Phantom Wolf

Chapter 17

A shaft of leaden daylight spilled through the partly opened drapes. Shay woke up to the sight of Kelly draped over his body. Long, dark lashes feathered over her cheeks as she slept as innocently as a child, red hair spilling over the white pillow. Just as he’d dreamed about all these years. He eased out of bed.

Stalking over to the balcony, he lifted the blue drapes with the back of one hand. He saw a hard pewter sky streaked with a rose-gold sun that was breaking the horizon. The street was deserted except for one elderly couple sitting across the street on their front stoop.

That could be you and Kel, years from now. Rocking on the porch, watching the grandkids play in the yard. Holding hands...

A family of his own. The dream shimmered within reach.

Hearing a rustling of sheets behind him, Shay turned.

“I feel so alive this morning. Free.” She gave a languid stretch, which did amazing things to her breasts. Shay steeled against the driving urge to tumble her backward and love her until he’d coaxed another sweet cry of pleasure from her mouth.

He turned back to the window as she climbed out of bed.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she snuggled against him. He closed his eyes, desperately wanting to never let go of her but knowing he must.

Shay pulled away and picked up her jeans. “We need to move out, get on the road. Go shower. I’ll go downstairs and get us breakfast.”

No censure in those eggshell-blue eyes, only confusion.

He softened his tone. “I have to secure a vehicle before we get to Tegus, and it’ll take time.”

“Sam, we have time. The flight doesn’t leave until this afternoon. What’s going on?”

Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, he gestured to the bathroom. “I’ll shower after you.”

Best to keep her at arm’s length. But deep inside, he yearned for the connection shared last night, a bond he must shatter like a hammer before it was too late.

The red car looked held together with string and wire clothes hangers. Kelly rubbed a rust spot as Sam checked under the hood.

He’d paid an overjoyed villager cash for this clunker. It was hideous, with fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror. Sam told her they were headed back to the States, to a safe house where she’d go unnoticed.

Not that he noticed her now.

Kelly hit a tire with the toe of her sandal. “El Milagro. This thing looks like it’ll take a miracle to run.”

No answer.

“Maybe I should throw some magick on it. There’s an ancient Arcane spell to go faster, but it’s for a donkey. The ‘move your ass’ spell.”

Still no answer from under the hood.

Sam, talk to me, she thought, clenching her fists. Stop being so damn distant.

Finishing, he slammed the hood down and wiped his hands with a clean rag. “Engine’s in good shape. Let’s roll.”

Efficient as ever. Transportation secured? Check. Engine operational? Check. Hotel bill paid? Check.

Last night’s lover hustled out the door? Check.

The tender Sam who’d made love had vanished, leaving behind a stranger. He’d barely spoken at breakfast. Every bite of the delicious huevos with queso stuck in her throat as he sipped coffee and scrolled through email on his cell.

Would the real Sam ever return, the chivalrous man who’d defend her to the death? The Mage who whispered passionate words and tenderly loved her as if she were his entire world?

On impulse, she caught his hand, feeling the rough calluses and tensile strength. Those hands had roved over her naked body, culling an exquisite pleasure.

Sam closed his fingers around her wrist and gently removed her hand. The physical act hurt worse than a verbal rejection. But she refused to ignore what happened between them. “Last night was pretty special. Like old times, and I’m not talking about the sex.”

Tension knotted his broad shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“I feel like I’ve found the real Sam, the one I lost, the man who set aside carousing for an honest, real relationship.”

“I don’t have time for relationships. I’m a SEAL, always gone on a mission.”

“Other SEALs have relationships.”

“Not me.”

Kelly’s heart dropped. “Talk to me, Sam.”

A questionable look, the guarded expression hiding his thoughts.

Taking a leap of faith, she plunged ahead. “I can’t tell what you’re thinking, how you feel. You’re a phantom, a ghost who isn’t really here with me. I want Sam back in my life, the solid flesh-and-blood man who kissed me last night as if he meant it.”

Sam tossed down the rag. “We can’t all have what we want, can we?”

“Don’t do this to me.” He wanted to fight, use anger as a defense. She refused to be baited.

Kelly drew in a calming breath and slowly released it. “It was fine at the café, when you were the big, bad navy SEAL protecting the poor, threatened Arcane. You know how to play that role. But the minute you opened up and shared yourself last night, you regretted it and shut down.”

Sam’s jaw turned rigid as stone. Honesty was needed, but it was so difficult to confess how she felt. Never had she felt more vulnerable.

“I know what it’s like to feel alone and grieving, surrounded by people oblivious to how badly you’re bleeding inside. So you hide behind your work. You can trust me. It’s okay to share your feelings. You’ve kept me safe and protected, and I’ll do the same.”

She touched his cheek, feeling the muscle twitch violently as if he were a machine gun ready to fire. “Please. I feel like we reconnected with each other. I don’t want to lose that.”

A glacial remoteness entered his eyes, as if all warmth and life inside him turned to ice.

“It was just sex, Kelly. A good fuck. We fucked each other and got what we wanted.”

The words stung. Crushed, she stared at him, her rising hopes shattered as if he’d shot a bullet into them.

She dared voice her worst fear. “You wouldn’t say that to an Elemental woman, even if it were true. Remember? Back at the mansion, before we became lovers? When they shared your bed, you walked them to their Porches and Jaguars the next morning, politely opened the door. And afterward, sent flowers and chocolates. The ones like me were snuck out of the house like a shameful secret.”

“I never treated you like that, Kelly.”

