One foot hit the railing before he leapt over the edge, waiting until after he hit the water to shift. He wanted the shock of the cold, hoping it would knock some sense back into his brain. Seconds later he dashed away as an orca, a killer whale. An image feared by the human community, but he should have chosen an eel. It would have been more in keeping with the deep emotion now bubbling up from within.
Jealousy ate him. From the moment Laurin had announced her intentions to go home, he’d fought the emotion. Denied its existence. He did understand her need to be there for her people. His responsibilities as shaman—he’d been born to them as well. The magic had come unasked for, and he’d accepted it as his duty and privilege to serve his people. He would never deny her that. But knowing she felt torn between the mountains and sea, and accepting he might have to give her up… That part burned.
He twisted in the water, increasing his speed as he raced away from the boat. The water welcomed him. Cradled and held him as he escaped from what he had no control over. Oh God, the spike of pain that hit as he thought about her response to recognizing Kallen. He’d felt her desire, her interest in the other shifter, and he’d never expected how much it would hurt.
His people weren’t normally the jealous type. Sharing lovers was common, accepted. But not for him, not Laurin.
She hadn’t intended on causing him pain. It had been an honest reaction on her part—and that’s what made it all the more hurtful. He knew he wanted no one else in his life, no one but her. He’d sensed that almost since their first meeting.
She hadn’t had the same reaction, and perhaps it was because they weren’t meant to be forever.
Maybe even now she would shift and accompany the air shifter home. She’d been looking for a way to get involved and help her people—it seemed a logical place to start. With someone she admired, someone who leapt to her mind as desirable.
Matt mentally cursed and dove deeper, trying to outrun his tormented mind and soul. He refused to think about it, just pushing his body to the point of exhaustion, hoping to find the peace of the ocean.
How long he swam, he had no idea, but eventually the stabbing pain within him dimmed. Either he grew numb, or the sea was administering its peace on him. Finding a way to soothe his troubled heart. He turned, watching the ocean floor more closely, examining his surroundings instead of flying past like a torpedo bent on destruction.
He was a shaman. He healed—the gift was not his to withhold and administer as he pleased, but as was needed. To turn his back on that responsibility was impossible to imagine. Kallen needed to be healed, and Matt would do so to the best of his ability.
As soon as he accepted that truth, a wash of energy filled his body. Renewed strength filling his torso as he moved steadily back to the ship. The tight bomb-like sensation in his chest eased. Sadness and guilt that he’d allowed his jealousy to intrude on who he was pressed in momentarily before the ocean answered again with a healing touch.
Oh God, he was being restored by the waters of the Pacific.
As shaman, his powers flowed from the water. Gave him the strength to heal and bring peace to all of the family of water shifters. The power had been a responsibility he had welcomed, but the ability to serve others had occasionally been a touch of a burden as well. He shifted back to human and hung suspended in the current off the small island he circled. The bright blue of the sky was muted as he looked up through the salt water and accepted the caress of the ocean. He’d never been held like this before—ministered to by the sea whose people he served.
It was like receiving a gift for once, instead of being the one to bestow it.
His head broke the surface and he rolled to his back to allow the sun to warm his skin. Cradled in the waves, Matt released the last of his troubles, crying out like a penitent in a confessional. He didn’t want to lose Laurin. He feared she would choose her own people if given the chance. He didn’t want to return to being alone, unloved except for what he could provide through his magic.
The water washed away his fears. Accepted them, acknowledged them, but then fed him back enough magic to soothe him inside.
He was not alone. Never, was he ever alone. A million voices of the People of the Sea carried to him, blurring together along the water’s surface. Beneath the waves, the non-shifting kin called to him as well—the dolphins in their pods, otters and the seals, and far to the north the sea lions and even the great whales. They didn’t understand his worries about alone.
They were always there.
He gave thanks for their love and comfort, and turned to swim for the Stormchild. A spark of inspiration hit—and his heart grew lighter with hope. He would do what was right, but he would also do everything he could to make his dream a reality. That included fighting to keep Laurin in his life.
Matt reached the ship, his mind finally clear and his soul far more peaceful than when he’d left. The slap of the rope ladder as it hit the hull drew his attention upward to see Laurin’s concerned face staring over at him. He made the wobbly ascent to reach the deck only to be attacked by a huge fluffy towel and a death grip of a hug.
She clung to him, the warmth of her body bleeding through the towel and heating him. Even more, the strength of her grip on his shoulders as she stared into his face, the concern in her eyes and then the meaningful kiss she planted on his lips—it hit him forcefully, and he accepted it as another blessing.
Then she made a fist and thumped him on the chest, hard, and he swore.
“What was that for?”
“You scared me to death.” She pushed him away, arms crossed in front of her, chin tilted defiantly. “What the hell was that all about? You raced out of here like the devil himself was on your heels.”
She was right—he’d been chased by the devil’s curse of jealousy. Matt dried himself, looking around quickly for their guest and not seeing him anywhere. “I’ll explain in a second. Where’s Kallen gone?”
“He’s sitting at the prow. I can’t talk to him in human form, and your reaction to his arrival scared me enough I wasn’t about to shift when you weren’t here. I still don’t understand what is going on.”
“I’ll explain. First, let me do what I can for your friend.”
Matt found his discarded shorts on the deck and pulled them on before he called out Kallen’s name. A golden head appeared over the roof of the wheelhouse. Matt pointed before him. “Come. Let me see if I can lift this curse.”
The giant bird landed on the deck and Matt knelt at his side.
“Do you need me to do anything?” Laurin asked.
Matt gestured her back. “Stay out of range. I don’t sense anything malicious attached to the curse other than it’s blocking his ability to change, but just in case.”
A soft kiss landed on his shoulder followed by the sound of her footfalls as she slipped into the wheelhouse where she could watch and remain protected. He smiled at her. Laurin kissed her fingers and he sensed her good wishes.
Before him the eagle cried, soft and low. Matt laid his hands on Kallen’s head and gathered his magic, wrapping it in a circle around the two of them to protect and contain whatever might burst forth as the curse was lifted.
Within the sphere, moisture gathered—a component of his water magic. He drew from his abilities to attempt to wash clean the curse, peeling away layer after layer like a rotten wallpapering job. Clumsy, some of the layers. Others brilliantly applied. All of them foul with ill-intent and the desire to cause Kallen harm.
Time meant nothing. Matt focused completely. On giving from his soul, being who he was supposed to be. By the time his task was accomplished, Matt was sweating profusely, the eagle shaking under his hands. The crisp texture of feathers morphed slowly into slick skin. Kallen gasped with pain. Matt rested his hands on the man’s broad shoulders as the shifter returned to his human form, crouching naked on the deck.