“Uh-huh.” Already her voice sounded groggy. And in a few minutes she’d fallen asleep.

It was a long night. Cinn didn’t even stir to go to the bathroom. And as dawn neared, Sparkle appeared at the door. She wore leather pants, a hot black silk top, boots, and a long black leather coat. Dacian wondered how someone like Ganymede had ever ended up with her. Sparkle didn’t look like the kind of woman who would love a guy whose idea of a good time involved the TV remote and never-ending snacks. Maybe the cat had some secret charm Dacian had missed.

Thank God Sparkle had arrived, though. He needed a break from the path his thoughts had trudged all night. A circle with no beginning and no good ending.

He recognized where his feelings for Cinn were headed. Not a smart place to go. But no matter how easily he’d controlled his emotions in the past, they were partying hard now.

And what about Taurin? Dacian should have a great speech ready to help soften his brother’s heart. After all, he’d had a long time to practice it. But as he left quietly and headed for his room, his mind was a blank. No fancy words could excuse walking away from Taurin for two hundred years.

Dacian rose an hour before sunset. It was a good thing vampires didn’t dream, because his would’ve been leaning toward the horror side. His brother chasing him with a stake. Cinn running off with Bain while she left him to babysit Teddy and Vince.

Then he smiled. Or maybe he would have spent his resting hours dreaming about Cinn. Naked. And wanting. Him.

He spent a little more time than necessary showering and dressing. What time would Taurin arrive? And how had Cinn’s trip to the hairdresser gone?

Finally disgusted at himself, he yanked open his door and headed for the stairs. He didn’t have to hunt Cinn down in her greenhouse. She was watching as Holgarth humiliated another wizard wannabe. He walked over to stand beside her.

When she first turned to look at him, there was something in her eyes that made the coming night a success no matter what happened. He couldn’t put a name to it, but it was definitely good.

He wasn’t an observant person when it came to women’s clothes and hair, but whatever they’d done to Cinn at that shop had been witchcraft. Dacian had always thought she was beautiful, but now? She was…His male mind didn’t think in terms of breathtaking, but if he’d been able to breathe, she would’ve taken it away.

“Holgarth is a sadist. I’ve watched him destroy the confidence of three men who came in here thinking they were pretty good wizards. He’s working on his fourth now.”