She stepped closer, so there were only inches between them. She put her finger on his lips, and the warmth of his breath on that little sliver of her skin was enough to make her light-headed.

“You like me?” she dared to ask. “I mean, as more than just a gemina?”

Daemon cast his gaze downward but nodded, almost guiltily. “I know I’m not supposed to. I tried to fight it, but Fairy was right. I just can’t. . . . I’m sorry.”

Sora laughed softly to herself. “Don’t be sorry.” She traced the curve of his mouth with her finger.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he looked at her again, his gaze intense, waiting, hoping. Actual sparks flickered off his skin.

Sora could barely breathe.

And yet she held back. There was a reason the Society forbade geminas from getting involved. If it didn’t work out, you were still stuck with them as your partner for life. You’d have to see them with someone else and feel their love for that other person. There was no escape. She pulled her finger away from his mouth.

“You’re scared,” Daemon said.

“What if we mess everything up?” she asked. “You’re my best friend. You’re my favorite person in the entire world.”

“And what if we don’t try?” he said. “What if we miss out on the most amazing experience of our lives?”

Sora thought of Mama then. About how unpredictable life could be. How you never knew when it would end. And she also remembered Mama’s entreaty for Sora to be more.

It wasn’t only about being the best taiga or the best friend or the best sister. Mama meant it in every respect.

Be more than what ordinary expects.

Sora had taken plenty of risks while in school, pulling off pranks and pushing the boundaries on the rules. She’d put her life on the line to save Kichona. Surely she could take a risk on her heart, too?

She reached up and traced the scar on Daemon’s face, where his wolf cub brother or sister had slashed him when they were young. He was wild and beautiful, the boy she’d fallen for so naturally over their years together that she hadn’t even realized it until she was irretrievably in love.

Daemon took in a breath of surprise at her touch. But then he leaned in.

Sora closed her eyes.

His lips skimmed hers, soft, gentle. Despite the electric charge between them, Daemon moved slowly, as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He released his mental ramparts, and the feeling of roses blooming filled Sora all over again. Sweet, floral perfume wafted through their gemina bond.

Daemon kissed her cheek. Her temple. Both closed eyelids. Each touch was a caress, as light as dragonfly wings.

Sora opened her eyes and ran her thumb across his wolf-claw scar again.

He stilled.