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.”

He shook his head. “It amazes me how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Teach so many subjects. How do you get your brain to flip from advanced anatomy to basic math?”

Laurin laughed. “Matt, how do you know if it’s a physical ailment or a spiritual one?”

“I just…” He paused, then joined in and laughed with her. “Hey, that’s not fair. It’s not the same at all.”

“It is. I simply do the next thing. That’s all you do, right?”

He sat across from her. “I’m awed by your skills, that’s all I’m saying. You’re so good with the children. Far more patient than I am, at times.”

“I don’t know about that—I’ve seen you around them. But yes, I do love children.”

Something caught inside him. One of his initial reasons for not getting involved with women from among the water people was to avoid a repeat of his own fatherless childhood. He wanted a family of his own, and as he admired Laurin, the dream seemed to be growing closer with every day that passed.

She blushed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He hesitated. Did he want to freak her out? A gentle shrug of his shoulder. She deserved the honest truth. “I was imagining you with my child.”

The flush of red spread to her brow, her eyes widening. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then licked her lips. He let her have the time she needed until she dropped a hand on top of his where it rested on the table between them.

“Someday. I… Oh God, I’m speechless.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I love you, Laurin. I’d love to have a family with you. But someday is a good enough answer for now.”

She placed her wine glass on the table and came around to his side, crawling up to straddle his lap. His body reacted as always, going from semi-aroused to instantly ready for her. Since the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d wanted her. Now having the layer of love wrapping the physical desire made their relationship that much better.

They needed to make the next step.

He accepted her embrace, closing his eyes to simply feel her hold him. Take in the sensation of her torso touching his, her lips making contact and sneaking away like an erotic game of hide and seek. Against his cheek, his eyes. Her warm lips brushed his forehead. He tightened his grasp on her hips and nudged her higher so he could bury his face between her breasts and breathe in her scent.

The ache in his groin he pushed aside, wanting to drive them both mad enough with anticipation that when they did make love that evening, it would be even more spectacular than usual. Laurin wiggled closer, pressing her breasts to his mouth, and he bit through the layers of fabric. Hmm, she wasn’t wearing a bra, and her nipple tightened to a peak under his lips. The sounds she made as he teased her—his brain was liable to shut down completely, and he’d eagerly throw his plans for a slow seduction out the window, again, if he wasn’t careful.

Far too addictive—that’s how he found her touch. Her taste.

Instead of carrying her to the bedroom and ravishing her, he slowed. Lowered her into his lap and kissed her. The heat of her sex pressed against the ridge of his erection, but he held her still instead of letting her ride him. She complained and he swallowed the mutterings, his tongue sliding against hers. Wet kisses that eventually led to uneven breathing, with repeated caresses of hands over shoulders and backs.

“I want you…” Laurin whispered.

He laughed softly. How often was he the one to slow them down? “Later. We need to make some arrangements first.”

She leaned away, surprise in her expression. “Now?”

“Now. I’m not sure how else you think I’m going to get to the Rockies. It would take a long time to swim there.”

Laurin stared at him, her warm body nestled close, her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his neck. He doubted she even knew she had continued to caress him.

“To the Rockies?” Sudden awareness hit her. “You’re coming too?”

“If that’s okay with you.”

She squeezed his face between her hands and kissed him, hard, pulling back to grin at him. “I had no idea you’d join me. Are you sure?”

Matt nodded. “I want to be there for you, and I’d love to meet your family, if you’re okay with me coming along. I promise not to take over—you can call the shots.”

Her look of delight faded slightly. “There should be no troubles, none that we can’t handle. I’m sure all the tribes have heard we’re together now, so there should be no more fistfights over me.”

“Well, I don’t mind if I do need to offer a little convincing. Wherever or whatever is necessary.”

Laurin wiggled off his lap and paced the tiny galley area. “I don’t even know where to start dealing with this…nebulous sensation haunting me. I mean, it’s just a feeling I have that whatever I’m suppose to do still has to happen.”

“Can we speak with your grandfather?”

She froze on the spot and twisted back to shake her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that myself. Of course we can. And there’s the shaman, and…”

He wouldn’t have been surprised to see her bounce up and down in her excitement. It hit him—she’d been gone for over two years. It was one thing to have left home to move on with your life, but she’d left on the run. Matt took a deep breath and kicked his own butt for not having thought of it sooner.

“Go on, grab your computer and we’ll book flights from Vancouver. Once we finish the next stop on our tour, it will be time to put the Stormchild into dry dock for the winter anyway. She’s too delicate a creature for the winter storms. We’ll need to switch to a sturdier vessel until the spring.”

Laurin pulled her computer off the shelf and set up the satellite link. “We can fly into Calgary, and I’ll get my parents to pick us up.”

Her hands danced over the keyboard as she arranged things, but it was her continued babbling that made him grin. Her delight and excitement was contagious, and as they booked flights and arranged for the trip, he could only hope that somewhere in the midst of the adventure he wasn’t setting up for an event that would tear them apart forever.

Hands, strong and firm, caressed her back, sneaking over her hip, and pulled her naked body tighter to Matt’s warmth. She nestled against him willingly even as she felt the twinges from their sexual romp the previous night. When they’d finally gotten all the details into place, Matt had taken her to bed and made love to her—an almost frantic rut that she’d thoroughly enjoyed, but wondered where his head was.

That had been the first session of many over the rest of the evening. He’d plied her with food and wine, then stripped her down and taken her on the deck of the Stormchild as the sun set on them. He’d moved her to the shower on the deck and washed her clean before carrying her back to the berth and loving her so thoroughly she felt decadently used this morning.

Whatever had gotten into him, she wasn’t about to complain.

Except when he reached around to cup her breast she stilled him, catching his wrist in her fingers. “You’re insatiable.”

He planted wet kisses on her shoulder blade. “Is there a problem with that?”

Laurin laughed, pulling away. “I want to brush my teeth. I need coffee, and then if you still have any sexual mojo left to take care of, I’d be happy to oblige.”

Matt sat up in the bed, the thin cover of the quilt tangled around his thighs. The firm line of his abdominal muscles disappeared under the edge of the fabric, and she moved quickly to grab her toothbrush. The sooner she felt human, the sooner she could investigate that intriguing line—with her lips and tongue.

“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.”