“Then don’t,” she said as she went to her closet and pulled out a duffel bag, then headed to her bedroom to fill it.

Joseph was right on her heels. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll be fine on my own. You just gave me access to a shit ton of power. If anything comes at me, I’ll fry it.”

Like hell. “You don’t even know how to access my power yet.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I work well under pressure.”

“You’re not leaving.” Even as he issued the edict, his skin started to itch. The blood in his veins burned as it pumped through them. His head started to pound the way it did whenever she was out of his sight. Only worse.

She paused in the act of throwing clothes into the bag. “Oh, really? You’re looking a little pale, Theronai. Something wrong?”

He let out a string of curses, venting some of his frustration. “Will you at least consider the possibility that you might not be ready to wield my power without so much as a single lesson?”

“Time is of the essence.”

“Yes, but what good is it for you to find the children when you don’t have the power to protect them?”

She cocked one hip and stared at him in contemplation. “I’ll give you ten minutes to show me what I need to know. After that, I’m gone.”

“It’s not enough,” he told her. “It takes some women years to learn how to wield the kind of power you want.”

“How do you know what I want?”

“The luceria told me. It’s how I know you’re just using me.”

“I’m not trying to screw you over or anything. I’ll be a good partner. Just don’t expect me to fawn all over you the way some of the other Theronai women do with their mates. I don’t fawn. Ever.”

A few more of his dreams—the ones he kept hidden even from himself—shriveled and died. “Fine. You’re all business. I get it. But what you don’t know is that if you want to be able to sling magic around like those women do, then you’re going to have to open up at least a little. This cold, I-don’t-need-anyone attitude is going to get you nowhere.”

“You’d hold out on me like that?”

“It’s not me. It’s the way the luceria works. The closer two people are, the more magic can flow between them. Those women you see fawning, as you call it, they have that kind of juice because they are as close to their men as any two people can be.” He stepped up to her and gently tapped her forehead. “If you want my magic, you have to let me in here. We have to connect on a level so deep that we always know what the other is thinking—at least when it comes to combat.”

She reeled away in horror. “Are you fucking kidding me? Do you have any idea how many things I know about the Slayers that you’re not allowed to know? Letting you in my head would be the same thing as betraying my people.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you don’t trust me enough to know that I’d never use that knowledge against someone you love, then you’ll never be able to do more than light a match with my power.”

“Bullshit.”

He lifted a brow. “Think so? Let’s go outside. I’ll prove it.”

She opened the sliders. “After you, Theronai.”

He grinned at her. “Thank you, Theronai.”

*   *   *

Joseph was bluffing. He had to be. There was no way Lyka could have gone through all of that and not even earned access to his magic.

She knew how it was supposed to work. She’d heard all the stories, even seen a bonded pair of Theronai in action when she was a little girl. Her mother had done her best to warn Lyka of what she might face one day. This was the part where she was supposed to tap into Joseph’s power and be able to kick ass.

He must have had some way of blocking her.

As she marched outside, she began forming a plan. She’d call his bluff and rip from him all the power she needed to rescue her people. If he was holding out on her, then she’d take it against his will.

She briefly wondered if doing such a thing would hurt him, but quickly decided she didn’t care. If he was playing dirty, so could she.

He led her to the dock stretching out on the small lake behind the main building. There was a forest on the far side, and just inside the tree line, she could see small, rough cabins.

She’d been in one of those before. Naked, wearing only a sheet—an offering of peace from her brother, meant to ensure his good behavior.

For some reason, she felt far more exposed now than she had back then. Her world had been blown apart, her secret revealed and her future tied to a man she barely knew. Sure, he seemed like a decent guy, but for all she knew he was holding back his serial-killing, baby-eating ways.

Then again, if he were a monster, nothing in her vows said she couldn’t kill him. He’d promised to protect her, but she’d made no such promise. If she really wanted out of this relationship, all she had to do was gack him in his sleep.

The thought turned her stomach and made her feel about as low as a pile of worm shit.

“What’s upset you?” he asked as he stopped at the end of the dock.

“Who says I’m upset?”

He slid his finger along the slippery band around her neck. It buzzed and warmed in response to his touch. “This did. It connects us. It allows me to sense your emotions if they’re strong enough. And what you felt a second ago was definitely strong.”

The choker had shrunk to fit her perfectly. It was completely comfortable, but there was no room for her to shove her fingers under it and try to yank it off.

“It’s not going anywhere,” said Joseph. “Your vow to me made sure of that. You might as well get used to it. Besides, you look lovely in my luceria.”

The way his gaze warmed sent a shiver through her. She shouldn’t have cared about how he thought she looked, but the little thrill his compliment gave her was proof that she did. “Just show me what I need to know so I can get out of here.”

He turned her body toward the lake as he stepped behind her. She could feel the hard contours of his muscles along her back as he pulled her against him. One of his thick arms wrapped around her middle, and he nestled his chin next to her ear. “See that post out there?”

All the air in her body had fled at his touch, leaving her none for speaking. Her concentration was shattered by his nearness. After so many weeks of keeping her distance and dodging his attempts to get closer, it was strange letting him touch her.