I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Does he feel familiar to you?” he countered, arching a brow.
The moment he said it, my heart stopped. “The magic…” I trailed off, thinking about the day of the attack. “I… I recognized it.”
Shade nodded. “Yeah. You would.”
“Why?”
He just stared at me, sad. “We should get back, Aflora. I’m sure Kols and Zeph are worried about you.”
“And you suddenly care how they feel?” I countered, actually curious.
“You say you see me,” he replied, his eyes still holding that touch of despair that broke my heart. “But do you, Aflora? Do you really see me?”
My soul squeezed in torment, his tone and expression killing me a little. “Shade…”
“It’s okay,” he replied, his knuckles brushing my cheek. “But we really should go. They can’t sense or find us here, which has to be driving them insane.”
“They can’t?” I glanced around the cabin, noting the windows revealing a dimly lit field outside. Nightfall. “We’ve been here a while.”
“We have,” he agreed, his hand leaving my skin.
I immediately reached for him, not wanting to separate. Not yet. “Just a few more minutes?” I asked, pleading with him through my eyes.
He seemed reluctant but finally agreed with a subtle nod. “For a kiss.”
“No,” I replied, causing him to frown. “For more than a kiss.” I moved on top of him to straddle his hips, then leaned down to take his mouth with mine. His hands immediately found my waist, his palms gently sliding up and down my sides.
“Shade,” I murmured against his mouth.
“Aflora,” he whispered, one of his hands gliding up my spine to my neck and higher into my hair.
“I know you care,” I informed him softly, my lips whispering against his as I pressed a palm to his heart. “I feel it here.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’ll deny it if you tell anyone.”
I smiled against his mouth. “Don’t worry, mate. Your secrets are safe with me.”
He returned my grin and deepened our kiss. Then I felt the trickle of smoke surrounding us, the only indication he gave me of his power enveloping me to return us to the Academy. I almost protested, but his tongue silenced my ability, his grip tightening as he whisked us away in his trademark cloud.
And then I felt the familiarity of my sheets hitting my back, my room materializing around us. I giggled in amusement, and Shade nibbled my lower lip. “We can go back anytime,” he whispered.
“Promise?”
“Promise,” he vowed. “I made it for you, Aflora. Only you.”
“For us,” I corrected. “Our own little—”
A banging against my door made me jump. “Aflora! Open this door right fucking now!”
I blinked. “Zeph?”
“Told you they would be worried,” Shade drawled, rolling off of me.