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The woman stumbled back in her ridiculous stilettos as the color drained from her face. She lifted a trembling hand to her mouth, face twisted in terror. There was a scream building in her chest, but her throat was too tight to let it out.

“Go,” Alaric growled, finally shaking her off. He straightened his button-down and unfurled the sleeves that had been rolled to his elbows.

No one had to tell her twice, and the rapid click of her retreating heels echoed through the mall. Alaric turned and pulled me against him. There was a fine tremor in his hands where they gripped my waist tight enough to bruise.

“Let’s take a break,” I told him. “Ice cream?”

He straightened and slipped a mask over his features like nothing in the world was wrong. “Sure. I know just the place.”

The ice cream shop was a small, artisanal shop with flavors like lavender honey and black sesame caramel. It was the perfect sweet complement to my creative tea obsession.

The guys had gone back to trying to distract me. When I told them they had to share their ice cream with me, it was Rami who leaned in and whispered that he enjoyed sharing with Alaric. My dessert wasn’t the only thing melting.

We found a quiet table in the corner of the shop’s outdoor patio, surrounded by flowering baskets and hanging ivy. The guys watched me take a bite of the strawberry balsamic I’d ordered, and I had to stop myself from making a not-safe-for-public sound. The bonds in my chest pulsed with heated desire anyway.

“Do they sell ice cream for home?” Rami asked over my head, his voice rough.

Alaric’s was equally gritty when he answered, “Yes.” He offered me a taste of the Mayan salted chocolate he’d ordered, and I teased him with a sultry look before wrapping my lips around his spoon. My eyelids fluttered.

So good.

Beside me, Rami made a strangled noise and shifted in his chair. He held out a messy spoonful, and the pistachio cardamom delicacy threatened to drip down my chin. I reached for a napkin, but Rami leaned in and lightly dragged his tongue over my lips.

I was willing to wear my ice cream at that point, but worry was still gnawing at the edges of my mind. Something had happened back there with Ric. Something had happened with me. I needed to know what.

“Prince?” He perked at his name and scooped another bite to share, but my brow furrowed, and I shook my head. “Why were you afraid of her?”

He faltered. That was probably the last thing he expected me to ask. “It was nothing.” His hazel eyes scanned the tabletop. “She just caught me off guard.”

I sighed and rested a hand on his forearm, finally drawing his troubled gaze. “It was more than that. You were frozen. You couldn’t even throw her off, even though I felt how much you wanted to.”

“Tell her, Ric.” Rami’s encouragement sounded more resigned than anything. “She needs to know.”

Alaric exhaled heavily and went back to staring at his bowl of melting ice cream. “You know my gift is dreamwalking.” He frowned, searching for words. “I can’t control it,” he finally said. “When someone touches my skin, some kind of psychic link is formed, and I can be pulled into their dreams without warning. I didn’t want her anywhere near me, but I didn’t want to risk forming that link even more.”

A sharp pain lanced through my heart. “This happens any time you come in contact with someone?” He nodded. “But we’ve been around people all day. The gallery two weeks ago. Why would you expose yourself like that?”

“Because it hasn’t happened since you claimed me. I was just too scared to chance it today.” Guilt ghosted over his features. “I’m sorry, Pixie.”

“What? No!” I gripped his forearm tighter, anger blooming in my heart like a dark flower. “That bitch had no right. She’s lucky I let her leave with all her limbs intact.”

“Peace, kulta.” Rami’s big hand found my thigh. “What did you do to frighten her away?”

“I’m not sure,” I confessed with a shrug. “I was pissed off, and my magic got all crackly like it used to when I was worked up. I wanted her to be scared of me, so I imagined her being scared of me. Then I guess she was.”

The guys shared a look, and Ric tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “That is a Heart’s gift,” he said. “It’s more than sensing what your drift is feeling. You’ll be able to influence others’ emotional climate. You just displayed an astonishing level of ability. It was probably amplified by your divine magic.”

Rami dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t worry.”

I chewed my lip. “No, I’m pretty worried.” This was just one more thing I shouldn’t have been able to do yet. One more thing I had to, no doubt, hide. Not to mention that I still kind of wanted to hunt that woman down and relieve her of her grabby hands.

“No, kulta.” Rami turned me to face him, taking my chin between his thumb and index finger.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, what?” Because I knew I hadn’t said the quiet part out loud.

The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement. “No violence.” He tapped his chest, reminding me that he still got a sense of my emotions when they were strong. “Lucian is not here, and he would be upset if you chose violence without him.”

I pouted at the perfectly reasonable explanation, but had to concede the point.