Instead, I directed my attention to those who had fought for me and been injured for it. The burned man was still alive but in very bad shape. Davros, the mayor, assured me they had a healer who could bring the guard back to a stable condition. The healing took awhile, so I accepted Davros’ invitation to sit and have a drink in his home once again. They’d already gotten my well up and working, and he seemed very pleased to be able to offer me water.

“There were no girls there,” I told him. I sat in a plain wooden chair. Kiyo lay on the floor at my feet, his furry body pressed up to my leg.

Davros snorted. “Of course not, your majesty. I told you that girl ran off. It’s easier on her parents to believe otherwise. We certainly appreciate your, uh, efforts to clean out those villains, however.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, well, the fire demons were kind of unexpected.”

“There have been rumors for some time, your majesty, that there were some very strong fire users among them. It’s part of what’s made their raiding so problematic.”

I widened my eyes. “Oh? That might have been useful information earlier.”

He cowered at the tone in my voice. “Begging your pardon, your majesty. None of us could have imagined their power was that great.”

I questioned him further on where the bandits might go now and if he’d heard any other stories about their magic users. If we faced these guys again, I didn’t want any more surprises. We spoke until Rurik came to get me, telling me that most of the wounded were in traveling shape but that the severely injured man would stay behind for further recovery. There seemed no point in remaining after that, so we set out for the castle.

The ride back wasn’t too different from our last ride from Westoria. There was a dark mood over the group, and I was probably the worst. We’d set off counting on an easy victory and had more or less gotten our asses kicked.

It was late when we finally arrived, the sun having set and cooled the weather to a comfortable eighty degrees. Time in Tucson tended to run a little later than here, which meant it was well into the night back home. So much for the date with Kiyo. That saddened me further, and I wandered out to a stretch of garden-by which I meant rocks and cacti-that extended beyond the castle. I settled down on a patch of grass that Shaya had been painstakingly trying to grow. As someone who controlled and spoke to plant life, I think this barren landscape killed her sometimes.

I’d been sitting there and ruminating for about an hour when Kiyo joined me. His fox form had finally lifted.

“Don’t take it so hard,” he said, putting an arm around me and guessing what had me worried. “There was nothing you could have done differently.”

“I suppose. I just feel bad now. Like, I still don’t want this place. Not at all. But here it is, and then I feel horrible and guilty because even if I try, I can’t do anything for it. I pushed the thinking off on Shaya, and then I failed at the fighting part-the one thing I can usually do. Argh.” I buried my face in my hands. “It’s so confusing. I never wanted to deal with this.”

Kiyo pulled me close, and I rested my head against his chest. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’ll get through this.”

“We? You’ve got enough to worry about without this.” I was in one of those glum moods where everything seemed hopeless. How could he possibly have time for me with a new baby on the way?

“We,” he said firmly. “And as much as I hate to say it…you just being here is going to help the land.”

“How?”

“It’s tied to your life, right? You affect it, strengthen it just with your presence. It’s why that meditation you do soothes it.”

“Maybe. But I’ve been meditating for months, and there have still been droughts and famines.”

“You’re still helping it, whether you know it or not. Your thoughts, moods…it’s all connected.”

“Wonderful. It must be doing just great tonight then,” I muttered.

In the moonlight, I saw him gesture around us. The sky was clear, and there was no breeze. There was a dry, stagnant feel to the air. It seemed unhealthy. Like you could feel the energy being sapped from everything.

I sighed and lay back on the grass. “If I stay the night, will it help?”

“Probably.” He lay beside me. “No Red Pepper Bistro then.”

“Yeah. And I was so looking forward to their Salmonella Burrito Special. I guess there’s always tomorrow.”

“Mmm, well…”

I turned toward him. “Oh, I don’t like that.”

“I promised Maiwenn…” He couldn’t finish.

“It’s fine. I understand.” I did. I just didn’t like it. Were we ever going to have some semblance of a normal dating life?

“Oh, Eugenie.” Kiyo wrapped himself against me and brushed the hair from my face. “You’re the only one. You know that, right? The only one I want in this world.” He paused. “Or any other world.”

I laughed, but it was smothered when he pressed his lips to mine. There was almost never warm-up with Kiyo’s passion. He always came on hungry and strong, and to my surprise, I always responded right away with equal intensity. I opened my mouth to his, feeling the thrust of his tongue and brush of his teeth against my lips.

He slid a hand up my T-shirt, squeezing my breast through the thin lace of my bra. His other hand slid along my hip and down the back of my ass, shoving me closer to him, so that we were pressed hip to hip as we lay on our sides. My own hands were tangled in his hair, keeping our faces close as we kissed. Then, growing impatient, I reached down to the edge of his shirt and tugged it up over his head. It broke our kiss momentarily, but it was worth it to have the warm, wonderful skin of his chest exposed. I ran my hands over it, wanting to kiss every part of it, but he had other ideas and took off my shirt in return. I saw it land on a prickly pear when he tossed it away.

His hands moved just as quickly to my jeans, and I leaned back, extending my legs straight out while he pulled them and my underwear off in one motion. I was grateful then for the grass beneath me that Shaya had grown. Gravelly sand would have been a bit harsh on bare skin.

Nonetheless, he was the one I pushed down, forcing him to keep his back flat on the ground. Straddling him and still wearing my lace bra, I undid his belt and tugged his jeans and boxers halfway down, just enough to expose what I needed. I leaned over him, pressing us and our naked skin together, rubbing my hips provocatively without taking him into me. I kissed him as I did, and his hands reached around to unfasten my bra and remove the last of my clothing, leaving me completely naked. In that unforgiving heat, though, I barely noticed.

He was hard underneath me, and I continued writhing my hips, taunting and teasing him more while I grew wetter. The lust in his eyes burned into me, laced with the remnants of the animal he’d been earlier. His hands were still all over my breasts, rubbing and squeezing them. Each touch sent shockwaves through my body. Occasionally, he’d draw me forward so that he could take one breast into his mouth, suckling and stroking the nipple with his tongue.

As he did, I moved one of my own hands down between my thighs and began touching myself, wanting to reach my own climax before he took me-and I knew he would soon. I could see the desire and impatience all over him. Drawing sex out was not in his nature. I much preferred it when a man touched my clit-there was nothing like it in the world-but I had a feeling I’d have to literally take matters into my own hands with the way he looked tonight. Besides, I knew my body well enough to know I could get myself off pretty quickly.

Not quickly enough. Kiyo’s hands gripped my hips, sitting me up slightly and then roughly pulling my body down. I got my hand out of the way just as he shoved into me, penetrating with a strength I hadn’t expected since I was the one on top. I tried to pull off, but his grip on me was firm as he began bucking his hips upward.