by Megan Hart
A tug of the sheet, and she was exposed. Annie instinctively crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“What’s wrong?” Tombi asked.
“N-nothing,” she lied.
Evan’s face filled her mind. She didn’t want to think of him, didn’t want to remember the feel of his rough hands and the quick thrust of his lovemaking. Or his jeer when it was over, complaining that she was frigid and should be grateful that he put up with her crazy ass.
“Relax,” Tombi commanded. He reached across her and poured more oil into his palms.
Right. Relax. She calmed her quick, shallow breathing and concentrated on the cozy candle flames flickering on the walls and ceiling and the uplifting scent of the herbal oil.
Heated hands settled back on her breasts. “Am I supposed to say something special for healing?” he asked.
“Not necessary,” she squeaked.
One hand palmed the skin above her heart on her left breast. “I’ll pray to my own spirit guides,” he murmured.
Peace engulfed Annie like a balm, soothing her skittish mind. Tombi’s hands roamed lower, cupping her and teasing her nipples. She moaned and arched into his touch.
“You’re so beautiful,” Tombi breathed, his hot breath suddenly against her lips. “I love your body.”
Surprise and relief bubbled inside. Annie kissed him, wanting to feel his lips, his mouth, his tongue. He kissed her back, settling his weight on top of her, pressing his erection against the apex of her thighs. More, deeper, quicker. Annie wiggled impatiently beneath him, inhibitions be damned.
Tombi rolled to his side and cradled her body against his own. The sexual tension between them grew and he pulled off what remained of her clothes. His mouth suckled her breasts and one hand lowered until his fingers probed the opening of her womanhood, and he inserted a finger.
Yes. She moved against it, delighting in the ripples of pleasure spreading all through her body, like a pebble dropped in smooth water.
Tombi moaned. “So damn sexy.”
“You really think so?” she asked, seeking reassurance.
He took one of her hands and placed it on his erection. “There’s your answer.”
Her fingers curled over his long length, and she stroked him up and down, luxuriating in the smooth flesh. She did this to him, turned him on.
“I want you,” she whispered, emboldened by the evidence of his desire.
His mouth lowered over a nipple. “There’s no rush.”
His tongue flicked her sensitive bud and need shot through her like an electrical shock. Annie gasped. “I don’t want to wait.”
Damn. Why did she say anything? Evan would have been annoyed; he’d taught her to shut up and go along with his tempo and desire.
Tombi raised his head and stared at her. “If you’re sure that’s what you want?”
His weight again pressed against her as he rolled on top. His eyes scorched her, the planes of his face were harsher and fiercer than she’d ever seen, even at that first encounter in the swamp. The candlelight behind him highlighted the golden undertone of his olive skin, and his long black hair hung loose about his broad shoulders.
She’d never been so sure about anything in her life. “Yes. Now.” Hurry.
He took his sweet time, teasing his length along the wet folds of her core. Annie arched her hips, and he entered in one deep plunge, filling and stretching her completely. Her breath caught.
“You okay?”
She moved against him in answer.
Still, Tombi proceeded ever so slowly, deliberately, heightening the tension until Annie wanted to scream with passion. The ebb and flow of his advances were as powerful and deep as an ocean’s tide. It consumed her, became the epicenter of her world.
“Please,” she whispered brokenly.
He thrust deeper, quicker, and their bodies worked in harmony, a dance of desire as old as mankind. Annie was swept up in a thunder of need. Her muscles tightened, and release came, sending her free-falling back to reality. She sank into the mattress, exhausted and stunned. It had never been this way. Ever. She almost wanted to weep for the old Annie who had never climaxed, who’d always been told she was cold, who’d always been just a girlfriend of convenience.
* * *
What had he done?
Tombi stood at the window and surveyed the waning moon. The next time the celestial orb revealed its peak would be at the appearance of the Full Corn Moon. A time that had been a critical one for his ancestors as they harvested their maze and other crops for the barren winter ahead.
And he knew that in the weeks leading up to Full Corn Moon, he was preparing for a final battle. The bite from Nalusa, a betrayer revealing information that almost decimated the hunting band, and the gathering power and boundaries of Nalusa and the wisps convinced him that the scales had tipped in Nalusa’s favor.
And the Old Shadow well knew it.
Nalusa would strike against them once and for all; Tombi could feel it in every cell of his body. He had only one hope at turning the tide in his favor.
He glanced back at the bed, where Annie lay sleeping. The white bedsheet was bunched up near the slight curve of her hip, leaving her shapely breasts exposed. Her hair fell against the linen in dark waves. She looked so womanly—yet still so young. A woman-child, a healer, a witch, a sound sorcerer—all wrapped up into one extraordinary person who didn’t realize how incredible she really was.
Especially in bed.
His blood heated as he remembered Annie’s shy but passionate response during their lovemaking. And he frowned as he recalled the drowsy happiness in her eyes afterward, the tender way she brushed his hair from his forehead and kissed his temples.
