He blinked, then awareness of what was happening hit, and he cursed softly. The fiery color of his skin immediately dimmed, but I could still feel the heat burning deep within him. While fire fae generally couldn’t produce their own flame—they could only control fire that already existed, even if it was little more than a spark—Jackson had gained that ability when our spirits had merged.

But it was an ability he was still struggling with.

He cursed again and thrust a hand through his short hair. “Damn, I’ve spent the last few days practicing fire control, but it looks as if the results aren’t quite what I expected.”

I touched his arm lightly. “It takes a phoenix years to gain full control. You can’t expect similar results in a matter of days.”

He snorted. “I’m a fire fae. That should give me some sort of an advantage.”

“It will. But remember, while you’re able to control fire, it wasn’t an intimate part of your being until after we merged.” I squeezed his arm and sat back down. “You’re not used to having to control flames twenty-four/seven. Up until now, you’ve only had to exert control when fire was already present.”

He grunted and sat down opposite me. “It’s still fucking annoying. Especially if I now have to think about every little thing I do lest I set something on fire. Or someone.”

“Control will happen. But in the meantime, I can teach you how to leash it in more intimate moments.”

He took a sip of his coffee, then snagged a fry. “That sounds promising. Can we start now?”

I laughed. “Jackson, we’re in the middle of McDonald’s.”

“And I have a van parked outside.”

“I don’t think either the staff or the patrons would appreciate our doing the horizontal tango out in their parking lot.”

“Sadly true.” He paused, and that wicked gleam reappeared. “There might, however, be room enough to do a vertical tango.”

I threw a fry at him. “We haven’t the time.”

“It’s been more than three days since my last loving. Trust me, it won’t take long.”

“It’s a sad day when a fire fae admits to so little control.”

“Woman, you have no idea just how much control I’m exerting right now.” He snagged the fry from the table and munched on it. “How’s Rory doing?”

“He was reborn without incident and is currently recharging in front of a roaring fire.”

Jackson grunted. “How long will it take him to get back to normal?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Meaning, how long do I have to remain with him?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

“It depends. Once he’s fully refueled, he’ll at least be capable of looking after himself even if he’s still physically weak. But right now, I can only leave him for small periods of time.”