That earned her a sharp nip that made her squeal and wiggle beneath him, but then she sobered.

“What happened in the barn, Raina’s fantasy room, it wasn’t the Darkness.” She wanted it to be true, though she knew she really couldn’t say if it was or not. It was going to take her a while to trust her gut again.

Before that uncertainty could take hold, spoil the moment, Derek gave her the truth, reinforced it. He touched her face. “I know that, girl. It’s something…. I’ve got the need to rope and brand, and you’ve got the need for the taming. It helps you to let go, to drop all the shields and fears and surrender to trust. You need some help getting there, and that’s part of what it’s all about. No shame to it.

“I’ve got all sorts of rope tricks I could show you.” He gave her a grin, then sighed. “And I’ll give Raina her due. She said it was something that had always been between us, part of who we are, and the fantasy just gave us the chance to explore it a little more.”

“And that brand?”

“A tracer mark. Raina’s idea, but in the end, I wasn’t sorry for it. It helped me keep track of where you were when you were out on the street, then on the way down to us.”

“I’m lucky your aim was good,” she retorted, a gleam in her eye. “That one explosion, the one that turned two chambers into one? It would have taken me out if I’d so much as twitched the wrong way.”

“You aren’t the only one who practices marksmanship. My weapon’s just quite a bit bigger, baby.”

She snorted at that, made another halfhearted effort to wrestle him off her. She succeeded only in being pinned more decidedly. Then he settled down to taming her in earnest, ironically by making her so wild she was clawing at his back and mindless with need in no time. Thrusting, teasing her with his mouth. His hands were everywhere, stroking, leaving her all open and aching for him. She came around him, once, twice, before he let himself go, and then he started all over again, proving that her sorcerer’s strength was back in full glory, their souls invincible, bound as closely together as their hearts, minds and bodies.

LINDA USUALLY STOPPED IN DURING THE MORNINGS TO chat, but apparently the vibes coming out from their guesthouse were unmistakable. Except for Theo padding in and out occasionally to give them a reproachful look for hanging about the bed all day, they were left alone. As the sun started to set, Derek pulled on his jeans. He didn’t want Ruby to get dressed, so he wrapped her up in the blanket, despite her weak protest. Carrying her out to the porch so they could watch that sunset together, he brought a beer for him, a soda for her, and a biscuit treat for Theo. She sat in the cradle of his legs on the lounge chair, bare feet peeping out of the bottom of the blanket, playing with his toes, because for once he’d left the boots behind. She had her head on his chest.

“I’d like Raina and Ramona there.”

“I expected that. I’ll be nice.”

“No, you won’t. Raina would die of shock if you were, and I need her to be my maid of honor. You sure you’re up for this? A lifetime with me?”

He shrugged, tugged her hair. “I don’t have a lot of choice. You know that dog of yours isn’t getting any younger, and Theo told me when he has to go to Dog Heaven, you’re going to fall apart.”

“You both have an overinflated opinion of yourselves. A typical alpha male trait. I won’t miss cleaning his slobber off everything. Oh wait. He says that’s your slobber. You just blame it on him.”

“Probably. Drooling over you, the way you turn every little gesture into something that makes me want to get you on your back. Or on your knees, or—”

“Do not.”

“Do you still scrub your tub on Saturdays? You know, where you bend way over, knees braced on the edge of the tub, your ass high in the air—”

She pinched him, hard, and he squeezed her, grinning. As they got quiet again, though, she spoke against his chest.

“You remember what you said that day…. about the soul being a full container?”

He nodded, his jaw brushing her hair.

“You said the only way there’s room for more inside of it is if pieces of it have been let go, leaving pockets for Darkness to grow, like tumors in the flesh.”

“I know. But that’s….”

“Sshh.” She touched his mouth. “I think there’s another way. There’s room for more if pieces have been given freely to another, to make room for pieces of his soul to come inside of yours, filling them both up. Bringing them together. Thank you for giving me part of your soul, Derek. Thank you for loving me that much.”

“It was just formality, girl. You already had my soul. My heart, and everything else worth having.”

She swallowed, seeing the truth of it in his face, and stretched up to briefly press her mouth to his.

“Same goes, cowboy. Now and always.”