The afternoon bled into evening. Natalia and I lay tangled in her sheets, the air thick with the smell of sex and the faint ozone tinge that always accompanied our bond at full intensity. Her head rested on my chest, purple hair spread across my skin like spilled ink.
"We should eat," I said.
"Later."
"Your parents come back tomorrow."
"Still later."
I couldn't argue with that logic. My hand traced lazy circles on her lower back, feeling the muscles shift beneath her skin. She'd been training hard. The definition in her shoulders and arms had sharpened since I'd been gone. The telekinetic exercises combined with the cryo abilities I'd gifted her were transforming her into something genuinely dangerous.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"Your ass."
"Liar." She bit my chest. Not hard enough to hurt. Just enough to remind me she could. "You're thinking about the integration."
"I'm thinking about both. Multitasking is a skill."
