He took a deep breath and tried to calm the urge to ignore her advice and run her out of the danger he sensed was slipping ever closer. "What do we do?"
She grabbed his other hand again. "Imagine that misty field of energy again. Draw it back into your fingers and down into your body. Relax with it, loosening the muscles as you work back down to your toes."
He took a deep breath and did as she directed. The energy that pulsed around them swirled across his fingertips and slithered up his arms, easing the tension riding his shoulders before trickling down. But long before the sense of relaxation reached his toes, he heard the ticking stop.
Time had run out.
He flung himself over the top of her as the bathroom exploded into flame.
Chapter Fifteen
Kat woke to the warmth of Ethan's touch, the weight of his body atop of hers, the dampness of earth and grass pressed against her spine. She kissed his fingertips as they brushed her mouth, then opened her eyes. His face was inches from hers, his eyes a heated combination of worry and lust.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded. His voice was as ragged as his breathing, and she knew it wasn't so much pain as desire. He was fighting the moon fever, but if the desperation that surged around her was anything to go by, it was a battle he was rapidly losing.
She swore under her breath and looked around. Metal loomed above them. The bathtub, upside down on top of them. While it had undoubtedly saved their lives, right now it was also trapping them.
She wondered how much time had passed. Wondered how long the Mara would leave watchers to see if they'd survived.
Through the noise of the storm she could hear voices, but they were as distant as the sirens. Which was odd, to say the least. Or maybe it just meant they were buried deep under the rubble of the motel room.
"I'm going to lift the edge of the tub and see where we are and what's going on."
He nodded. Sweat dripped down his forehead and splashed onto her lips. She resisted the urge to lick the droplet from her mouth, knowing right now the slightest sexual move could tip his control past the edge.
She reached for kinetic energy and carefully lifted the tub. And gasped. Because they were no longer anywhere near the motel. It lay at the bottom of the slope below them, half demolished and wrapped in flames.
The force of the bomb had obviously blown them free, and she had a feeling the half active protection circle had a lot to do with that. That parcel might have been a product of the human world, but the imprint of magic had still been on it. Maybe because the soul sucker had handled it, or maybe because she'd used magic to put it there. Whatever the reason, that imprint had registered with the remaining magic of the stones. How they ended up this far away she couldn't say, but she wasn't about to question a quirk of fate. Not when it played in their favour.
She lifted the opposite edge of the tub and saw they were close to the edge of a forest. She swept her gaze across the darkness, but she couldn't sense the taint of magic or evil and the only sound she could hear was the distant gurgle of water. Lady Luck had definitely stepped into their corner for a change.
"Ethan?"
His gaze jumped to hers. His eyes had slipped past humanity to become almost primordial. "I need — " "I know what you need, but right now, we need to get out of here. Do you understand me?"
He didn't answer. Maybe he couldn't answer. His whole body quivered with desire, and his groin ground against hers. While it was a need he was obviously still fighting, it was one he was predestined to lose.
She caught his face in her hand, holding his gaze with her own. It was a wolf in mating heat she stared at, even if that wolf still wore human form. "Can you hear the river?"
"Yes." His voice came out little more than a harsh growl.
"Your lady awaits you there," she said, wondering who he'd see there — Jacinta, her or someone else entirely?
Wondered if it even mattered when the moon had him in its grip. "She needs you, Ethan. Needs you to hurry."
He didn't reply. Energy caressed her skin, its touch warm and sharp as he shifted shape. She lifted the tub higher, and he sprang away, quickly disappearing into the night.
She loosened the damp and heavy blanket from around her waist then shifted shape and flew up to the shelter of the nearest tree. She took a deep breath, then kinetically lifted the tub and thrust it deep into the surrounding trees.
With any sort of luck, it wouldn't be found until this was all over.
Then she took to the skies again, flying high over the trees until she found the river she'd heard. It was deep in the forest, and she could neither see nor hear anyone close. No one except Ethan, that was. Though she couldn't actually see him, just sense the force of his wanting. It had to be dealt with now, before the fever raged totally out of control, and he attacked someone.
Besides, they could hardly rescue the kids when he was in this frame of mind.
She spiralled down through the trees and shifted shape as she neared the ground. The rain stung her skin, and she shivered. This wasn't exactly the best time or place to sate a wolf's desire, but right now she had very little choice. A twig snapped behind her. She turned as Ethan padded out of the trees.
He hesitated, staring at her with eyes that were neither human nor wolf but somewhere in between and far more ethereal. He shifted shape and took off his jeans, tossing them casually into the trees. But there was nothing casual about the way he walked towards her. Nothing casual in the way he watched her. Even in human form, his eyes were otherworldly.
He stopped in front of her. She'd expected the moon-spun lust to be so great that he'd simply grab her and mate with her. That he didn't surprised her.
For several seconds she lost herself in the heated embrace of his eyes. Though the night was cold and the storm continued unabated, she no longer felt it. Barely even heard it. His warmth washed over her, through her, stirring her senses with longing.
He raised a hand, cupping her cheek. It felt like he was branding her skin for eternity.
"My lady does indeed wait."
His voice was little more than a caress of sound, yet it seemed to sing through every fibre of her being. She briefly closed her eyes against the sudden sting of tears. It wasn't Ethan speaking but the wolf. A wolf who was far more romantic than the man would ever allow himself to be.
His thumb caressed her lips. It was a gentle touch that curled her toes with wanting.
"Does my lady know what night it is?"
The heat of his gaze was melting her insides. His desire burned the air around them, even though he held himself still.
"It's the night before the full moon."
"The night of promises."
"The night of destiny." She didn't know where those words came from, and that scared her. She cleared her throat and said, "But there are no promises between us."
Could never be any promises between them until he moved beyond the pain of what Jacinta had done.
He stepped so close her breasts were crushed against his bare, wet chest and his erection pressed heat against her stomach.
He slid a hand down her back, his fingers burning warmth against her spine as he pressed her closer still. "A witch told me I would find you here."
It felt like he'd reached into her chest and torn out her heart. She closed her eyes against the pain. It wasn't her he was seeing in the haze of his wolf lust. It was Jacinta.
But in the end, it didn't really matter. She had to sate his hunger so they could rescue those children, and if he thought he was making love to Jacinta rather than to her, then so be it. She could worry about her breaking heart later.