She circled lower over Dogtown, enviously eyeing the warm lights flickering in the windows of crooked houses. Did they know how good they had it here? Probably not. Like an idiot, she’d never appreciated her own home when she had one.
She swooped lower still, swinging past Estelle’s house and Tobias’s open window. She sensed the contours in his room, but apart from a bug or two, nothing moved within. No heart beating, no lungs drawing breath. Disappointment welled in her. Where is he?
Circling Estelle’s mansion, she felt a surge of panic. Estelle had been after him as a mate. What if she’d succeeded? But that was a stupid thing to worry about. It was none of Fiona’s business. She’d left him here.
She flew south, swooping lower over the trees. A strong aura crackled through the woods, drawing her in. Someone with powerful magic prowled through the oaks. Someone whose skin rippled with heat. Tobias was prowling alone through the forest like some kind of beast.
Something seemed strange, but her heart thrilled as she flew faster through the branches, circling over his head for a moment. He paused, his eyes meeting hers. Rain soaked his clothes and hair, and his shirt clung to his muscled chest. Transfixed by his otherworldly beauty, she gazed at the sharp cheekbones and the blood-red glow in his eyes. His gaze locked on her with a predatory stillness. At times like this, when she caught him off guard, it was almost like a mask of humanity had fallen away.
Disturbed by his feral gaze, she nearly forgot to transform. It’s still him, she told herself, willing her bones and muscles back to their human form with an agonizing lurch. She hunched over, clutching her gut, before glancing up at her friend. He prowled closer with that unnatural grace that took the breath out of her. For an instant she wondered if he’d lost his mind entirely, and she took a step back, knocking into an oak tree. She didn’t want to be on a crazed fire demon’s bad side. Not one with his strength.
His eyes raked over her body, lingering on her bare legs, before rising again to meet hers.
“Tobias?” she said in barely a whisper.
His chest heaved, and the blaze in his eyes subsided, leaving behind dark, glistening pools.
“Hi,” she said. God, it was good to see him. “I’m still alive.”
“I knew you would be.” He stepped closer, lightly touching her shoulder. “But what’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath. “I think there might be something wrong with me. I think I might be a little crazy. I’ve done something bad.”
“What did you do?”
She couldn’t bear to tell him yet. “Something I can’t undo.”
“That sounds remarkably familiar.” He inched closer. “Is that what made you come here?”
“I wanted to see if you were okay. You know, with the whole… hell thing.”
“Apparently, I need the relic.”
“What the hell is the relic?”
“I have no idea. Something that will help me. Something that… other philosophers are also looking for.”
“We’ll find it for you.” Drinking in his familiar smell, she felt such a deep relief that hot tears stung her eyes. She wanted to throw herself into his arms so badly that she could hardly put a sentence together. “It’s really good to see you.”
Inhaling deeply, he brushed his fingertips against her cheek. His touch sent a thrill over her skin, and he stared at her as if he hadn’t seen another human being in centuries. “I don’t want to leave you yet.”
She had no idea what he meant, but stood transfixed by him, her breath coming faster. He trailed his fingertips down her neck, igniting her skin with his touch, inspecting her throat like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. “What do you mean, ‘leave me’?”
Closing his eyes, he slid his hand around the back of her neck. Her heart pounded faster. How many times had she imagined him looking at her like this? She inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was excruciatingly conscious of every place where his skin met hers.
Tobias’s fingers trailed down her back, his touch impossibly light, but electric. Leaning into her, he brushed his warm lips against hers. Just a hint of a kiss was all it took to send flames through her body, weakening her knees. She wanted to pull him into a deeper kiss, but his mouth drifted lower, grazing the crook of her neck, teeth skimming her skin.
He kissed her neck, and her breath caught in her throat as she melted into him. Yes. He lifted his face, pressing his warm mouth to hers, kissing her with a hungry intensity, like this was his last moment on earth.
Her fingers roamed up his shirt, over his smooth, hot skin. She wanted all of him. She wanted to rip his shirt off and push him into the dirt. She wanted—
He pulled away, head cocked to listen to something in the woods.
“Why did you stop?” It came out more annoyed than she intended.
“I heard something,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Estelle. She’s coming.”