hair in a slow, hypnotic rhythm.
"I'm waterlogged," I finally said, and raised my head from where it rested against his chest. "Going on raisin skinned."
I caught the edge of his smile.
"You're the mistress of air and water," he said. "I can't believe you couldn't fix a thing like that."
"True. But I'm too tired. Can't you just-blink us back up to the room?"
"No," he said. "I can move myself anywhere I like, but taking you is a bit more difficult."
"You tunneled through the earth with me," I reminded him.
"And I'm recovering my strength," he said gravely. "I assume you want me fully restored."
"Bet your ass."
The Demon Mark was silent again, almost invisible; still, it was hard to move, because I kept waiting for it to strike again. David understood. He let me sit up slowly, watching my face, and reached out to place his hand over my heart again.
"It's quiet," he said.
"What if it gets noisy again?"
"It won't. Not tonight." He didn't make any promises for tomorrow, I noticed. Well, I was getting out of the habit of thinking about tomorrow anyway.
I got out of the water, weak-kneed, my bits of Lycra back in place for the trip upstairs. David surged out of the hot tub next. I found myself fascinated by the way water caught and tangled in his hair, flecked his entire body with light. God, he was beautiful. I couldn't quite believe that I'd drawn passion out of that perfection, because he looked so controlled and untouchable now.
"Put some clothes on," I said, "before I have to fight off the desk clerks to hang on to you."
He reached for my towel and wrapped it around his waist. That did not make him any less attractive. If anything . . .
"Upstairs," he reminded me. I took his arm, and we walked out of the pool area onto the deep pile carpet past the front desk. One of the clerks looked up, frowned slightly, then realized what she was doing and gave us a brilliant smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you in there. The pool area's closed for the night," she said. David-just human David again, brown hair and brown eyes, just another guy-nodded and apologized. We strolled back up the hall to the elevators, where we waited politely until one dinged open for us.
I shivered in the air-conditioning as the doors rumbled closed; David noticed, made a casual gesture, and instantly I was warm and dry.
"Wow," I said, surprised. He raised his eyebrows.
"Nothing you couldn't do yourself."
I moved closer to him and found him dry, too; warm as if he wore summer under his skin. He put his arms around me, but he did it carefully. Too carefully.
"David."
"Yes?"
"I'm not fragile."
He didn't smile, didn't look away from my face. Close up, the color of his eyes was a deep, rich gold-stone. "Compared with me?"
"Okay, granted, more fragile than you. But don't treat me like I'm dying, I'm not dying, I'm just- living until I don't." David still didn't look away. "Promise me you won't let all this stop you from throwing me up against the wall right now and kissing me like my life depended on it."
It was a short ride to the third floor, too short for the kind of reassurance I wanted, but he did manage to make me feel better. And warmer.
In the room, with towels and swimsuits discarded, he proceeded to raise my body temperature considerably. This time, there was no demonic tantrum to spoil it for us, just long, slow, delicious heat that kept building and building until I burned.
I fell asleep curled against him, with his hand over the Mark, holding it still.
I woke up alone in a well-mussed bed, felt the cold hollow in the pillow where David had lain, and I felt that cold certainty sweep over me that it was like the first night: I was going to open my eyes to find him gone as if he'd never been.
But when I looked, he was standing at the window, looking out. He was already dressed in a gold flannel shirt and blue jeans, feet bare, and he had his glasses on again. Human disguise firmly in place.
I stretched and let the sheet slip down. David didn't take the bait. He looked uncommonly sober for so early in the morning,