He was so convincing and made his little act of service feel so casual. I couldn’t come up with any logic that mattered more than how happy I felt in that moment.

“If you really don’t want me to—” Kael began.

“No. Go ahead. I mean, yes. You can try,” I blurted, wanting to say something before the offer was withdrawn.

He smiled at that. I couldn’t see Door B anymore; any trace of a boundary was gone.

“It’s not like I’m that bad,” I teased.

He grabbed the towel I had brought out, unfolded it neatly, and placed it under my hands.

“Okay, so I’m not a professional. Just keep that in mind,” he cautioned, focusing intently on my thumb, with one hand holding the polish.

“My ma sometimes . . .” He brushed the pad of his thumb across the top of my bare nail and a warmth ran through me. It was sweet and felt like melted honey. “Sometimes her hands would shake, so I often helped her as I got older.”

I looked at Kael as he moved expertly from finger to finger. The image of him as a teenager, helping his mother paint her nails, made my heart want to explode. Of all the things Kael had told me about his family, I treasured this the most. He didn’t say much as he worked, and I mellowed, trusting him completely without any further protest. I just watched him, my eyes opening and closing, as we listened to the rain pick up outside, pounding softly against my roof.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

“I wonder if my nails are dry yet?” I moved my hand in front of my face, slowly studying my fresh nails. “I’ll check—”

“You should wait!” he interrupted me.

I made the mistake of touching the paint too soon, and my fingerprint branded half of my thumbnail.

“Damn it. But still good as new.” I continued to wave my hands in the air and blow on them every few seconds. I had been dozing and was relaxed and still sort of drowsy; I could have fallen asleep if I wasn’t so hungry. The rain was steady and the heat had kicked on, blowing warm air out of the floor vents. I felt at ease.

“Remember how we were talking about Twilight?” I asked him, as my nails finished drying.

“What?” He laughed at that.

“I mean, not right now. Not even today, but you remember, we talked about it.”

Kael nodded, though clearly confused. “Yeah?”

“Anyway, there’s this character named Jasper who can control people’s emotions—well, not only humans’, vampires’, too. That’s his power. You know they all have powers, the Cullens, at least.” I looked down at my new manicure, then up at him, smiling with delight. I felt so happy. It was weird.

“Right. Go on.”