"Maybe he doesn't understand himself."
Maybe. "Let's just ... I don't know, let's talk about something else. My blood pressure is rising."
Sadly, the thorns and fire were no longer content in the shadows. They'd reappeared a few days ago, probably because she'd never been so frustrated in her life, and hadn't let up since. Even now she had to rub her breastbone to ease the ache.
"Nolan is still doing well," Macy said. "Hasn't relapsed at all."
"Has he been declared healed?"
"Not yet. AIR had to kill the last doctors who tested him, so no one's willing to volunteer to take his blood this time."
"Understandable."
Downstairs, a door closed. Every muscle in her body stiffened. "I've got to go," she said. "Devyn's back."
Macy's sigh crackled over the line. "You know that I love you, right?”
“Of course. How could you not? I'm amazing."
"Now you sound like him," her friend said with a laugh. "You know that you'll always be in my life, right? No matter what happens to the two of you."
Bride fingered the emerald even now dangling at her throat. "Just as you'll be in mine. I love you, Leah Leah."
"See you tonight, Bridey Boo."
They hung up, and Bride tossed the phone on the nightstand beside a glass of water. She liked to dip her fingers in it, just to remind herself that she had access to it. She stood just as Devyn strode inside the room. He looked gorgeous in a black shirt and jeans, his hair disheveled by the wind.
He stopped short when he spotted her, his gaze hot as it raked over her mostly bare body. Then he turned, giving her his back. "Good. You're ready." As usual lately, his voice was emotionless.
Who would have thought she'd actually miss his unabashed obsession with sex?
So badly, she wanted him to walk to her, take her in his arms, and—her eyes widened as he quickly stumbled toward her and threw himself at her. They fell into the mattress, and a gasp of delight escaped her. His muscled weight was divine.
"Finally," she purred, wrapping her limbs around him. "I don't know what changed your mind, but I'm grateful."
Frowning, he straightened, severing all contact. He looked behind himself. "What just happened?" he demanded.
Frowning herself, she eased up. "What do you mean?"
"It was like hands were on my back, shoving me forward. I couldn't stop myself.”
“Wait. So you didn't want to have a quickie?"
"Can you be serious for just a minute?" he snapped.
Now he was accusing her of being lax. Priceless, she thought darkly. Just freaking priceless. "I wasn't behind you, so you can't blame me. I was standing there, all innocent, thinking how nice it'd be to touch you again"—a mistake she wouldn't make again—"and then you were racing toward me."
"No one pushed me, but I was shoved at you." He crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps bulging. "You were wishing me over, and over I came. That's what you want me to believe?"
"Yes. It's not like I can be two places at once. It's not like I—" Oh, oh, oh, she thought suddenly, excitedly. The thorns and the fire had been insistent lately, just as they'd been insistent each time a new power had revealed itself.
"What?" Devyn asked. "Now you look like you just won our war."
"We're still warring?" Had another power really freed itself? she wondered. Fairly humming at the possibility, she glanced at the nightstand beside the bed. "I wish I was holding that glass of water."
Next thing she knew, one of the table legs was splintering, breaking, and then the table itself was plunging toward her, the glass was sliding off it, and she was frantically leaning over and reaching out. Her fingers snaked around the base before the cup hit the floor and shattered—along with the table—water sloshing out the sides.
"All right. How did you do that?" Another demand from Devyn, but this one was gasped.
Grinning, she balanced the glass on the wooden remains of the tabletop. "Every few years, I gain a new ability. Like misting and cloaking myself. I didn't think I was due for another for a while yet, but tada! Looks like I can now make my wishes come true. How cool is that?"
Clearly Devyn did not share her happiness. He ran his tongue over his teeth as he eyed the remains of his table. "Looks like there are also consequences for your wishes."
True. Some of her excitement waned.
"Wish for something impossible," he said. "Wish for a vampire to appear in this room."
Testing her, was he? "Fine." Bride closed her eyes, wished for a tall, strong, gorgeous vampire male to appear. Naked. Expectant, she opened her eyes. No one appeared. A minute passed, then another. She wished again. Still no one appeared. Her grin faded.
"So there are limits, as well," Devyn said thoughtfully. "Guess so," she grumbled.
"Well, there's no time to figure them out now. We need to leave. So just keep your thoughts and wishes to a minimum for the time being. That shouldn't be too hard."
Her jaw dropped. "You did not just call me ditzy. Because if you did, I'd be wishing all your hair fell out."
"Like that would detract from my appeal," he said, marching into the closet. "Maybe you should stay here tonight."
They were the same words he'd given her this morning during her feeding, when he mentioned going himself, then again when he'd tossed her the sequined bra and see-through pants all purchased female slaves supposedly wore to these things. "I told you. I want to go." If she didn't, she feared he would buy the vampires and give them to AIR before she'd had a chance to talk with them.
"That little wishing thing could get us into trouble." He emerged from the closet, and white-hot breath caught in her throat.
"Wow," she said. He wore a black-and-white pinstriped suit, no wrinkles, a silk tie, and leather shoes.
"Good?" he asked, spinning. "Not bad. I guess."
For the first time all week, his lips did that twitching thing she so adored. Her heart skipped a beat. "You know I'm hot."
"Whatever."
"Anyway. Like I was saying, you should—"
"I promise. I won't wish for anything." Yet. But only because he was right. She didn't know the consequences or the limitations. Next time she was alone, however, she would find out exactly what this new ability could do and exactly what it couldn't. And she planned to have a lot of fun while she did so.