Silent Storm (3 page)

“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.”

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.

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.