legs, her sex pulsing in natural response, her nipples tingling and hardened.
Oh, gods, she wanted him so badly.
The harsh sounds of his breath twined with the rush of the gurgling stream. Sam kicked off his pants and boxers and waded in. Her hungry gaze riveted to the smooth muscles of his taut ass.
Sam ducked beneath the water and turned over, his smoldering, predatory gaze riveted to hers.
Kelly’s heartbeat kicked into turbo as her breathing hitched. The space between her legs felt aching, open, her core pulsing in response to his naked body. She envisioned those strong hands holding her fast as his thick cock pushed deep inside her.
He wanted her, and she wanted him equally. Time had erased the emotions they had for each other, but it could not vanquish the searing heat. Circumstance and sorrow had dampened but not extinguished it. Now the same desire sparked into life once more.
All she had to do was shuck her clothes and join him. Their joining would be intense, passionate and blazing. Sam need only touch her and she’d have one shattering climax after another.... It had been so long since she’d had sex, too long since anyone had held her close....
Now Kelly did cover her breasts, hugging herself.
Not make love. Have sex.
Hot, steamy, deep-thrusting, clawing sex. Sex that would leave her feeling empty and alone afterward. The fire inside her died.
She couldn’t let this man grow close. Too much had happened, too much pain and regret. They would become lovers again, and then he’d hand her over to the Mages.
Sam stopped swimming.
Biting the inside of her lip, she found her jeans and quickly dressed, her back to the stream.
Water splashed behind her. Sam stood before her, droplets of water from his bent head falling on her skin like tears. His voice was gentle as he lifted her chin to meet his concerned gaze. “What is it, Kel?”
Emotion clogged her throat. She clenched her fists. “Are you ready? Because we’re wasting time.”
She fussed with her backpack, avoiding his gaze. A damp T-shirt dangled before her.
“Put this on,” he said quietly. “It’s rank, but it will cover your natural scent when your own clothing dries.”
The fabric smelled like leather and sage and Sam. Kelly held it close and inhaled his scent. When she looked up, the predatory look flared on his face once more, as if he liked his shirt, his scent, covering her.
“Let’s move on,” she said in a shaky voice. “It’s not safe here.”
Truth was, no place was safe, not with Sam at her side and the ever-burning flame still shimmering between them, ready to sear them both.
A while later, they found the unpaved road Rosa told them to take. However, either it was market day or everyone decided to go south. It had turned into a pedestrian superhighway. Men drove cattle ahead of them with long sticks. Flocks of women with woven baskets atop their heads gossiped as they walked. Students in plaid uniforms, worn backpacks over their skinny shoulders, headed home from school.
Behind thick bushes, Shay hunkered down, watching the traffic, Kelly behind him. They needed to blend with the locals. He glanced backward at Kelly. With her wide cornflower-blue eyes, delicate cheekbones and soft, smooth skin, she stood out like a living flame.
He remembered how she’d looked at the stream, a lush, redheaded Venus rising out of the water, and he bit back a hard kick of desire.
“Is this the only way south?” he asked.
“There’s another, but we have to backtrack and it’s much more popular.” Her fingers wrapped around the triskele pendant. “Can we use magick to disguise ourselves?”
Traces of magick would alert other Mages, a neon sign in the darkness. But he worried more about the human posse of shotgun-wielding locals.
“We have no choice. No one would notice me much, but you?” He shook his head.
“I hid my hair. No one can see I’m a redhead.”
Shay’s gaze swept over her curvy body. “That’s not what will draw men’s attention. You’re too pretty to ignore.”
A faint flush colored her cheeks, heightening her sexual allure. Shay clenched his fists. Hell, other men? He worried more about himself.
“I wish you could shape-shift into a man,” he muttered.
“Okay.”
Closing her eyes, Kelly softly sang notes of ancient Celtic words as she gripped the triskele. Electrical energy charged the air, raising the little hairs on Shay’s nape. A vortex of gold and crimson sparks swirled around her body. As he puzzled over the phenomenon, the sparks faded.
His former lover vanished.
A dark-skinned man stood in her place. Gray hair hidden beneath a battered straw cowboy hat, the lanky man wore a faded checked shirt and plain cotton pants.
Shay glanced downward. Thick, hairy toes peeped out from worn leather sandals.
“Meet Juan Hernandez, a visitor to this town.”
Even her voice had deepened to a man’s timbre.
Suspicion filled him. Only Elementals had the power to shape-shift, and it was limited to Phantoms like himself.
Arcanes gained the power only when they’d killed a Phantom and siphoned all his magick. What if Senator Rogers was right? Was Kelly’s nonprofit a front for stealing Elemental children and killing them to enhance their powers?
The thought sickened him.
Shay’s hand automatically fell to his sidearm as he studied Kelly’s guileless expression. No darkness tinged her aura, only the normal crimson of an Arcane, interlaced with strong gold. Gold because of the triskele, he thought, glancing at the pendant. Either the medallion endowed Kelly with his magick, or the spell binding them together had fueled her with power.
He didn’t like this. But other priorities mattered more.
Removing the leather holster and pistol, Shay tucked them into his backpack. Damn, he hated not carrying, but packing would raise a few eyebrows.
Culling his magick, he focused. The change was almost instant, perfected by years of practice.
“Wow.” Her gaze widened. “Uh, very Freudian of you.”
She fished a small compact mirror from her pack and handed it over. Shay looked.
In the mirror, Kelly stared back. Silky red framing a heart-shaped face, cheeks tinted by a rosy flush. Shay licked his reddened, wet mouth.
What the hell?
“Do you mind? It’s very disconcerting seeing you as me.”
“I’m suddenly quite tempted to kiss myself.”
“Sam, please change into someone else. Anyone else. Even Senator Rogers is better.”
This was priceless. Shay grinned. “Hmm. I like this body. Feels nice.” He ran a hand over his new chest. “Very nice.”
Juan/Kelly’s cheeks darkened as he flushed. “Stop feeling me up. Or are you indulging in some private fantasy? One without me because you prefer it that way?”
Shay dropped the grin. “Never,” he said quietly. “I’ll always prefer the original model in my arms. No magick
