Feversong

Then she was off to join Barrons and Ryodan, who were playing poker with the Lanes and Inspector Jayne.

“Yeah, well, she’s not the one that can’t have sex,” Christian muttered darkly. “They’re bloody having sex constantly.”

“I told you I’m perfectly happy to help with that,” Enyo said, dropping over the back of the couch next to him.

Christian shot up and stalked away.

I arched a brow at Enyo, who shrugged. “War’s over. I need a new challenge.” Then she was off the couch, too, stalking after him.

Then Dancer and I were slow dancing while everyone carried on around us, as if we were the only two people in the world. Then the music was fast and fun and some of the sidhe-seers who hadn’t gone off world showed up and we filled the bookstore with dancing and laughter and even Mac and Barrons joined in when “Tubthumping” came on.

Hours later Dancer finally said, “Want to get out of here, Mega?” His eyes were tired but brilliant as ever, the color of tropical surf.

Did I ever. I wanted this night to go on forever. But I also wanted it to end. “Yes. Tomorrow we get to—”

“Rescue Shazam,” Dancer exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “Bloody hell, I can’t wait to meet him!”

I kissed him. And kissed him. Then I had him leaning back against a bookcase, I was his second skin, and we got lost in a long dreamy kiss that told me exactly how the night was going to go.

I looked for Ryodan to say goodbye before we left but he was nowhere to be found.

“Freeze-frame me, Dani,” Dancer said eagerly as we stepped outside, and I couldn’t resist. We were on top of the world, young and in perfect sync with each other’s hearts. He loved being in the slipstream, said it helped blow his mind open to new ideas.

As I kicked us up into that other dimension and the starry tunnel unfolded around us, he kissed me, which totally broke my concentration, and we stumbled down, cartwheeling along the alley, laughing. Then he had me turned around against the brick wall and my jeans were down and so were his and my sword was shoved aside and he was kissing the back of my neck and pushing inside me from behind and I knew later tomorrow I’d gouge D&D into the wall in this very spot and I laughed thinking that if I did it everywhere we had sex, the whole city would be graffitied with D’s in no time.

“I love you, Dani Mega O’Malley,” Dancer said against my ear as he moved inside me. “More than the world is big. Deeper than the sky is blue. Truer than the universe is vast. I love you more eternal than pi.”

A fierce elation exploded in my heart and I gasped, “I love you the same way, Dancer.”

Then the only sounds in the street were the ones a man and woman make when they live out loud and in every color of the rainbow.

I woke up a little after noon the next day to sun slanting across our bed and lay curled on my side, wondering if Queen Mac had anything to do with the sultry clime drifting in the open window.

I trusted she knew she couldn’t turn Dublin permanently into southern Georgia without seriously screwing up our rainy, verdant isle. But I’d happily take a few days of this weather, knowing how much Dancer loved it. He needed some long lazy hours in the sunshine to recuperate from the pace of recent events.

“It’s the day, Shazam,” I whispered, glowing inside. That one. The one I’d been waiting for forever. Today, Ryodan and Barrons were going to start stacking Silvers to rescue my beloved friend. And life would be perfect. Me, Shazam, and Dancer. What more could I ask? My heart was so full of happiness it felt like it might explode.

We’d had sex three times last night. I’d bowed out the fourth, pretending I was sore (like that could even happen), achingly aware of how exhausted he’d been. “We have all the time in the world,” I’d told him, hoping it was true. Pacing ourselves was the key to getting a long life with him.

Going to sleep next to him every night. Waking up with him every morning, feeling the warmth of his body next to—

I went still.

So still I might have been made of stone.

Warily, I opened all my senses to their fullest.

I sleep on my side, one arm under the pillow, backside pressed up to him. Dancer sleeps flat on his back, arms usually over his head. He breathes easier that way.

He was behind me, his hand grazing my hip.

His cool hand.

I pondered that. He might have gotten up to get a glass of milk or something and his hand was still cool from holding the glass. Or maybe he’d had one of the grape Popsicles we’d made a couple nights ago from grape juice and a couple of bottles of iced wine we’d found. I’d roll over and find his lips were purple from sucking on one. Everything would be fine.

“Dancer?” I whispered.

Nothing.

“Dancer?” I said.

Silence.

Loudly, brightly, “Dancer, wake up. It’s the day. We’re going through to Shazam today. You two are going to love each other. We’re going to be a family.” And we were doing it together; he was coming off world to Planet X with me, we’d decided last night. Even though I was worried about his heart, I’d agreed to not cage him and he wanted to be there with me, to celebrate a joyful reunion. Or comfort me if it didn’t go as we hoped.

I have super senses. Super smell, sight, strength, speed.

And hearing.

There was only one person breathing in our bed.

I exploded up, spun midair and slammed my hands down on his chest. “Dancer!” I snarled. “Wake up!”