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"Are you all right?" Celeste asked, turning to look at me.

"Perfectly," I told her. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you look like you're about to face a firing squad."

"Do I really?” I asked.

“Well…you just look awfully serious."

"Well, this is a rather serious undertaking," I pointed out. "We are attempting to break a curse which has held me captive for a hundred years."

"Yes, I know." Her expression softened. "But Garrik, it's okay to enjoy ourselves, too."

I looked at her in surprise.

"Do you truly believe that?"

"Of course I do!" She came closer and laid a hand against my chest. "Look, I know how much this means to you. And I want the spell to work—I really do. But I don't want either of us treating this like some kind of medical procedure."

I couldn't help chuckling at that.

"No, I suppose that would rather spoil the mood."

"Exactly." She smiled up at me. "So how about we just relax a little and see what happens?"

I looked down at her lovely face and felt something inside me soften.

"Very well, sweetheart," I murmured. "Though I think there is something I should do first."

"What's that?" she asked.

"This."

I bent my head and kissed her. I didn’t do it because the spell required it, or because I was trying to draw my spirit back into my body. I kissed her simply because I'd been wanting to kiss Celeste Kinderson almost from the moment she'd walked into Blackthorn Manor and slapped me across the face.

Her lips were soft and warm beneath mine, and when she slipped her arms around my neck and kissed me back, I felt the familiar tingling sensation that accompanied my transformation from spirit to something more substantial…but this time, there was something different about it.

For a moment, I could have sworn that I felt a rush of warmth spreading through my chest, almost as though blood was flowing through my veins again. My arms tightened around her waist and I drew her closer, marveling at the wonderful sensation of holding a living woman against me.

Celeste made a soft little sound of surprise and then melted against me, her fingers sliding into my hair.

I groaned and kissed her harder. I had forgotten how extraordinary a simple kiss could be. Or perhaps it was simply that I'd never kissed anyone quite like Celeste before. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and I found that I liked that—a lot.

When I finally lifted my head, she was looking up at me with wide, starry eyes and a rather dazed expression.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Was that satisfactory?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite the extraordinary sensations rushing through me.

She gave a little laugh.

"Satisfactory? Garrik, that was amazing. No one has ever kissed me like that before."

I felt an absurd surge of masculine pride.

"Well, I'm pleased you approve," I said, unable to keep a smile from spreading across my face.

"Oh, don't look so smug!" she exclaimed, giving my chest a playful little push. "You're going to be impossible to live with if I keep complimenting you!"