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of heat pushed my heart into my throat and filled me with something so light I thought
     I’d float away, or faint from the pleasure. I tried to say his name, say anything,
     but I couldn’t speak.
    “I found all this in the shadow here,” he said. His voice was more harmonious in person
     than on the phone. I felt like I could dive through its depths. “And I knew it was
     meant for you.”
    I didn’t need to talk. I ran one hand along his strong jaw, up into his dark tousled
     hair. In his night-black eyes I saw a glint of gold. His lips bent into a knowing
     smile. Then his arms were around me, warm and strong, our bodies pressed hip to hip,
     heart to heart.
    “I love it,” I whispered.
    “I love you,” he said, in that low murmur that was, yet was not, a whisper. His mouth
     brushed against my eyelid, soft and warm. I inhaled, taking in all of him; then he
     stopped my breath with a kiss.
    Time held its breath along with me. The boundary between our bodies melted, and the
     whole world seemed to melt right along with it.
    Tap, tap, tap.
    I brushed at something on my shoulder, wondering vaguely if I could somehow make a
     living kissing Caleb for the rest of my life.
    Caleb looked up and frowned past me. His lips were reddened, his eyes unfocused.
    “ I said, there’s an old woman outside wearing an earpiece and whispering into a microphone,
     pretending not to look at us.”
    It was London’s voice, with a harder edge than usual. Caleb’s gaze sharpened, and
     I turned to look. London stood there, brow creased with embarrassment. “Sorry to interrupt
     your faery forest and all. I didn’t say anything to ’Ember and Siku because the old
     lady is at the slot machine right next to them.”
    I blinked. “An old woman with white hair wearing a white sweater with sequins on it?”
    London nodded. “Yeah.”
    “I saw her earlier. She was at least five rows away before. If she’s right outside
     now with an earpiece, she’s got to be following us.”
    “The Tribunal.” Caleb swept the forest clearing with a commanding glance, and around
     us, trees and snow began to vanish. The stream faded away, and a workbench covered
     with paint cans popped back into existence. Caleb’s power had grown since I’d last
     seen him conjure things from Othersphere.
    “We’ve got to ditch her and anyone else following us before we go to Arnaldo’s,” I
     said.
    “There’s a security door this way,” Caleb said, gesturing toward the back wall I could
     now see behind us. Someone had started to paint it lapis blue. “Amaris is waiting
     in the car.” He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “I’ll tell her to get
     ready.”
    “November and Siku are still out there,” said London, starting back toward the plastic
     sheeting.
    “Wait.” I grabbed her arm. “If we all bolt, they’ll know we’re on to them. We’ve got
     a better chance of giving them the slip if we don’t seem alarmed. Look casual, go
     out there, and send November in, but don’t say why. They’re listening. Then you and
     Siku follow one at a time.”
    “Why does November get to come back in here first?” London said, frowning.
    “Because we need her lock picks,” I said. “The hotel’s not going to leave security
     doors unlocked.”
    London’s face cleared into an appreciative smile. “I hate you, smarty pants,” she
     said, then did her best laid-back amble past the plastic sheet.
    “No, get the car close to the exit. We’ll find you,” Caleb said into his phone, speaking
     to his sister. He intertwined his warm fingers with mine and pulled me toward the
     back wall, where I spotted the outline of a door, unlabeled. “You released the parking
     brake, right? Okay. Just back up slowly out of the space and you’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, Amaris. See you soon.”
    He hung up and shook his head. “Doesn’t officially have her license yet, but it’s
     not a problem.”
    “She doesn’t know how to drive?” I