rory's knees went soft, and she steadied herself, pressing her hands against his hot, naked chest. "if that was small, i won't survive anything bigger."

his voice was rough, deep with a hint of amusement. "perhaps not at first, but soon you'll be able to take much, much more. as much as you need."

she wasn't sure if he'd chosen his words to paint vivid, arousing images of the two of them, bodies entwined, but her pesky imagination was running wild, like some drunk frat girl. "what would i need it for?"

"to find the person who stops your visions. that is what you want, isn't it?"

visions were the last thing on her mind right now. she couldn't think straight so close to a man like him. he made her too hot and achy to concentrate while simultaneously drenching her in thrilling, heady excitement. she wanted things she had no words for-things that sparked to life within her chest, tiny and quivering with possibility.

"yeah," she said, hating the vapid, breathless quality of her voice. "that's what i want."

his body shifted slightly, the movement so minute she could hardly feel it. even so, his entire demeanor changed. he held her tighter, nearly lifting her from her feet. a fervent energy spilled out of him, and his voice dipped low, coming out in an almost inaudible whisper. "you don't have to find this person. we could work together to find a way to block the visions. with my power at your disposal, there's nothing the two of us can't do together."

oh, man. not fair. he was intoxicating her with his sexy voice, with his touch, with his scent. his entire presence wrapped around her and held her captive, making her yearn for things she knew better than to want.

she'd been so lonely since nana had died. his companionship was a welcome respite from the daily grind, like a patch of sunlight in an endless sea of cold fog. she wanted to snuggle right in and take what he was so eager to give her, but nothing this good could be true. his eyes made promises that no one person could ever be powerful enough to fulfill.

"but you said i had to word my promise to you carefully. if i don't find the person who stops my visions, then what happens?"

his finger traced the necklace she now wore. it jumped in response to his touch, shivering and humming against her skin. "my luceria stays fixed around your neck."

"for how long?"

"you know the answer to that."

she did. she felt the knowledge shimmering inside her mind-like some dormant, forgotten memory suddenly sparked to life. "forever."

he nodded, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

"you don't even know me. not really. how can the idea of us having this weird, magical connection not freak you out? for all you know, i'm a serial killer."

"the luceria would have shown me that had it been true. it didn't. i saw other things, though."

"are you saying that this necklace showed you something from my life?"

"that is the way it works. i show you mine. you show me yours."

in an embarrassingly swift rush, her mind went to a naughty little place where the two of them were naked and pressed together as close as two people could get. it was a silly, immature thing for her to imagine, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling a giddy rush of girlish excitement all the same.

"what did you see?" she asked, looking at her toes because she was too afraid to see any hints of mockery on his face.

"bits of your life. your grandmother. your isolation." he tipped her chin up with his finger. "it doesn't have to be like that now. you're not alone anymore."

tears burned her eyes as a wave of unwanted emotions swept over her. she was ashamed of her weakness, embarrassed by her affliction and the loneliness it caused. but mostly, she was relieved to be able to be this close to another person again. she hadn't been able to see through nana's eyes for some reason, and cain was like that, too-at least when she touched him. he made her feel normal, rather than like the fucked-up freak show she really was.

with him, it was easy to pretend that everything really was going to be okay, and that her life wouldn't be a constant struggle to keep the visions away.

and that was the problem. with him it was pretend. not real. not permanent.

sure, he said pretty words about forever, but that wasn't the way the real world worked. sooner or later she'd piss him off, or he'd irritate her and they'd go their separate ways. and that was assuming he didn't simply grow bored with her. a man built like him could have any woman he wanted. sooner or later, that woman would walk into his life and leave rory looking like a dirty, wet sponge by comparison.

"i need to finish what i started," she told him. "i will find the person who makes my visions go away and figure out how they do it. hope said that it might be as simple as finding a magic ring or something."

that little spark of hope that had lit his green eyes was snuffed out. he nodded and let his hands drop to his sides, leaving a cold wedge of air between them. "if you want to find this person, then it's time you learned to use my power."

"how is that going to help?"

"because you may be able to use magic to aid your search."

"really?"

"really. and even if you can't use it in that way, you need to learn how to protect yourself."

"i have a gun. i know how to use it."

