“That’s a fascinating expression you’re wearing,” Matt teased.
She waggled her brows at him and escaped the room before she forgot about things like personal hygiene and morning breath, and let him ravish her again.
By the time the water had boiled, she felt ready to face the day, her face washed, teeth cleaned. Matt had joined her at the sink, his hip nudging her repetitively until she realized he was doing it on purpose, and she laughed.
There was something so right about being with him. Maybe this whole trip back to the mountains was a mistake. Should she just accept that her life was here on the ocean? Why was she dragging Matt across the country to face questions that might have no answers? A trip home to visit family—that part would be wonderful. Her mother would love Matt.
It was the nebulous sense of responsibility she felt to her people that threatened her and Matt’s life together.
The haunting cry of a bird of prey broke the morning stillness. Laurin stiffened, Matt tensed at her side. He leapt ahead of her to take the steps up onto the deck two at a time. She followed, grabbing the long shirt that hung on a nearby coat hook and slipping her arms into the sleeves awkwardly as she scrambled to reach the deck.
Matt stood at the stern near the railing, staring into the sky. His shoulders squared, body braced as if expecting a fight. She followed the line of his vision and gasped. A huge golden eagle circled above and her heart leapt to her throat. Kilade? How had the man found her again? Were the tribes still keeping track of when she shifted to her avian forms and using that to find her?
It had been months since Matt had fought her people, and she’d felt certain they were no longer searching for her to take her powers for their own. But above—clearly she’d been mistaken about at least one of them. Laurin stared at Matt. He’d defeated Kilade before, but she’d hate to have him fight again and again if the man continued to ignore no as an answer.
“Matt, use your shaman magic this time. No he-man heroics, okay?”
He kept his gaze directed skyward, but she saw his mouth curve into a grin. “Yes, dear.”
Laurin came to his side. “I have no idea why he’s here. He said he accepted our partnership. He can’t possibly think I’m going to change my mind.”
Matt shook his head, one arm sneaking around her waist and pulling her to his warmth. “Something feels different. Are you sure it’s Kilade?”
All her anxiety knotted into a ball and unraveled. Could it be? She stepped forward and cupped her hands to her mouth and called out as loud as she could. “Kallen?”
The eagle dipped his wings and Laurin grabbed the railing, sheer delight racing through her. Meeting Kilade again would have been a nightmare, but Kallen was another story altogether.
She swirled to face Matt. “It’s okay, it’s Kallen, he’s my friend.”
She lifted her arms to the sky and gestured the giant bird down. It had been years since she’d seen him. He was huge, the wingspan of his eagle form covering over eight feet as he spread them wide and angled his way downward, spiraling toward the ship. As she watched, she remembered the sensation of riding the wind currents, seeing his minute wing adjustments as he made course corrections. Kallen pulled up hard, back winging with his talons extended to grasp the railing beside where she stood. The force of the wind hit her squarely and pushed her hair from her face, pressing the fabric of the thin shirt tight to her skin.
Laurin stepped closer and reached out a hand to stroke his head in greeting as the tribes did at home. He preened against her palm, his bright eye catching hers, and a tiny flutter of remembered heat hit. Of all the men of the tribes, Kallen had been the one she’d admired the most, with his mesmerizing gaze, his sculpted muscular body. The only one she’d had any interest in getting to know more intimately. When she’d chosen to run away, it was Kallen who she’d been reluctant to abandon. But with his brother and him both vying for the leadership of his tribe, he had been as much of a threat to her as any of them.
“What does he want?” Matt growled.
Laurin startled at the sound of his voice. Guilt shot through her that she could even think Kallen desirable after having spent the past night, and months, in Matt’s tender care. She slipped away, snatching her hands to her chest. “I’m not sure.”
Matt stepped in front of her, and the eagle jerked away, scratching his talons along the wood railing as he retreated from the shaman. “Stay still,” Matt ordered.
Kallen dipped his head, watching cautiously as Matt touched his head, not as delicately as Laurin had. The two males froze in position, and when Matt released Kallen, a string of light curses rose from his lips.
“What’s wrong?” Laurin eyed Kallen, concerned that some dire illness she couldn’t see had struck him. “Kallen, shift—tell me what’s the matter.”
Matt spun and grabbed her by the elbow, dragging her toward the wheelhouse. “He can’t shift, that’s the problem.”
“What?”
“He’s been cursed. As far as I can tell from first touch, someone laid a geis on him and he’s unable to shift until it’s lifted.”
Laurin had never heard of such a thing. She stopped, turning to face Kallen. “Can you cure him?”
Matt tugged on her arm. “Come below.”
“Matt, what are you doing? Why are you acting this way? Is he contagious?” It was the only thing she could think of. Why else would she be herded back into the ship, her lover’s face stone cold and emotionless?
He paused and shook his head in frustration. “No, it’s not something you can catch, and…I’m sorry.” He dropped her elbow, scrubbing his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“For what?”
“I need you out of the way for a bit.”
That made no sense at all. “Matt, tell me what’s going on. Why are you acting like this?”
Matt spat out the words. “He wants you, okay? That’s why he came here. He’s been looking for you and thinks you can cure him.”
“Can I?” She glanced over his shoulder at where Kallen clung to the railing. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
“You can’t heal him, I have to.”
“Then…why aren’t you healing him?” Laurin cupped Matt’s face in her hands. The peace she associated with Matt had vanished. Instead as she stared into his eyes, the blue depths were dark, his face twisted with anger and something shadowy. “Matt, please, just tell me what’s wrong.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and for a brief moment the calm of his magic touched her. It swirled away faster than she thought possible, and anger and fear poured into its place.
One step back broke his contact with her, then another, before he looked up. Longing and bitter fear colored the fringes of his magic. “I’m sorry. I’ve never…felt like this before. I can’t heal him until I find my balance.”
His shirt flew in one direction, his pants in another as he stripped.
“What are—?”
“I’m going for a swim. I can’t…” He broke off the words and hauled her against his naked body, kissing her fiercely. Possessive, heated, as if he was storing up her memory in that instant and might never touch her again. Laurin clung to him as she returned the kiss, striving to understand. Longing to provide whatever it was he needed.
When he let her go, her heart pounded. From arousal, from fear. “You’re leaving me?”
“Oh, God, no.” His voice broke. “Not leaving, just… I’ll be back. And with everything that is in me, I pray you’ll still be here when I return.”
Chapter Three
Guilt speared through Matt harder than he’d ever felt before in his life. He raced for the edge of the deck, forcing down the urge to lock Laurin up and tuck her away from the sight of her fellow air shifter.