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Joy grinned, giving him a knowing look. She reached for his hand, tangling their fingers together again. Malachi squeezed her hand, fighting back the riotous swell of emotions under his breast.
“All right, then, demon boy. I’m ready for the grand tour.”
Malachi smiled back at her. “As you wish, little tiger.”
Seeing his house—Malachi refused to call it a castle—through Joy’s eyes felt like nothing else. He’d sort of blended a mixture of old and new with the design of the interior. His heart thumped with excitement when he led her to the library, and he delighted in her happy little squeal as she rushed inside. God, the smell of her right now. He wanted it all over his abode, in every nook and cranny.
“How were you able to buy all these books?” she asked incredulously. Then she glanced up at him, looking sly. “Or did you “borrow” them? Emphasis on the borrow.”
He grinned, flashing a hint of fang. “I did borrow them. In a sense.”
Joy raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching. “Explain.”
“I visited a few bookstores and used the aether to … well, copy the essence of the books.”
“That’s a neat little trick, I have to admit,” she said with a laugh. “If only.” She trailed her fingers over the books on the shelves, her eyes greedily taking in the lettering on the spines. “Wow, your taste is, uh, very vast.”
He’d taken everything—from fiction to nonfiction, from cookbooks to books on geography—greedy to know everythingthat concernedwhat was going to be his new home.
He grinned at her gobsmacked expression, at how she was slowly coming to realise there was no rhyme or reason to his collection; he’d simply put them on the shelf in the order he’d read—or wanted to read—them. “You should see my film collection.”
Joy spun to stare at him. “Take me there. Now.”
Malachi managed a soft laugh. His film room was almost exactly like his library, size-wise. Joy seemed even more excited in this room, darting from shelf to shelf.
“You have all seasons ofTotal Drama Island! AndAdventure Time! And theRegular Show! Ah!”
Malachi had to bite the inside of his cheek. Holy shit she was so fucking cute he couldn’t stand it.
“I can give you copies of anything you want,” he offered carelessly. As long as he remained in the mortal realm, the magic forming them should hold.
Joy turned to stare at him. She looked like he’d just popped her brain like agrape. He moved closer to her, wanting—needingto touch her.
He cupped her throat and her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek.
“That’s too much,” she breathed, swaying into his touch. “Surely that’s too much?”
“Nothing’s too much,” he whispered.Not for you, he added silently.
She seemed to hear the words anyway, her scent going molten and sweet. Malachi leaned down to kiss her. She made a soft sound as their lips connected, and he felt that sound all the way down to his marrows. His wings spread, enveloping them against the shelf they were pressed against.
“I’m serious,” she said after a few moments, panting into his mouth. Her hands were around his neck, and she was standing on the tips of her toes. She looked up, her doe, brown eyes meeting his. “I will literally make a list, Malachi. Don’t tempt me.”
He kissed her forehead, then her nose. Her lips spread into a smile she seemed to want to suppress, her scent going all buttery warm.
“I’m tempting you,” he murmured.
Joy yanked him down to kiss him again, hungrily, desperately. Then she abruptly pulled away. He tucked his wings to his back to give her room to move as she meticulously did as she’d threatened, starting from one end of the room.
“I’m curious,” she said, eyes darting in his direction as she perused the shelves. “Have you really watched everything in here?”
“I have not.”
“Damn. That’s disappointing.”
Malachi’s lips twitched. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“How about the books? Read all of them?”
