There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and that, more than anything, smashed through my reluctance. I had to be closer to fading than I realized if he was that worried.

“Fine.” I entwined my fingers in his—an action that left my whole body shaking. I was close, so damn close. I clenched his fingers tighter, feeling the pulse of his heat and life against my skin, so warm and tempting. I took a shuddery breath and somehow said, “But if I start draining too much from you, hit me.”

“I would never—”

I raised my gaze to his. “It’ll break my concentration if I slip into a feeding rapture, and it might be your only chance of survival.”

He absorbed the information with barely a flicker of emotion. “Fine. Now feed.”

I closed my eyes, drew in another shuddery breath, then opened the floodgates and sucked in his fire. It was a molten river, rich with life and caring, and it washed through every part of me, chasing the ice from my veins and the weakness from my limbs. And oh, it felt good—so, so good—that rapture loomed altogether too fast. But as I reached the point of no return, something within me said, Enough. With a grunt of effort, I loosened my grip on his hand and thrust myself away from him. For several minutes, I didn’t move. I simply lay on the ground, staring up at the night sky as I gulped in air and fought the need to reach out and finish what I’d started.

“That,” Jackson said, his voice soft and edged with an oddly husky note, “was totally not what I’d been expecting.”

I looked at him. His eyes burned with desire, and he was practically radiating lust.

I blinked, caught between surprise and amusement. “You got off on that?”

“My god, you have no idea how much.” He shook his head, disbelief evident. “It felt as if I were communing with my element, drawing in a sense of strength and belonging. It felt amazing.”

Meaning it was just as well I’d maintained enough control to break the connection, because he might not have. But his words also had alarm bells ringing. Grace—the witch who’d given us the necklaces that had protected us against Frederick’s magic—had said that Jackson’s fate was now tied up with mine. I’d thought she meant it was our partnership and this case that tied our destinies together, but maybe not. Maybe she’d meant that by allowing him to merge with my spirit form, I’d become as essential to his existence as communing with his element.

And that, if true, was a consequence I wasn’t sure either of us was prepared for.