He met her eyes steadily. "Incubi feed on sexual energy, yes. But what sustains us....what truly nourishes rather than simply filling....is something more specific. We need a quality of genuine presence from our partners. Not performance. Not effort. Presence."
A beat.
"You are genuinely present," he said. "Every time. Even when you're nervous, even when you're uncertain, you're actually there. Actually feeling what you feel and thinking what you think. You don't perform for me." He paused. "You have no idea how extraordinary that is."
Elena was very still.
