by Vivian Arend
“Shhh, it’s okay, love. I’m here.” He stroked his fingers over her shoulders, light, easy. She took long, slow breaths and let his peace roll over her like the smoothest of seas.
Laurin pulled away and stared into his eyes. “Are we going swimming?”
She wasn’t going to let fear overtake her. She’d come so far, she’d been so strong. This situation was highly unusual, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Not with Matt at her side.
His smile lit her inside. “We swim, and show your friend from the mountains how much fun the water can be.”
He stepped back and she gasped in shock. He’d untied her bikini top without her knowledge, and the tiny triangles fell to the deck like tired flags in the calm of a storm. Her hands shot up involuntarily to cover herself, but he shook his head slowly, eyes wide with desire and admiration.
“You don’t need to cover yourself. I want to enjoy watching you. I want you to feel the water’s caress on your bare skin. As if I have a million fingers, each one dedicated to your pleasure.”
Oh God, the images. She closed her eyes and the reaction of her body to his words filled her senses until there was nothing but the two of them. Her nipples tightened, breasts suddenly gone heavy. She sensed him move closer, felt his mouth approach her own. His kiss was gentle. Lip to lip, tongues only meeting with the fleetest of touches. In her mind she saw them standing on the deck, suddenly aware of Kallen at their back. His arousal growing as he witnessed them body-to-body.
Embarrassment morphed into something else. Into a new kind of pleasure. Having Kallen watch was—beyond good. It added richness and a depth to her commitment to Matt. She threaded her fingers through Matt’s hair and gave back more. Offered herself with enthusiasm.
His hands roamed her body, rubbing and touching and stroking her higher. She was going to need to jump overboard soon to put out the flames licking over her entire torso from his touch. His magic swirled around them. Not for healing, but simply there—a part of him, and a part of her now as well.
When another large hands grasped her hips, she froze in mid-kiss. Matt held her face, cupping her cheeks as he pressed their lips harder together. It was Kallen who grabbed the edges of her bikini bottoms and slipped them from her body, the thin fabric stroking slowly down her legs like an erotic tease.
Her heartbeat raced. Heat from the air shifter’s body brushed her from behind while Matt paused his adoration of her lips for long enough to stare at her.
She found herself lost in the depths of his blue eyes. Uncertain how she could want another when the man before her held her heart. Held her soul in a way that she never wanted to be freed.
A single finger stroked her skin. Kallen, smoothing his way up from the sensitive area on the back of her knee, up her thigh. Over her butt, pausing in the small of her back. Red-hot connection jolted through her as he flattened his palm over her lower back. He moved closer, and she felt his breath against her neck.
All the while Matt caressed her inside and out with his gaze. Held her tight with his love and longing.
Confusion, passion, wild desire and complete chaos tangled together in her mind, and it was suddenly too much. She broke free, chest heaving as she struggled to pull air into her lungs.
Matt’s face grew unreadable. Kallen watched, silent because of the curse, but she doubted he would have spoke if he could. Two sets of eyes, waiting for her to say what she wanted. Two men whose bodies clearly showed they wanted her.
“I need to fly.”
The words burst out of her like an explosion. As if all the sexual tension they had built in her core gathered together to send her propelling skyward.
Matt hesitated, his eyes dark, deep. “Then Kallen flies with you.”
God, no. “I need to be alone. I need…” Had to find a way to release the tension overtaking her before she did something she’d regret. Healing Kallen was important, but loving Matt was her future.
Wasn’t it?
If she were absolutely certain, none of this would be as difficult.
Matt’s deep voice caressed her ears. “I understand, but we’ve harbored too close to the inland mountains. If Kallen could find you, there might be others and I don’t want you to be harassed in any way.”
Another jolt shot through her system. Would she ever be free of this upheaval? “You want me to fly with another man?”
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 h
is 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.
Stillness.
Quiet.
From far beneath the waves slapping the sides of the Stormchild, he absorbed the peace of the ocean. Breathed it in and allowed it to become a part of him. Waiting, like only the People of the Sea knew how. Water could wear down the mountains, turn them into a soft sandy beach, if given enough time.
He remained at rest. Reached out, sent his love, offered his support to allow Laurin to find her own peace. The wind flapped the furled sails lightly, the deck rose and fell easily.
Tranquility.
Calm.
A change occurred, first sensed on the air. That awareness he had of her ripened, turning lush and fruitful, and his hopes rose. With a rush she approached, lightness and elation surrounding her. He turned his face skyward and laughed as she joined him, shifting back to human a meter above the deck and tumbling into his arms. She knocked him to his back, kissing him madly, warm skin covering his.
