what I was going to say. So, instead, I only asked, “What happened?”

“You mean before?”

I nodded again.

“You protected us.”

“No,” I said. “You protected us.”

“I protected you, Shay.” His hand lifted to the corner of my mouth, touching my lips in a soft graze. “You protected everyone.”

“Kellan, don’t act like that. Like you don’t care.”

“I care about you.”

“That’s not true. You care about Vespar and Giuseppa.” I hated to say it, but… “You cared about Leah.”

“Maybe.”

He was lying, but I realized he wasn’t lying to me. He was lying to himself. “You love so hard and hate so cold.”

“Shay.” He sighed, rolling to his back. The bed sheet slipped down past his waist. He was wearing gym shorts, but I could see his chest, all the dips and valleys of his muscles as he lay there, breathing in and out. “I’m a demon. I’m more than half-demon, and that means I can only love one person.” He watched me from his pillow. “You. Only you.”

“Then why’d you save Vespar and Giuseppa?”

“Because they knew too much about you. I didn’t want your father to get his hands on them.”

“That was the only reason?”

I remembered him in that house, fighting Dylan, yelling at me to save Vespar. He cared. I knew he did. I lay back, too, mirroring him, and I rotated my head on my pillow to look at him. “You’re not a normal demon, Kellan, and I know a part of you cares.”

“You’re lying to yourself.”

He believed that. There was no uncertainty inside him. I felt it, as real as if I was feeling my own emotions. I could feel him. That should’ve alarmed me, or alarmed my messenger, but it didn’t. Somehow, it felt right to feel all of him. I started to ask, my mouth opened, and he answered before a word slipped out. “Yes. I feel you how you feel me.”