"that will do little good against most demons."

one part of rory thrilled at the idea of learning how to use magic, but the more reasonable side of her was cautious. having something that cool in her life and losing it was too hard. she'd already lost too much, and maybe in this case it was better to never know what she was missing. "i think i'll pass on the magic stuff. but thanks anyway."

his mouth opened in shocked silence, then closed again. his dark brows dipped low and his jaw bulged with frustrated anger. "you're going to pass? that's not how this works, rory."

"who says? is there some kind of manual or something you've failed to share with me?"

"of course not."

"good. then it's settled."

"are you saying that you would rather remain tied to me for eternity? because that's what will happen if you never find this person you're seeking. i told you to word your vow carefully. the words you chose tie you to me until you've found the one who makes your visions go away. your words. not mine."

rory took a long step back, needing some space to think. cain loomed too large, overpowering her with his mere presence. she was too aware of him, and it was taking up a portion of her brain that she really needed free to work on an escape clause.

mrs. wittle's gnarled hands shoved their way back into rory's head as she added pasta to a pot of boiling water.

the old lady's home was half a mile away. rory had never been able to see through the eyes of someone that far away before. and it scared her.

cain's low, gravelly rumble cut through her fear just enough to keep her steady. "what just happened?" he asked.

she didn't want to answer that question-not even to herself. if her visions were getting worse, she wasn't sure what she would do. she'd no longer be able to drive or see her computer screen. how would she take care of herself if she couldn't earn money or go buy groceries?

rory swallowed down her fear and tipped her head back to look him in the eye. she wouldn't let him know she was afraid. she'd faced bigger problems than this and survived. this would just be one more. "tell me exactly what i'll be able to do with all this magic bullshit."

he winced at her wording. "many things. where your skills lie is still a question, but chances are you'll be able to defend yourself at the very least."

rory remembered the woman cain had shown her from his memories-the one who had used some kind of invisible shield to stand in the way of attack. "what about finding people? how do i use magic for that?"

cain shook his head. "i don't know. i can have you talk to andra. she's a theronai and has the ability to find lost children. perhaps she could give you some pointers."

okay. that was a good start. "what about offense? am i going to be able to sling fire around like that chick you showed me?"

"it's likely. you should learn to defend yourself first, though, don't you think?"

"boooring. i'd much rather blow shit up. if you show me how to do that, then we're on."

he stood there for a long minute, staring at her. "if that's what you want to learn, then i will do my best to show you. outside."

"good idea. if i lost nana's house, i'd have nowhere to go."

"that's not true," said cain as he stepped closer, filling her sight. "you're family now, and we look out for our own."

the throb of emotion that lodged in her throat was completely unexpected. she blinked fast to hide her tears, unsure as to why his simple statement had caught her so off guard.

maybe she'd been alone for too long. she couldn't remember the last time she'd spent this much time with anyone-definitely not since nana had died. even matt had been too grating on her senses for her to be around him for long.

"i do better on my own," she told him, but the wavering in her voice made it sound like a petulant lie.

"too bad. those days are over."

"you don't get to tell me what to do."

"i'm not trying to. i'm simply pointing out a fact. you and i are joined now. even when we're separated, i'll still be able to feel you, to hear you if you call for me."

"yeah, right. how?"

she was pushing him. so far he'd been pretty easygoing, but she could see the way she strained his control-the way she made the veins in his temples pound, and the tendons in his neck stand out. she was grating on his nerves, the way she did with everyone sooner or later.

he reached for her, his movement so smooth and fast, she didn't even think to dodge.

"like this." his hands cupped the sides of her face, hot and too big for her to have a prayer of escaping. the rough patches along his palms reminded her just how capable he was with that sword, and how much stronger he was than her. that strength was under control now, but if she kept pushing him, he might not remember to be so gentle.

a second later she felt him slide inside her mind, and her worries of his physical strength evaporated.

basking in his presence was like standing naked under a warm sun, making her feel exposed and caressed all at the same time. he was too intense to look at directly, and yet she was drawn to him, wanting to get closer to his heat.

"can you feel me?" he asked, and she heard the words echo within her thoughts.

"kinda hard not to."

"you don't have to be afraid."

"i'm not," she said automatically, even though it was a lie. all of this was so new and strange, it terrified and delighted her.