Holding her against his chest, he spilled outside, aiming for the ground so his body hit first. Sam gasped, dragging air deep into his lungs, sputtering as he fell, never letting go of Kelly.
He hit the ground first, his body cushioning Kelly. The hard fall was broken by a stack of firewood. Pain exploded in his right leg, but Sam ignored it as he rolled off the stacked firewood and tumbled to the ground.
Kelly’s limp body followed.
He grabbed her and threw her on her back in the dirt. Adrenaline pumped through his body.
She lay pale and still, the pink lace of her bra and panties a bright splash of color against her grayish flesh. He opened her mouth and began CPR. With each compression and between breaths, he talked, urging her to live.
“Come back to me, sweetheart. C’mon, Kel, you can do it. Please, Kel, come back, come back, dammit. You’re not leaving me now. Think of the kids. You have to get to them, keep them safe.”
Tears blurred his vision. Not responding, she lay still and lifeless. One more compression. “I promised you we’d make love again, and goddammit, I don’t break my promises.”
Heartbeat.
She coughed. Sam quickly turned her on her side, letting her vomit out water. She coughed and coughed.
“Easy now,” he soothed, stroking her hair. “You’re here. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
Blue eyes the color of cornflowers met his. Kelly gulped down air as he continued soothing her.
“I drowned,” she said between coughs.
Unable to find his voice, he nodded.
“You revived me.”
Throat tight, he nodded again.
“I did it on purpose...” She drew in another beautiful, glorious breath. “Just so you’d kiss me.”
He laughed shakily. Shay wiped tears with the back of one hand and then lifted her into a sitting position and drew her into his shaking arms.
He kissed her hard, never wanting to let go again.
Sam’s wet mouth trembled against her lips. He held her tight, his kiss frantic and urgent, reaffirming that she lived.
Closing her eyes, she clung to him as joy surged through her. Life was a precious gift, handed back to her by the man who’d refused to let her die, whose very mouth had breathed her back to consciousness.
Cupping her face, he kissed her harder, drinking in her mouth as if he were the drowning victim, drawing in her every breath as his own. A desperate kiss filled with passion, reminding her of the times when they’d made love until a scarlet dawn broke over the treetops. Sweaty, desperate, clinging love, each one never wanting to let go.
When they broke apart, he stroked a trembling finger down her cheek. Shadows darkened his hazel eyes. “I was so afraid I’d lost you. All because I had to let go.”
Her heart lurched at the pain in his expression. Kelly brought his hands up and kissed his scarred knuckles. “I’m here now. I trust you, Sam. I knew you wouldn’t give up on me and let me go for good. Besides, you promised to make love to me again.”
He gave a slight smile. “Right.”
“You kissed me like old times, Sam.” She brushed a lock of wet hair back from his face. “The way you once kissed me, when we swore to each other that we wouldn’t let anything come between us.”
As if she were his next breath, his entire world.
The familiar guarded look dropped over his face. As he shifted his weight, Sam flinched.
“You’re hurt,” she cried out.
“Just a small break. I can walk.”
“On a broken leg. Nothing serious. Sam!”
“I’ve had worse.”
Now she noticed the odd angle of his leg, the lines of pain bracketing his mouth.
“I’ll splint it, and we’ll get on our way.” He looked around the yard. “We have to get moving before those bastards return.”
Kelly lifted her face to the burning sun. “Let me try something. I can heal in the sunlight. You bonded us together. Maybe I can combine my powers with yours to heal your leg. Will you let me try?”
A rough nod. Water beaded his dark lashes and clung to the tip of his strong nose. His mouth was a firm slash, indicating just how much he hurt.
With one hand, she clasped the triskele, her other hand gripping his. Kelly began the lyrical chant her father had taught her.
Soothing light and warmth filled her as the sun’s healing rays surged into her body. Stunned, she watched the triskele pulse with white light. A glow suffused her body and traveled down her arm to their linked hands.
As the light touched him, it brightened to white, becoming stronger. Gasping, he shuddered as the warm energy pulsed down his torso to the wounded leg.
After a few minutes, the glow faded. Sam ran a hand over his calf.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered.
Beaming, she touched his leg. “It’s the bond. Alone, we are not strong enough, but together we are practically invincible.”
Sam narrowed his eyes. “How did you do that? What exactly are you, Kelly?”
Stricken, she drew back. “It’s me, Sam. I’m just an Arcane. It’s the triskele. It works as an amplifier.”
“Not even the triskele can turn an Arcane into a healer. The power has to be within the Mage first.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
Sam’s jaw tensed. “I’m saying your ability to heal isn’t normal. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here.”
She’d thought they could regain what they once had. Forget they were Arcane and Elemental. But the suspicion on his face threw up new barriers.
They found their packs on a shelf in the front room and swiftly dressed into a spare change of clothing. Sam retrieved his pistol from the shelf where the Mages had placed it. Kelly slipped into a pair of sandals, glancing at the still-flooded back room.
“Those were my favorite sneakers.”
“I’ll buy you a new pair.” Sam tucked the gun into his waistband. “Time to go hunting.”
“For what?”
A ruthless look entered his hazel eyes. “The son of a bitch who wears my face.”
Finding his duplicate proved easy.
From a shadowy doorway across the street, Shay watched the restaurant. His twin sat at an outside table, downing a bottle of suds. Several bottles sat on the table before him.
Same brand Shay enjoyed.
His hands itched to hook around the bastard’s throat and snap his neck. Shay curbed the urge. He was a SEAL and was used to waiting. Waiting to deploy. Waiting for the enemy to surface.
Waiting for Kelly to open her mouth and breathe again.
Waiting for Kelly to close her mouth about things he’d rather not discuss.
That kiss
The old chemistry still flared between them. But taking it further was dangerous because deep inside, he still had feelings for Kelly Denning.
And then there was the little matter of Kelly’s very unusual powers. Shay wondered about that. Maybe it
