Page 719 of Love Bites

Just as the world closed around Bethany and the sun faded out, a force tossed her into the air.

Blessed freshness blew across her face, fanning that awful stench away.

Instead of the acrid swamp gas, a scent like cinnamon and a faraway forest fire filled her nose.

Bethany sucked in a great draught of fresh air like she was quaffing a reviving potion.

A male voice whispered in her ear, “Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay.”

She gulped air and croaked, “I’m okay,” more out of habit than anything because she still felt like she was going to die. Her lungs felt scalded, and she coughed. “Get me away from that thing.”

Air rushed by her head.

The sun dimmed. The light overhead became striped.

She clung to Math—because she knew Math was carrying her in his arms—and huddled closer to his chest.

He carried her like she weighed nothing. He carried her like he was floating on air.

She thought he might be flying.

Another cough exploded in her chest and spewed out her mouth, honking like a horrible goose.

Not that there was anything wrong with sometimes being a goose.

Or a dragon.

Something soft pushed up and under her, and Math’s arms released her.

His eyes—the color of good toffee with streaks of gold—were level with hers. “Can you breathe?”

She nodded, pressing her hand to her chest. “It tried to kill me. It actually tried to kill me.”

“I’m sure it was just a coincidence,” Math said, but he glared at the window like he might fly out and kick the algae’s butt, if it had a butt.

Pressure lifted Bethany’s chin, and she let her head rise.

“Look at me,” Math said.

When she opened her eyes, the tip of Math’s nose was barely an inch from her own, and he was staring intensely into her eyes.

He asked, “Are you all right? You were gasping. Is it hard to breathe?”

Heck yeah, she was gasping. Her heart raced in her chest, and the ends of her fingertips tingled.

“I’m all right,” Bethany repeated, her voice a little steadier and less hoarse that time.

She glanced around herself.

He had brought her to one of the penthouse suites that she had already magicked to orderliness. Her fingertips caught on the ivory silk of the bedspread.

Math’s suit jacket hung over the back of the desk chair over by the wide windows.

Oh,he’d carried her up tohispenthouse suite.

She was sitting on his bed as he crouched in front of her, their lips level and only inches apart.

An electric thrill ran through her.

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