He couldn’t allow himself to fall into her tender mercies, and he hoped she would be a sensible, modern woman about what had taken place between them tonight. He needed her gift of hearing, not her love. An unfamiliar, uncomfortable tug pulled at his conscience—had he used her tonight to further his own cause and get her cooperation in the fight against the shadows?
Tombi hoped he wasn’t that kind of man.
As if hearing his unsavory thoughts, Annie thrashed against the sheets and bolted upright. Her eyes were wide and wild, and she clutched the sheet up to her neck.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”
“I’m not sure.” Her brows knitted. “I heard a flapping noise. Like a large bird did a flyby near my head.”
“Must be your animal spirit guide trying to get your attention.”
“A bird?”
He laughed at the disappointment in her voice. “Nothing wrong with that. Makes perfect sense, actually. Birds are messengers, just as you have been with Bo.”
“I suppose. Secretly, I was hoping it would be a cat. A long, lean jaguar or panther.”
“Cats that eat birds for breakfast, huh? Think of it this way—in our culture some of the most revered guides are eagles. They represent freedom, strength and victory.”
“I could use some of that. Especially victory. How will I know for sure if the eagle is my guide? How do I communicate with it?”
“Watch when you’re outside for a particular bird, or if feathers of a particular bird appear. If you keep looking, it will make itself known.”
But he’d lost Annie’s attention. Her gaze kept drawing up and down his body. “You’re already dressed,” she noted, picking at the sheet bunched in her hands. “Don’t you want to...you know...come back to bed?”
Did he ever. Yet, Tombi hesitated. If she stayed with him indefinitely here in his cabin, shared his bed, Annie might have...expectations. Best to establish boundaries now. He sat on the edge of the bed. “About last night—”
The happiness in her face melted, the soft, vulnerable shine in her eyes hardened.
“Don’t worry. I expect nothing.”
The reasons why she should do just that—expect nothing—died on his lips. Someone had hurt her badly. “Damn. Who made you so bitter? Evan?”
“He made it clear that a girl like me should be grateful for any attention thrown her way. That sex is just sex. Not to be confused with love.” She turned her face to the side, stiff and brittle.
Tombi gently placed a finger on her uplifted chin and drew her face toward him. “A girl like you? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve told you before, I’m known as Crazy Annie in my hometown.”
“You’re a beautiful, exceptional woman,” he argued.
“Then why—” Her voice trembled, and she took a shaky breath. “Go on and say what you have to say.”
“It’s not you, it’s me.” Damn, that sounded lame even to his own ears. Tombi dropped his hand and paced the room, needing his space, needing to find the words that were impossible to formulate while staring into her disappointed eyes.
“It’s like this,” he began. “My life is dedicated to stopping Nalusa and the wisps and all the dark creatures of the night from taking control of the light, of all that’s good in the world. It’s been my mission since I was nineteen years old. It’s what I was born to do.”
“I wouldn’t stop you,” she said softly.
“You say that now. But when it comes time for me to face Nalusa, you might try to stop me from what I have to do. Guilt me into turning away.” He’d seen it with a few hunters, the ones who’d chosen to marry and raise families. Priorities changed.
“No one’s ever put me first. Don’t worry, I won’t expect it now.”
The hard edge was back in her tone, in the pinched set of her lips.
“You deserve better than that.” Tombi strode to the window, where the first sun rays peeped through the horizon, casting shadows that broke up the darkness. But for him, there was no ameliorating the darkness. He faced the truth, the secret fear he’d lived with for so long.
He was afraid that the darkness would win. Not just in the real, bayou backwaters and beyond, but deep in his soul. Ever since his parents had died, a wound had festered inside that had been fed through a series of subsequent blows—the death of his best friend, the loss of kinship with his twin sister, the growing realization he was fighting a battle he most likely could not win.
If Annie and her grandmother hadn’t come along when they did...he’d have surely died from Nalusa’s snakebite.
“I’ve already caused you enough grief,” he said gruffly. “Your grandmother may well die because of her effort to save me.”
“I don’t blame you anymore. For whatever reason, she made her own decision. Grandma Tia’s always been that way.” Annie gave a shaky laugh. “She’s doing better, you know. She’s awakened from the coma.”
Relief lightened the pressure in his chest, where guilt and worry weighed like a boulder. Unfortunately, it was still heavy from other burdens. “Good to hear.”
“Now, if you don’t mind, could you give me some privacy to get dressed?”
The hurt in her eyes and the former frost in her voice had disappeared, but she was overly polite, distant. “Annie, I...” He stopped, unsure how to proceed. Wasn’t this what he wanted? To put some emotional distance between them?
“I’ll say it for you. The sex was mediocre and you aren’t in love with me, so I shouldn’t get any ideas that this is some kind of permanent relationship.”
“What?” Shock and pain iced the blood in his veins. She was quite the actress if his lovemaking hadn’t pleased her. Unfamiliar heat rose up the back of his neck. He’d been accused of being too fierce, too unfeeling and too bent on revenge, but he’d never had any complaints about his sexual prowess. “I could have sworn you were satisfied.”
“I was, but you weren’t. There, happy now?”
