“I can help you,” he persisted. “I’ve got some connections from working the Inhemsk. Sylvi told me I could take off more time if I needed it, and I think I actually do need it. And yeah, the plane tickets aren’t going to leave me with much in my savings, but I can always save more, right?”

“Maybe,” I said hesitantly.

“I can help you, and I want to make sure you’re safe, and . . . I want to be with you.” He licked his lips. “I really like you, Ulla, and I feel like I almost lost you in Áibmoráigi. I don’t want to do that again.”

“I really like you too,” I said with my heart hammering in my chest. “I’m not asking you to do this, and I think I’ll be safe, with or without you. But I won’t lie; I’d be happy if you came with.”

He leaned back on the railing, his hand beside him on the wood, and I tentatively put my hand over his.

“So I’m saying, it’s up to you what you want to do from here,” I said finally.

He smiled then, subtle but knowing, and it matched the dark heat in his eyes. “That’s good, because I know of something I really want to do right now.”

My stomach fluttered, and he leaned in toward me. He hesitated a moment—his eyes searching mine, almost as if looking for something, and I wondered if he remembered kissing me during the Lost Month.

But before his lips touched mine, Bryn opened the front door behind us, and it hit me painfully in the back. I tried to step out of the way, but the landing wasn’t very large, and Pan put an arm around me, letting my body press against him.

“Sorry.” Bryn stepped back and closed the door partway, giving us more room, and now only her head was poking out. “I was checking to see if your friend is staying for lunch.”

“Um, thanks, but I should probably get back to the office and start getting things arranged for the trip.” Pan moved away from me, toward the steps. “I’ll call you when I get down to my desk and get details.”

“Okay,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed that he was slipping away without a kiss.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, then looked to Bryn and gave her a small wave. “Nice to see you again, Bryn.” Then he went down the stairs and down the path toward the Mimirin.

“Is he coming with us?” she asked me, and opened the door wider so I could go into the apartment.

“Yeah, he is. I mean, if that’s okay,” I said. “He’s paying his own way, but it’ll be easier if we travel together.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”