Her heart ached. “I’m afraid.”
He frowned. “Afraid of the sky? Of shifting? Laurin, there will be no further challenges from anyone who sought you before. You are free from the fears that sent you into hiding two years ago. I swear.”
“It’s not that. I’m afraid that if I fly too often I’ll—” Her words choked to a stop. Could she ever commit to being with him forever? Forsake the mountains of her childhood and all of her family?
Her people?
It had never been an issue until now, not until Matt. She cradled his face tenderly in her palms. “I do love you,” she whispered. “So much it frightens me at times. Not because you frighten me,” she was quick to respond to his intake of breath. “Oh, not because of that. You have become the center of my world, and I love being with you. Seeing you work with the people, seeing you act as a physician and bring healing to people’s lives. But it makes me wonder…”
Matt’s lips were sun-kissed soft against hers. “Makes you wonder if you should be with your own people? The People of the Air?”
Laurin nodded. “My grandfather said I would bring balance—his prophecy so many years ago. It didn’t mean what the men of the tribes thought it would, not with you and I being a couple. We are a couple, Matt. I don’t deny that for an instant. But where does my responsibly to my people end? If I make a complete commitment to you, your place is here, on the Pacific coast. You can’t give up your position, and I would never expect you to.”
“And I don’t want you to feel you have to choose between your nature and our relationship.” He stroked his fingers through her hair. “I had no idea this was bothering you so much. I guess I’m guilty of thinking the mystical connection between us will make our relationship easier.”
Laurin laughed softly. “It does make things more interesting at times, that’s for sure.”
Matt tweaked her nose. “I don’t want to cut off our discussion, but we need to return to the Stormchild. Can we pick this up back at the ship?”
Laurin kissed him as sweetly as she could. “I’m sorry I’ve kept this from you. You’re right, the only way we can figure it out is together.”
She reached for the lifejacket and he held out his hand. “I’ll take care of the kayak. Why don’t you fly home?”
A streak of pleasure hit her. An opportunity to glide on the currents overhead was exactly what she needed right now.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I can tie her on behind my mine.” He laughed, the bright sound dancing around them as she rushed to strip off her clothes. “Besides, any excuse to get you naked is a good one.”
He stroked a finger down her breast and grinned as her nipple responded instantly to his touch.
“Stop that.” She giggled, giddy from excitement. From his touch and anticipation of the flight.
“Why? Can’t you fly when you’re turned on?”
“Oh, I can fly, but if you get me going too much I’m not leaving until you deal with me.” Laurin wiggled her brows and Matt licked his lips in response.
“Not sounding like a threat to me, woman.” He kissed her breathless then set her back on the ground, slapping her bare butt cheek and pushing her forward. “Go. I’ll take care of your needs back in our bed. One session of sandy sex a day is enough.”
Laurin blew him a kiss, bent her knees, then launched herself into the air as she shifted.
She changed into her favorite form, the golden eagle she’d first taken as a child so many years ago. Her magic let her shift to any of the People of the Air, but this was the one that felt the most comfortable. It brought great pleasure to extend her wings to reach another inch, tilting a wing tip to catch the proper angle to rise rapidly into the air. She wheeled to peer down at Matt, already far below. He bowed deeply in respect, and her heart constricted afresh. If she’d been in human form, tears would have filled her eyes.
Matt had given and given, and even now showed how pure his love truly was. She called out his name, her eagle’s tongue tangling the word until all that echoed out was a cry of passion.
He was her mate, but he was not of her people. At ten years old her destiny had been proclaimed, but not explained, and now as she turned to travel the paths of the sky back to the single-masted ship they currently lived on, Laurin wondered just what the final answer would be to her dilemma.
There didn’t seem to be an easy resolution, with her heart torn between fulfilling her responsibilities to the People of the Air, and her unwavering love for the shaman of the People of the Sea.
Chapter Two
“Wait. Did you remember to carry your digits to the top of the equation?” Laurin’s voice floated over to him and Matt smiled. All day, as he’d puttered around the ship and taken care of small tasks, Laurin had been hooked up to Skype and the satellite, checking in with students scattered across the Pacific Inside Passage. The firm control she kept over all of the children amazed him. Her sheer joy in working with them made him even more aware that what she did was important, and he needed to find a way to support her as she carried on.
As they moved forward.
He leaned back on the wheelhouse wall and watched her. A strand of hair had fallen free from her ponytail and dangled over her forehead. Her hands moved animatedly, eyes bright. Enthusiasm painted every part of her.
Her confession yesterday had thrown him. He’d known something was wrong, but as the shaman of the water people, he only had so much ability to sense her emotions. They had a connection that went deeper than the average couple, but that didn’t let him actually read her mind. Only enough to let him sense her unease and confusion. He hated to have made her feel that way.
If it took letting her go back to her people to solve the mystery, he would let her go. Only he would also accompany her, and be there to support her. Somehow surely they could find a way to take the steps that were needed, and take them together. There had to be a solution other than one that made them go their separate ways.
He didn’t want to be without her. The thought of her leaving him forever was enough to make him crazy.
“Matt, is there any more coffee?”
She leaned against him, rubbing her neck, and he reached up to take over the task. “I’ll make a fresh pot. The old one must be like tar by now.”
“I’m sorry, I got caught up in a few things, but the kids at Dufferin Island finished the group project I assigned them, and they all had to show me the pictures they took. I think I looked at every one of their Facebook pages.” She tightened as she stared at her watch in shock. “Oh my, is that really what time it is?”
Matt kissed her forehead before tugging her into the cabin ahead of him. “Yes, that’s what time it is. You want coffee or a glass of wine? Since you completely missed cocktail hour.”
Laurin handed him a wine glass out of one of the tiny cupboards in the galley, and he reached for the bottle willingly.
It was embarrassing she’d lost track of time like that. “I could have sworn we just had breakfast. Why didn’t you tell me I needed to stop?”
“Because you were working, and there was no need. Besides…” he handed her the filled glass, “…if you get it all done today, maybe you can take tomorrow off. We have a few more days before we’re due at the next settlement.”
“I think a day off is definitely in the picture.” She sipped the wine and relaxed back on the corner seat. “There’s not a lot left to do with the students anyway, not until the start of the next semester. And the ones who aren’t on semester break will just work through what programs I’ve set them on. We can take a couple of days.”