His expression smoldered and a million tiny fires lit all over her body, everywhere his gaze touched. “If I could, I would go with you myself. I trust you, and I trust Kallen…” Matt broke for a second, “…trust him to have only your good at heart.”
Laurin glanced at Kallen. The man she’d admired for so long stood motionless, waiting for her response. His body hard and beautiful in the sunshine. Jaw solid, but his dark eyes tender, and her throat tightened. The swell of desire that rose unbidden, it had to be wrong.
On her left Matt waited as well, every plane of his body familiar and well loved. He’d shown her the world of the ocean, and given of himself again and again, and yet…
The mountains called.
She turned and shifted, threw herself into the air and caught the minute breezes that changed direction every few feet as she fled from the deck of the Stormchild. Flew as if speed could help her escape. Not from Matt, not from Kallen, but from the uncertainty and the frightening thought that she might have to give up her heart to serve her people.
She couldn’t turn her back on destiny.
The ship receded rapidly, fading to the size of a child’s toy. As the land appeared below her, the air currents changed radically, allowing her to rise even higher near the rugged peaks. A piercing cry cut the air, and she faltered.
Kallen.
He trailed behind, letting her lead. Allowing her the illusion of privacy, but every single second she was completely aware of his presence. Knew when he turned with her, moving subtly into her air space. Felt the fleeting brush of wingtips against hers. She swore his gaze on her back burned, igniting the wick of desire she wanted to deny existed.
He was from her people, and a part of her past. Was he supposed to be a part of her future?
Onward she flew, attempting to find the answer. She had missed the familiar comfort of knowing when an updraft would hit as she rounded a mountain corner instead of the uncertainty of the ocean—she’d yet to learn to read the currents correctly. All she was guaranteed was that at some point in the day, someone would get her wet.
The thought made her smile. There was far more laughter in her life these past few years than there had ever been before. The People of the Air were volatile and impulsive, but they weren’t prone to many outbursts of joking or hilarity. In the ocean setting, she was guaranteed a slow buildup of joy each and every day.
Kallen touched her again, bolder now. Courting her as he cut in front and displayed a fine skill in flying. If she returned to the mountains with him, she could help rule. Perhaps take some of the lessons she’d learned and teach her people how to have a little more fun.
She admired Kallen even as the remembrance of lessons triggered an overwhelming sadness at the thought of leaving her students. Heartbreaking grief at the thought of leaving Matt.
It was official. Insanity had set in and there was no clear picture of the right path to take. One moment pulled one way, the next, the other.
Kallen stroked her again and her body reacted. Heat flared between them and she cursed it even as she welcomed it. After so many years of admiring him from a distance, to have him pursue her made her feel desirable in a totally new way. She wanted him, wanted to return home and see her family. Wanted all the past memories that were tied up with fear to be erased and healed with a future filled with serving and loving.
A future without Matt? Impossible.
With that, it hit. The utter certainty that no matter what else needed to happen, it simply had to be with Matt. He was no longer an option but a deep driving need at her core and a vital part of her life. Laurin cried out his name and wheeled. She would go to the mountains, would find a way to serve her people—with him by her side. It was possible for them to juggle the two worlds, especially since there was so much she could teach her people.
She prepared to fold her wings and dive from the heights, returning to where her heart waited for her. The flash of Kallen’s wing in her peripheral vision held her back.
Rejecting him wasn’t the goal, but accepting him in a totally different way than Matt—that she could do. She rolled, scooping under him and cutting off his wind, making his flight spin out of control briefly. Before he could do more than adjust his balance, she did it again, joy spiraling up in her belly as she considered what they must look like—two mighty golden eagles dipping and drooping like a birds drunk on overripe berries.
She knocked him off kilter three times before he returned the trick, catching her with his talons and spinning her away. Laughter pooled in her heart. He understood. He accepted. His touch turned light and playful instead of sensual like before and she rejoiced.
Laurin tucked, descending on the Stormchild like a bomb. She had to tell Matt before she exploded with happiness.
Chapter Six
He stared after them, the bright backdrop of the sky creating a canvas for their bodies as they rose so high their forms turned into tiny pinpricks of reflected light.
Stepping back as she took this flight was the hardest thing he’d ever done. If only he knew for certain what she would decide. He didn’t doubt her love for him—it was her sense of responsibility that stood between him and happiness. How could he fight a battle against exactly what led him to be the man he was?
He would never make Laurin choose between him and her people.
Of course, if Kallen hadn’t shown up on the scene, it might have made things a little easier. His jealousy this time was far less. He liked the man—damn it anyway. Even over the past day as they’d played games and worked on the Stormchild, he’d come to enjoy having another male around. A person who he could be a friend to without being the shaman. It was an experience he hadn’t known since his days at university.
In spite of admiring Kallen, Matt wasn’t about to bow out. If Laurin felt she had to return to the mountains permanently, he would not give up. They would find the answer of how to deal with their dual roles. Because being without her would be like losing his soul.
Matt sat on the deck, gaze still trained up on the sky. Laurin and Kallen had long since disappeared, lost in the shades of green and gray of the Caren Mountain range. The rocky crags hid them, the distance between them growing. And yet—he felt what could only be described as an undeniable tug.
He pulled off his necklace with its minute leather bag. He’d worn it ever since Laurin had given him the prayer stone after their first morning together as a couple. The magic of his people allowed it to go with him when he shifted. He’d never questioned the enchantment—it simply was. Like the tiny sack and its contents were a part of him.
Tipping the bag over, he allowed the smooth stone to fall into his palm. He sensed her through it, knew that no matter where she went, he’d be able to follow her. Some of his people believed the stones could guide them. That it held a tiny piece of home to draw them back to hearth and safety. He knew it was more, that the magic in the stone was not between a person and a place, but between two souls.
He cupped the smooth rock and rubbed it between his fingers. Eyes closed. Picturing Laurin in all her seasons. All her roles he’d come to appreciate—teacher, friend…lover. Partner in discoveries, playmate in their off-time. She’d been a support to him as he served his people, always open and willing to negotiate the differences between their cultures.
He’d learned so much from having her around. Her impulsive hugs and bursts of enthusiasm shook his deliberate approach to life. The way she could flare up with anger and just as quickly offer forgiveness—the first few times he’d been sure he would never be able to understand her. Now he saw there was strength in spontaneity that could benefit his people.