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approval, is that understood?”
    “Yes, Elder. I will not take Mira back to the island with me should I return,” Valerio agreed with a slight shrug as if it didn’t matter to him one way or another.
    “Fine, then take her if Madrid is what she wishes,” Jabari said. He turned away from Valerio, putting his back to me as he started to walk down the path. Something in my heart shattered as I watched him. Had he just turned his back on me because I had begun to prefer the company of Valerio? Had I just lost my beloved mentor and protector because I had gone against his wishes unknowingly?
    “Jabari?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “If it is your wish for me to stay in Venice at your side should you desire anything at all, I will happily stay.”
    The Elder stopped and looked over his shoulders at me through narrowed black eyes. His dark skin blended easily with the night, while his traditional white robes seemed to wrap him in starlight. “If it were my wish, you would stay.”
    “Forgive me, Elder,” I murmured, taking a step backward.
    “We’re beyond the eyes of the coven and the court, Jabari,” Valerio said boldly. “There is no reason to punish her more. She knew nothing of your command regarding London until last night.”
    Jabari shook his head once, but finally turned softened eyes on me. It was all I needed. I closed the distance between us in a blink, throwing myself into his open arms. He held me tightly, laying his cheek against the top of my head while I fought back tears of relief.
    “I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know,” I said, but Jabari quickly shushed me.
    “I do not doubt you. If it was Valerio’s whim to take you to the British Isles then that was what he was going to do, regardless of my wishes or the outcome,” Jabari said, hugging me. “I had hoped that he would see the wisdom in not taking you to that place.”
    “Why?” I pulled back so that I could look up at my beloved protector without letting go of him. “Why can’t I go to London?”
    Jabari cupped one cheek and ran his thumb over my cheekbone in a gentle caress that caused my eyes to close. “It’s more than London. Until I give my permission, I don’t want you setting foot on the British Isles. The magic there is too thick. Gods have lived and died on that ground, soaking the air through with magic. No powerful nightwalker calls it their domain to keep under control and the lycanthropes run wild in the woods. The entire island is a powder keg waiting to explode, revealing our secret to the world. And you, my lovely desert blossom, have little control over your temper. I will not allow you to be the one to light that fire.”
    “I would be careful,” I reassured him. Opening my eyes, I saw him shake his head at me, but there was a look of loving patience on his face.
    “One day, but not yet. Think of this as not a restriction on you, but a favor to me.”
    “I would do anything for you,” I said, squeezing him again in another tight hug.
    “I know.”
    Relieved that Jabari was still my close mentor and protector, I released him and took a step backward. To my surprise, Valerio stepped up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we stood talking to the Elder. It was an odd move for the nightwalker. While we had never hidden the fact that we were lovers and close companions, the feel of his arm had a possessiveness to it that I was not expecting. Jabari gave no outward display of approval or disapproval to Valerio’s position. Instead, he chose to focus on more important matters.
    “Are you sure that you wish to travel to Madrid?” Jabari inquired. “I have no doubt that you will be of great help to Valerio, but I fear there will be no avoiding Sadira once she realizes that you are back within her domain.”
    “I will not live in fear of my maker. She knows my feelings for her and if she is wise, she will avoid me. As you said, I have little control over my temper.”
    “And I