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eyes, scanning them for any of the warmth or tenderness he’d felt in her kisses. In a strange way, he almost wanted to find it. Somehow, it would make him feel better if there was some humanity to her, if she had some heart left.
    Her irises were nearly black, only one shade lighter than her pupils, and he stared into them. But no matter how deeply he looked into Penn’s eyes, he could see only an empty darkness. She was cold and hollow inside.
    “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” Daniel asked, and took his hand away from her face, letting it fall back to the ground.
    “Do you want me to answer that honestly?” Penn asked. The hint of a smile had fallen away from her face, but, otherwise, her expression was the same.
    He nodded.
    “Probably, yes,” she told him without remorse. “But not for a while.”
    “Will it hurt?” Daniel asked, keeping his expression and voice as calm and even as hers.
    “Depends on whether you piss me off or not. But I have ways of making it painless.”
    She was still staring down at him, and he couldn’t handle her gaze anymore. More accurately, he couldn’t handle this game she was playing with him. If she wanted him, and it would keep the people he loved safe, then he’d rather just hurry up and give himself to her.
    He sat up and put his hand on the small of her back, pushing her closer to him, then he kissed her. He moved more aggressively than she had been just now, but it still didn’t match her ferociousness in some of their earlier encounters.
    “What are you doing?” Penn asked, pulling away from him almost as soon as he’d started kissing her.
    “I thought this was what you wanted,” Daniel said, bewildered by her resistance.
    She shook her head. “I told you that I didn’t come here for that.”
    “What’s wrong with now? We can just get it over with.”
    “Just get it over with?” Penn laughed and pushed his hand off her back. “How romantic.” She got up and climbed off him while he just stared up in total confusion.
    “Wow. It’s like the Twilight Zone out here. Are you seriously turning down sex?” he asked.
    “No, but I want the mood to be right. It’s been so long since I’ve really had to chase someone down, and when I have you, I want to savor you.”
    “So…” He scratched his head, then got to his feet. “If you didn’t come out today for the whole sex thing, then why are you here?”
    “Daniel, I knew your hearing was messed up, but I didn’t know your listening skills were so bad. I already told you. I came out to see if you’ve healed enough to perform.”
    “I hurt my arm and my ribs, and I have a couple scratches. I think I’ll be okay.”
    She bit her lip. “You only say that because you don’t know what I have in store for you.”
    “When you say stuff like that, you think you’re being flirtatious, but you’re really not,” Daniel said as he smoothed out his shirt and brushed off pine needles and leaves. “Given that I know what you’re capable of, that comes across as more of a threat than innuendo.”
    She laughed. “Since you handled that roll in the grass just fine and seem to be doing so well, I think you’re just about ready for our date. So we should reschedule in…” Penn cocked her head, as if thinking. “One week from today?”
    “A week? But that’s my…” He sighed as it dawned on him. “Birthday. You knew that. That’s why you picked it.”
    “I want to give you the best birthday present ever. And what could be better than a night with me?”
    “Oh, I’m sure I could think of a couple things,” he muttered.
    “Now, Daniel, you shouldn’t say things like that. You wouldn’t want to hurt my feelings, would you? Because if you did, then I might get angry, and I might have to take out some of my rage on your girlfriend and her sister.” She smiled at him as she spoke. “I might even have to kill them.”
    “I’m just keeping it interesting, Penn,” Daniel replied coolly,