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death?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Suddenly she couldn’t stay there a moment more. For the
first time since she started tattooing at the Café, she wanted to get away from
it.
    “I have to get out of here.” Impulsively, she looked up at
Vidar, reached out to touch his cheek. “Come with me. We’ll go traveling for a
couple of weeks, see some of those places you said you wanted to. I just need
to stop off at home and pick up a couple of things, then we can take off.”
    His expression of regret was clear, and she knew his
response before he even voiced it. “I can’t, Jazz. I have animals at home to
care for and, besides, it wouldn’t be as much fun for you, with me not being
able to go out in the daylight.”
    The strength of her disappointment surprised her, but she
forced a little smile. “I understand. It’s okay.”
    “You could come stay with me.” He looked as surprised as she
felt hearing his words, and the corners of his mouth tilted in self-deprecating
humor as he continued. “I’d really like that.”
    Joy flowed through her and she grinned in return. “I’d love
to spend some time with you. Should I meet you at a portal?”
    “No.” His jaw tightened, and she knew what it cost him to
say, “We’ll translocate to your place. I don’t want you going anywhere alone.”
    She snorted, but inside pleasure washed in a warm wave out
from her belly. “Worrywart.”
    “Uh-huh. And your point is?”
    “No point.” She took his hand, preparing to transport them
both. “Ready for an adventure?”
    “Yes.” The light in his eyes made her heart sing.
“Definitely.”

Chapter Six
     
    Vidar opened his eyes and let out the breath he’d been
holding. His heart was still racing.
    “You okay?”
    Avoiding Jasmina’s gaze, not sure how much of his trepidation
at translocation showed on his face, he pretended to look around her apartment.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
    Her snort told him she wasn’t fooled. “All right then. Make
yourself comfortable.” She moved toward a door on the other side of the room,
then paused. “You mind if I grab a shower? I feel grubby.”
    “No, I don’t mind.” By Freyja, he wished he didn’t
immediately imagine her sleek and wet under a rain of water droplets. Even if
she were interested, she was in a fragile emotional state. His stomach
clenched. He wasn’t even sure he was ready to take that monumental step and be
completely intimate with her. As ferocious as his need for her, the knowledge
of his inexperience made him cringe. “Take your time. I’ll wait.”
    “Thanks.” The look she gave him made something tighten in
his belly, but he tried to ignore it. “I won’t be too long.”
    When she disappeared through the door, he exhaled, rubbing a
palm over one cheek.
    What had gotten into him when he suggested she come stay
with him?
    Not that he didn’t want her there. He couldn’t think of much
that he wanted more than to have her with him, night and day. But that was
going to stretch his control to the limit.
    Trying to take his mind off the disquieting thought, and
imagining what was probably happening in her bedroom, he finally took a good
look around the apartment.
    It was modern, streamlined, enlivened into something more
than a box by bright walls, rugs and comfortable-looking upholstered furniture.
The place really fit Jasmina’s personality, and he recognized artwork and
knickknacks commemorating some of the places she’d visited. Seeing the
preponderance of plants made him happy, and he stroked his fingers through the
fronds of a nearby palm.
    A glance outside showed a busy street and another apartment
building across the way. Clearly they were in the center of the city, and he
could easily imagine Jasmina as a part of the hubbub going on outside. Watching
it for just a few moments, seeing the folks rushing around a few stories below,
caused him a tweak of anxiety. He just wasn’t used to being around that many
people.
    And he felt like a giant in