"Hungry," he whispered.
Elated he was somewhat alive, she bolted to the kitchen for soup. Jule's shaking had stopped, and he looked pale rather than flushed from a fever. He'd managed to push himself into a sitting position when she returned with soup and water.
"How are you?" she asked and sat beside him again.
"Good as new," he said.
"I don't think you're there yet," she replied skeptically. He accepted the bowl of soup and sipped in silence for a few minutes. When he'd finished, he swapped out the soup for the water. "You were mumbling in your sleep about killing people."
"I've got a list of people I probably should," he said with gentle humor. He studied her. "You believed that, didn't you?"
She pursed her lips. "Yes, because you're a Guardian."
"And?"
"It's what Guardians do. They kill people."
"According to who?" he asked. "Let me guess. Your father."
She nodded.
"And you believe him?"
"You may be the exception," Yully said.
Jule studied her. He lowered the soup, and their arms brushed, opening the gateway for energy between them. His gaze went to their arms.
"Interesting," he said. "You're absorbing what little power I have."
Flustered, Yully started to rise. Jule rested a large hand on her forearm, and she stilled, meeting his intense gaze. His direct look warmed her body on the inside in a way she knew wasn't appropriate for the time, place, or man in front of her.
"You always run," Jule said in his soft growl. "You don't need to run from me."
She flushed and looked down. Jule lifted her chin, his warm touch and nearness stirring her blood.
"Can you channel the energies you feel?" he asked.
"I've never felt anything before you," she said. Her face grew hotter. "I mean, I never tried. I don't interact with people much."
"I understood," he replied with a smile. His energies flexed, the hum between them growing stronger. Intrigued by the sensations, she found herself unwilling to look away from him this time. "You feel it?"
"Yes, I feel it."
"You can channel it."
Instead of responding, she concentrated on pulling his energy into her body then pushed it back. The connection she'd experimented with when he slept grew intimate when he was awake. She hadn't thought twice about how personal it was to touch another's soul, until fire and interest sparked in his warm gaze. His touch turned electric, and his magic skimmed her blood. Her breathing quickened, her heart fluttering. The room suddenly seemed too small for the both of them, and she became as aware of his heartbeat as her own. She wanted more of Jule's magic caressing her from the inside, and his soft skin caressing her on the outside.