“I love you. Oh, Matt, I love you so much. I want to stay with you, and be with you. I know it now, I know it…”
And his heart grew a size, filled with her presence and her confession. It was going to work out. He squeezed her tightly before forcing her back far enough to look into her eyes again.
“I love you too.”
She grinned, face radiant, the worried creases at the edges of her eyes gone. She scrambled to her feet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to knock you over.”
“I didn’t mind at all.” He replaced his necklace, coming to stand at her side. She tucked up to him again, breath warm as it fluttered past his chest. Her hands smoothed in circles on his back, the fiery trickle of desire rising between them. As easily, as beautifully, as always.
Laurin leaned in and kissed his chest. “I…”
She turned her face upward and he swore softly. Her magic snapped around them, vigorous and powerful, ready to be unleashed. Held in only by a thread of control.
“Laurin?”
“I want to heal Kallen. I don’t want to hurt you, but I care for him. As a friend, and I…” Her mouth opened and shut a few times before she grimaced. “Why is this so hard to say?”
Matt laughed, taking pity on her. “Because even after months with my sexually charged people, you’re still a modest air shifter.”
She blew her bangs out of the way and nodded.
He tugged her back with him, sitting on the deck head and nestling her between his legs. “Shall I help you say it?”
“Do I need to say it?” she whispered. Fidgeted. Wiggled, her embarrassment clear.
She was adorable. A little teasing wasn’t going to hurt. Could lighten their situation even. “I need to know specifically what you want of me—so yes, you need to say it.”
Laurin’s cheeks flamed red, and she glanced into the sky. Kallen had remained above them. He circled the ship, his wings barely moving but for slight changes in the wing tips. “He’s a good man, Matt. But I don’t feel anything for him like what’s inside me when I think about you.”
Happiness bubbled up. It was more than contentment that filled him at knowing he was her first choice. Allowing another to touch her—he could handle it with her full gift of love so willingly given. “Then we should heal him.”
She shimmied between his thighs, brushing his limbs with her smooth ones. The familiar tingle of desire that never really left him when she was around returned in full force, his body reacting. He rearranged his position until their torsos connected.
“You said…we need to…make love?”
He nodded.
She swallowed. “You don’t mind?”
It was the same question she’d asked before, only the intent this time was so much different. The first time she’d been shocked, dismayed even, that he might allow another to touch her. Now, the interest she felt wasn’t an either/or, and he smiled.
“I don’t mind that you find him attractive. You need to let your caring for him be strong. It’s the only way t
he magic will work.”
He kissed her. Reassured her of his love through the contact. Slowly her body relaxed, her fingers against his chest moving to explore. Slipping over his shoulders, dropping to outline the ridges of his abdomen. Their tongues stroked together, slowly, smoothly, tasting the pleasure of each other as if it were the first time. She nibbled her way along his jaw, tiny flicks of her tongue blessing his skin and heating his blood. Together again as they belonged, the whisper of an earlier lovemaking session meshed in, and he let the thrill of it spill back to her.
They were so much more than mere lovers.
It would be so easy to pick her up. Scoop her and carry her back to their bed. But in light of what needed to happen—and how tiny the berth truly was—Matt chose to stay on deck. Somehow, it was proper. The backdrop of the mountains rose behind them, the sunlight sparkled on the water. Both their spirits could be at peace here, and the magic could heal Kallen.
Matt drew Laurin to the side, leading her carefully to the foredeck, stopping to open a chest and pull out a thick blanket. Her eyes widened, and she flicked a glance skyward, suddenly nervous again. He grinned.
“Kallen landed already. He’s behind you.”
She twirled. Laurin covered her breasts with an arm, one hand falling in an attempt to maintain her modesty as Kallen stalked toward them. Matt held his breath. Was she really ready for this? It was one thing to have lost her inhibitions during the summer ceremony a couple months ago. There had been the wild pulse of the community egging her on.
Now, she had to make the deliberate choice to put aside her reticence.
Kallen slowed. Stopped a respectful distance away. Dipped his head, and waited.
Matt checked his own internal barometer. He’d been torn apart by jealousy not even a day ago, but try as he might, he could muster no grudge or anger toward the man. All his jealousy had been washed clean by the strength of Laurin’s love.
She turned to face him. Straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin. The soft cough as she cleared her throat made him hide his smile. Brave, brave woman.
