A low growl escaped him. “Being concerned about not killing my wife is hardly dithering, Nic.”

“It is dithering,” she snapped. “You did this before. I was fine. You can do it again. Nothing has changed except a few pieces of fabric.”

“That’s a vast oversimplification.”

“To counter your vast overcomplication of what is instinctive for you!” She stomped her foot, considerably less effective barefooted, her naked breasts jiggling enough to draw his lustful eye, despite his resolve. His magic flared with his arousal, which was at least something. “Do it. Now. While you’re not overthinking it.”

He looked like he might balk still, so she skimmed her hands over her breasts and down her hips, shimmying a little. “Saving my life, remember?” she purred.

That did it. He grabbed her hand. Though the fist of silver magic netted her with considerably less finesse this time, the contraction dissolving and explosion downright painful. She barely had a moment to register her transition to alternate form before his argent grip yanked her back, turning her skin inside out as she returned to human form. Her body throbbed in every pore, her heart pounding and breathing ragged. But she was clothed. Still barefoot, as he’d forgotten about her boots, but she could hide her bare feet under the long skirt and call it a victory.

Except her head swam with dizziness, and she had to bend over, bracing her hands on her knees.

“Nic!” Gabriel swept her up into his arms. “Asa. We need Asa.”

“I’m all right,” she protested, wriggling. She would have the Refoel wizard healer take a look at her—later, and without Gabriel there to panic. “Just dizzy. That might’ve been a lot of back and forth in a short time.”

“Is there precedent for that?”

“Yes, they mentioned it at Convocation Academy,” she replied, which wasn’t technically a lie. It had been mentioned in passing, though in the context of a wizard being ham-handed with their magic and using more force than technique. She could work with Gabriel on this. “We only need do this once more today, to satisfy the proctor, and then we can make haste more slowly.” He still held her, showing no sign of setting her down, so she laid a hand on his cheek and kissed his pursed and unresponsive lips. “I’m fine, Gabriel. I’d tell you if I wasn’t.”

“We have yet to establish that you will,” he countered, “as you’ve been evasive with me in the past about the toll our magic work takes on you.”

“I’ve promised to do better,” she replied with all the sincerity she could muster, well aware that she wasn’t being perfectly honest at the moment. There would be time for honesty later.

He hesitated. “It occurs to me that in your twisty mind there’s some distance between doing better in the future and adhering to your promise in the moment, especially if you think you’re doing the right thing in managing me.”

The man knew her far too well. How had that happened in such a short span of time? She scraped her nails over his cheek, just sharply enough to make him flinch. “How unfortunate that we have no time for self-excoriating philosophy.” She sighed as if in deep regret. “You know how I love it so.”