“Who said I wasn’t?” Damn, she was confusing as hell.
Her eyes narrowed. “I thought that’s what you were trying to tell me.”
“Let’s start over.” Tombi folded his arms. “I only wanted to warn you that my number-one priority right now is defeating Nalusa. The situation is dangerous and headed for a breaking point.”
“I already know this.”
So far, so good. Annie seemed calm and accepting. If it had been Courtney sitting there in his bed...he’d be paying hell. She’d broken up with him because she wasn’t first in his life. She resented the time he spent hunting during the full moon and the allegiance he had to his people.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“I worry about your safety.”
“Which leads me to my next point. Nalusa and the shadows grow more powerful every day, and they have an inside track to our whereabouts and strategy, thanks to some informer. It could well be that the next full moon, Nalusa will go after me again. This time, I don’t expect to live through it.”
“Oh, Tombi.” Annie dropped the sheet and climbed out of bed. Her body, only a shade lighter than his own, glowed in the pale dawn light. She approached him slowly and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it. We’ll find the betrayer. Together, we can work out a plan. And now that Grandma Tia is coming around, she’ll help, too.”
He wanted to believe Annie, but the years hadn’t trained his mind to expect the best. “I wish I didn’t have to involve you or your grandmother. But if there’s any chance you could turn this war around in our favor, I need you.”
“I’ll help you.”
Annie rested her head against his bare chest, and he stroked her hair, humbled at her willingness to stand with him and his people. “Thank you,” he murmured in the comforting warmth of her scalp.
“I’ve never been needed before.”
“Hard to believe.” If he wasn’t careful, he could grow to need her too much, could bask in her kindness and healing nature and let her brighten the dark, warring evenings.
She lifted her face. “It’s true. I’ve always been the afterthought, never normal enough or smart enough to fit in with my own family, much less a boyfriend.”
If he could, he’d erase every painful memory she suffered. Would kiss away every tear and chase away all her doubts and insecurities as mercilessly as he tracked down every wisp leading to Nalusa.
“Their loss,” he ground out. Damn it to hell, if there was any way to keep from hurting her, he would.
Don’t fall in love with me, Annie. He should tell her, warn her. But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He bent down and kissed her full lips, hungry for her touch, her feel. As if last night hadn’t been enough.
Tombi feared it would never be enough. There weren’t enough days and nights in his lifetime for making love with Annie. He pressed his hands on the sides of her hips, marveling at her soft skin, at the way her body melded to his own, seeking oneness. He was selfishly taking all she had to offer. Eternal spirits help him, he couldn’t caution Annie to guard her heart.
Because much to his chagrin, he needed the warning more than she did.
CHAPTER 12
The clear, pure melody of the flute danced in the breeze. As if a flock of birds warbled in the same octave, with high notes that trilled in a soaring ecstasy, tempered by a deeper undertone of mourning. And blended between was all manner of feeling: lyrical, haunting. Weeping whistles of warring hope and despair.
Tombi stopped playing, and the silence echoed in Annie’s brain like a sudden death. “You’re up early,” he commented, his rigid back to her. His shirt was off, and the golden skin on his chest glistened with sweat. The red bandana on his forehead was wet.
It was one hell of a sexy sight.
Annie continued across the yard toward him, carefully maneuvering between workbenches and piles of wood and cabinet frames
. The air smelled of cut pine.
She faced him, trying to evaluate his mood. Yesterday he’d been aloof, despite the previous night’s closeness. He’d spent most of yesterday out speaking with other hunters and planning a meeting. All afternoon and into the evening, he’d worked his carpentry job, claiming to be behind schedule. But last night... She blushed, remembering their intense lovemaking. “Enjoying your break?” she asked.
“I was.” He nodded at the pocketbook hanging from her shoulder. “You going to visit your grandmother again today?”
“Yes. Unless you’re ready to give me another lesson.”
He picked up a piece of lumber and placed it on the workbench. “Why don’t you go ahead? The lessons can wait.”
“Maybe for you,” she answered sharply, frustrated with his aloofness during the day. He acted as if he wanted to shut her out of a large part of his life.
He raised a brow. “Problem?”
“Seems like you’ve been avoiding showing me how to control my hearing. We had a deal. Remember?”
He frowned. “Is that all that’s wrong? I’ve been a little busy. Give me a break.”
Annie tried another tactic. “I thought you said time was of the essence, that things were heading to a showdown between you and Nalusa.”
“I have no way of knowing for sure, but that’s my gut feeling.”
“And you said you needed my help. So why aren’t you putting me to work for you? I feel like you’re shutting me out.” Except when he wanted her body.
“All I need is for you to come with us during the next hunt to let us know when you hear something that we can’t. Especially if Bo tries to communicate again.”
“There must be something we can do between now and the full moon.”
A knowing smile broke through Tombi’s inscrutably calm face, and his pupils darkened. “I can think of a few things,” he said with that deep gruffness she remembered from last night’s bedtime talk.
“Well, there’s always that.” She cleared her throat. “My grandma’s expecting me to eat breakfast with her at the hospital. Want to come with me?”
