Belladonna

was getting an odd, buzzy tingling in his skin where Sebastian's fist rested against his chest. "Not on my ground. Sooner or later, she'll invite you to her bed, and nothing I say will change that. But there's something about you, Magician. Threat and promise. I don't know why that's so, but it is."
    "Are you saying we're enemies?" Michael asked, wondering how well ill-wishing would work on an incubus.
    "Not yet," Sebastian said, releasing Michael's shirt. "Maybe we'll even end up friends."
    The first thought — "not likely" — got swallowed as he listened to the music that made up Sebastian.
    It's possible, Michael thought, surprised by how appealing the idea was.
    A friendship between them was possible — at least until Sebastian discovered that he really was a threat.
    As soon as they got into the dining room, Glorianna pulled Lee away from the others. "What's wrong with him?" She wanted to shout, so the effort to keep her voice low enough for the conversation to remain private strained her throat muscles.
    "Don't know Michael well enough to say," Lee replied.
    "Not Michael. Sebastian" Could her brother really bethat obtuse? "He just threatened to give a human to the Merry Makers to eat'."
    Lee shrugged. "I'm sure he was just teasing."
    No, he wasn't — and neither are you. Lee had gotten along with Michael during the journey to the White Isle, and had even developed a fledgling friendship. But liking a man and trusting him weren't the same thing, and there was only one reason she could think of— that Lee would know about — that would give her brother an excuse to look away if trouble started.
    Since she couldn't hit him without her mother getting involved, she slapped with words. "I'm sorry if this is a shock to you, but I've had sex before. Michael wouldn't be my first lover."
    He slapped back. "He's the first one you brought home."
    "We're not home."
    "Think again, Glorianna. The man was sitting at a table with your cousin. Your mother and brother were nearby. This place belongs to family. If that's not bringing him home, then what is?"
    She didn't have an answer to that. Wasn't sure he was entitled to an answer. Wasn't even sure ...
    No, she was sure about that. Michael was an attractive man, and judging by his kisses, would be a pleasing sex partner. Then there was that blend of the wistful, stray puppy look he sometimes got in his eyes combined with a practicality born of being self-sufficient that intrigued her. He wanted love, wanted to love.
    And he had the answer, already knew what might be done to stop the Eater of the World. But he wasn't going to tell her.
    Watching Michael walk into the dining room with Sebastian, she felt it in the currents of power as clearly as if he'd said the words.
    More to the point, he didn't want to tell her. Not here, where her family was a constant reminder of the hearts that might be hurt by what he offered. It would have to be on his ground.
    She wanted to see him on his own ground. Here he had been a stranger stumbling over the unfamiliar. Who was Michael the Magician in the landscapes he tended? She wanted to know who he was, wanted to know if she could walk in his landscapes.
    yes yes yes.
    She watched him stop and cock his head. A hint of a smile curved his mouth, as if he were listening to an excited child telling him something wonderful.
    The wild child. Wasn't that what he called Ephemera?
    yes yes yes.
    Ephemera's currents of power washed through her , resonated with her.
    Michael's eyes widened as they met hers.
    Not resonating just with her. He was there in the currents, with her — and she heard the feel of his heart as music.
    The romance of him tugged at her, swirled around her.

    "Have you heard anything I've said?" Lee asked, sounding exasperated.
    "What? No, I wasn't listening." Ignoring his sputtered grumble, she walked over to the table where the others were filling plates and choosing seats. She pulled out a chair opposite Sebastian and Michael — and noted that Lee chose a sear that didn't put him beside Michael or her.
    She filled a plate to avoid comments about her not eating, then waited until everyone had settled in their places. She looked at each of them in turn — Nadia and Jeb, Lynnea and Sebastian, Yoshani, Teaser, Lee, Michael. She didn't think anyone but the Magician was going to like what she was about to say, but she hoped some of them would support the decision.
    "We need to find a way to reach Michael's landscapes," she