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“Oh.” She lost her breath at the confidence he held and how he viewed her. Then the bubble of her spirits deflated, but she tried to shrug it off casually. “Well, I can’t anymore.”
Silence filled the cage as they got lost in contemplation. She eyed his form, noting the weariness on his shoulders, and crawling closer. Ruby sifted through the remaining vials in her pocket until she found what she needed.
“Drink.”
He eyed the vial balefully. “What is it?”
“Not a truth potion nor an attacking one. Trust me.”
He plucked it from her hand and drank in one gulp. Pleased, she noted the weariness leaving his shoulders and the awe on his face.
“What was that?”
“Our version of an energy booster. You didn’t get sleep because of me.”
“No. I didn’t get sleep because I chose not to sleep.” There was a long pause as he assessed her. “Cold?”
She gritted her teeth to keep from shivering, then yelped when he pulled her in his arms. Mortification burst at the close intimacy, but the heat his body radiated was way better than what her cloak offered. Giving up her pride, she snuggled closer and sniffed, biting back a sound at his earthy, masculine scent.
As if sensing her need for human contact, his hands tightened around her. Her gaze landed on the one wrapped around her knee, fingers curled and veins popping out. Hers rested beside it, dainty compared to his, and she wondered how it would feel to have that large, calloused hand cruising higher. She imagined it warming her back…then cruising to places it shouldn’t touch. But instead of turning her off, the vision in her head sparked a different kind of wonder that grew into something out of her control.
He would be firm and commanding. He would know how to lead, brushing his fingers against spaces that would arch at his touch. Just like that, a fire started in her stomach and lowered when the vision took her to Maddox giving up command—a sweet, crazy surrender whileshetook command—
“I will help you to the very end. Under one condition.”
The vision shattered, but the emotions stayed behind, dancing in her blood until she was overwhelmingly aroused. That arousal stupefied, a dark cloud in the longstanding friendship they shared. She gulped it all down, desperate not to let him see, and focused on his words.
“That I be careful?”
“Well, besides that.”
“What?”
“That you help me communicate with the dead, too.”
That had her looking up and meeting his sober gaze. It clicked.
“Hilda.”
Maddox nodded tersely, as if waiting for her to reject his proposal. An ugly feeling settled in her chest when she realized what she was doing—thinking inappropriate thoughts over a man who still wasn’t over his past.
“I get to communicate with Hilda and tell her what I missed telling her before. You get your powers and the truth from your brother. When it’s all done, you and Brian get to move on. Together.”
“It’s not like that—”
“But there’s a chance. Trust me when I say that you have to take every chance you get.”
Ruby closed her eyes, fighting off the dismay of how he was pushing her toward another man. Then she slowly, willingly erased every dirty musing in her head over this man, knowing it would do no good.
When she opened her eyes, her mind was made up.
“It’s a deal.”
The intense switch of feelings didn’t quite leave her body yet, sparking another layer every time she glanced at him, and his hand came back into focus. So, she avoided his gaze, staying at a respectable distance in their limited space and checking up on the other two from time to time.
“Brian’s magic still isn’t working.”
“Hmm.” Maddox’s attention was locked on Moon. “He is not turning, either. Which is good news.”
