“Eat up,” she said, and took her seat again.

It wasn’t exactly a proclamation of love, but it sure sounded like a beginning.

* * *

We all went back to the town house. Lulu stayed over sometimes if Alexei was there, and Alexei stayed over sometimes if Lulu was there.

We still had old magic to understand and Pack interlopers to manage, but Rose was safe, or so she said, and I hadn’t been clawed by ghouls, so I considered the night a raging success. I wasn’t going to think any more about demons until tomorrow.

Connor started a fire. He and Alexei reclined on the sofa. Lulu and I sat on the floor watching the flames roil, and let the heat soak into our bones.

When the fire began to burn down, Lulu yawned with both arms over her head, then rose. “I’m going upstairs.”

She walked up the stairs, where the town house’s guest rooms were located.

Alexei cleared his throat. “I’ll go check on her,” he said, and followed quietly.

“ ‘Check on’ covers a lot of ground,” Connor said with a smile when the guest room door had closed on them both.

“I don’t want to think about what ground they’re covering, thanks. I want to enjoy this fire and the absence of ghost ooze in this room.” And since I was feeling warm and relaxed, I smiled at him. “And possibly a prince.”

He stretched his arms on the back of the sofa, and his grin was as wicked as they came. “Any particular prince?”

I rose and walked toward him, his gaze on mine growing hungrier with each step. I stopped just outside arm’s reach. “Do you have a look book?” I mimed flipping pages. “That way, I can choose the one I want.”

“A dangerous game,” he said, a growl beneath the words, and stood up.

I grabbed his shirt, tugged him forward until our bodies were aligned. A wicked grin slowly lifted his lips.

“I’ll take this one,” I said, and nipped his bottom lip. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to remind him who and what we were.

He kissed me then, tangling his fingers in my hair. The kiss heated, evolved, until desire rose and we were both nearly panting from want.

And remembering we weren’t the only ones alone in the house, I grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the stairs. The master bedroom was on the third floor, and we hustled like we were being chased.

I beat him to the bedroom, turned around, and grinned. “I win.”

He stepped forward, all arrogance and swagger, and looked down at me. “We’ll see about that.” It was a prediction . . . and a dare.

I wet my lips, and then we were on each other.

I pulled the shirt over Connor’s head, ran my hands up his strong body, felt the shiver of skin beneath my hands, the rumble of the growl in his throat. He pulled me against him, hard and ready, and melded his mouth to mine, teeth and lips and tongue enticing, inspiring, and biting with just enough force to have me whimpering.