Eric turned to stare at her. He would’ve worn the same expression if a rabbit had hopped up and bitten his nose. “Ouch?”

Donna covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter.

Cinn glared at Eric. “I warned you.”

Dacian’s stomach had recovered from the blow, but now he was doubled over, laughing. How many centuries had it been since he’d felt like laughing? He couldn’t remember.

Eric was still rubbing his head as he glanced toward the ceiling, toward the sky he couldn’t see. “Dawn. We’ll discuss this when we rise.”

Dacian nodded. “I have to get Cinn to her room.”

Cinn didn’t want to be gotten to her room. She wanted to stay with him. An amazing development after seeing him in full vampire mode.

They’d only reached the top of the steps when Bain met them. “Hey, I’ve been given a chance to redeem myself. Lucky me. I get to guard you and your plants for the day. No sleeping on the job this time.” His narrowed eyes said he wasn’t feeling as lighthearted as he sounded.

Dacian handed her over to Bain without comment and headed back down the stairs. Cinn thought it would’ve been nice if he’d said a little something about how he was going to miss her. But of course, he wouldn’t. He’d be…sleeping. She preferred that word rather than the oh-so-scary dead.

When Bain and Cinn reached her door, she didn’t invite him in. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” And she made sure she kept her promise. No way did she want to step out of her bathroom or turn around while she wore only her bra and panties to find that Bain had beamed himself in because he’d gotten tired of waiting.

Once she left her room, they went out to the greenhouse. Wade waited for her.

Cinn was horrified. “You haven’t been guarding the plants all this time, have you?”

Wade’s gaze never left her. He didn’t bother answering her question. “I can’t think of anything but you. I tried looking over the Bass Pro Shop Catalogue and all I could see was you on every page.”

She ignored Bain’s snort. Okay, this was getting too weird. She didn’t know how demons’ minds worked, but a male mind was a male mind. And she’d never attracted this kind of mindless adoration. Didn’t want to attract it. “You don’t even know me, Wade.”

Wade looked outraged. “Sure I know you. I know you’re the sweetest, and most loving, and most beautiful, and—”

“No. I’m not any of those things.” She racked her mind for an explanation. “When did you first realize how you felt about me?”