“I told Jim to go to hell. I also told him that if he ever told me that my wife is a ‘potential threat’ again, I would become a real and immediate threat.”

I laughed and opened my arms. “My hero.”

“You’re an asshole,” he told me.

“You knew that before you asked me to marry you. What, no hug?”

“You know how paranoid Jim is. You know what he does to potential threats. He is proactive. Why did you have to screw with him?”

“Because he sat there, all self-important, and announced that he would kill me if I stepped out of his lines. Hey, I winked after I said it. It’s not my fault he has no sense of humor.”

He shook his head.

I dropped my arms. “Okay, why are you so freaked out?”

“Because you did that thing your father does.”

“What thing?”

“The one where you smiled and it was like being blessed.”

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

“I can handle your father, because I despise him.” His gray eyes were hard. “But I love you. Don’t do that to me again.”

I was turning into my father.

I turned away from him before he saw my face. He moved behind me and then his arms closed around me. He’d seen it anyway.

“What did it feel like?” I asked, my voice quiet.

“It felt like a god noticed me,” he said. “Warm and welcoming. Like the sun broke through the clouds.”

The warmth of his arms shielded me. Curran would shield me from everything, except myself. That one was on me.

“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone,” he said. “But I don’t want a new sun or a goddess. I want you. A partner.”

“I know.” I pulled away from him and went to our house.

He followed me.

I took off my shoes and went upstairs, to our bedroom. He followed me and said nothing. I took off Sarrat’s harness and put the saber in its usual place on the night table by my side of the bed.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“There is nothing to tell. The magic is changing me, Curran, and I’m not always aware of it. You should bail while you can, before it all goes to hell.”

“No.”

“This might be your last chance to get out.” I pulled off my pants and my shirt. I wanted to soak in the tub and wash the day off.

“I’m not going anywhere. Besides, hell is when you and I are at our best.”

I stopped and looked at him.

“You know where my line is,” he said.