The possessive light that had sparked in the eyes of this strange seductress had Rambaldi sucking in a silent breath. But then she did something even more shocking: She nuzzled her muzzle into his own. Rambaldi felt the possessiveness, the care, radiating off the koi. Hesitantly, he let his eyes flutter closed as he struggled to keep his walls up. But Sanshoku wasn’t like Ember of Dawnshire, no. She had no idea the sins of his mother, and no reason to hate him. Ember had also been fiery and emotional. Sanshoku, Rambaldi sensed, wasn’t led entirely by her emotions, and she didn’t seem to be destructively fiery. She had a good head and a lot of sense . . . and, obviously, she could make a man melt with her stubborn, seductive charm.

“So tell me when you’re gonna let me in.”