“But you are now.”

Sam’s jaw ground hard as he stared into the distance.

Silence confirmed it. So, that was it. Gods, it felt as if she’d extended her hand in trust and he’d sliced it off with his combat knife. It hurt badly, but more so, she hurt for him. The Sam she’d known was gone for good, replaced by this efficient, chilling...

Elemental.

Kelly removed the pendant and unfolded his palm, placing the silver triskele inside. “Here. You need this more than I do.”

He pushed it back. “You’re an Arcane and don’t have enough power to protect yourself. It’s to keep you safe.”

Too late, she thought dully. They were back to Arcane and Elemental, and she was just another score. “You have the bigger disadvantage. You’re dying inside, Sam. You just don’t realize it.”

Kelly turned for the village square.

“Where the hell are you going?” he demanded.

“I need to be alone. Besides, you should take another shower. Rinse off the Arcane stink left from last night.”

Sam called after her, but she ignored him, jamming her hands into her jeans pockets. As she walked, people sidestepped as if she were something to scrape off their shoes. You’re welcome, Kelly silently told the Mages. It was a pleasure using Arcane magick to free you from the spell, hmm, a spell you fell under despite your almighty powers.

Feeling even more alienated, she hunched her shoulders and kept her gaze down.

In the town square, elephant’s ear trees stretched out their shady branches, providing relief from the constant heat. Violet-, crimson- and pumpkin-colored flowers bloomed among thatches of grass. A mother sat on a stone bench, watching a young boy kick a soccer ball on the walkway. She glanced at Kelly and gave a small smile.

This makes it all worth it. They have their lives back.

It was the reason why she’d started Sight Finders. She wanted to reunite families who’d been torn apart.

Because you couldn’t reunite Sam’s, a voice mocked in her head. All these years, you’ve tried to atone for your father’s actions. He’s alive, while Sam’s family is cold in their graves.

Emotion clogged her throat as she watched the little boy chase the ball. He was about Pete’s age. Sam adored his little brother. Promised to always take care of him.

I’m a reminder of everything he’s lost, she realized. Everyone he loved.

Turning her back, she walked away from the little boy. Straight toward...

The Elemental college student who’d called her a bitch. Was anyplace safe from these damn Mages? The girl spotted her, grimaced and whispered to her companion.

Enough. Better to take Sam’s cruel coldness than a stranger’s insults.

A flicker of movement from the bushes caught her eye. The slither of a forked tongue testing the air. Kelly’s heart went still as she glimpsed fangs bigger than steak knives. The searing stench of blood and death tangled in her nostrils.

Sam’s warding hadn’t killed all the monsters.

“Oh, dear gods.” Panic rose in her throat as the girl and her friend drew closer, seemingly oblivious of the danger.

Kelly murmured a quiet chant and sent power streaming into the bushes.

The snake opened its mouth and swallowed the streaming current like a tasty morsel.

She settled for a verbal warning. “Get out of here, move it!”

The girl scoffed and continued advancing. The snake slithered out of the bushes, aiming for the Elemental’s ankle. As the reptile rose up to attack, Kelly launched herself and grabbed the snake, yanking it away.

Hissing, it turned and bit Kelly’s shoulder. Fiery pain licked down her arm, but she grabbed the snake around the neck, struggling to contain it. Screams and gasps from onlookers. Magick words escaped her, spells lost in a red haze of pain. She needed powerful magick, Elemental magick...she laughed, a sob of white-hot agony as she remembered the triskele in Sam’s hand.

You picked a lousy time to make a statement.

White electromagnetic energy crackled. As precise as a bolt of lightning, the energy struck the snake and killed it.

She looked up at the girl, who held out her glowing palms.

“Good shot,” she rasped. “Thanks.”

Respect shone in the girl’s face. “Thank you, for saving my life.”

Gritting her teeth, she managed to pull into a sitting position, the agony in her shoulder feeling like muscle pulled off bone.

She heard the screech of car tires. Sam jumped out and left the door to El Milagro open, the engine running. He crouched down, took a knife from his boot and tore open her shirt.

The wound had turned an ugly grayish mass. Blood seeped from two puncture holes.

“Ilthus,” she managed to say. “Don’t know how it evaded your magick.”

Sam glared at the crowd. “Goddammit, get back, give her air. This isn’t a damn sideshow.”

The crowd quickly dispersed, except for the girl she’d saved and her male friend.

“I’m Nancy,” the girl said, kneeling down beside Sam. “How can I help?”

“Got hand sanitizer?” At her nod, Sam handed her his knife. “Sterilize this.”

When she’d handed it back, he turned to Kelly. “Hang on. This isn’t going to be fun. I’ll try to go easy.”

“Don’t,” she grated out. “Just take care of the poison.”

Sunlight flashed on the blade he raised to her skin. Burning pain laced her shoulder, the agony making her stomach clench as warm blood flowed down her arm. Oh, gods, that hurt.

“I’ve lanced the wound, but the venom already invaded your central nervous system.” He sounded calm and cool. “I’m going to have to send my powers streaming into your body.”

“Ah.” Kelly bit her lip so hard she drew blood. The pain made it hard to see, to breathe. She inched away from him, shaking her head. “You’re going to fry my insides.”

“No, I’ll hold back. Trust me.”

Shuddering in agony, she drew away. The hurtful words he’d flung at her still stung. After he’d shattered her fragile hopes, how could she believe him?

“Not when the trust isn’t mutually exclusive.”

He sighed. “I know I acted like an asshole. I’m sorry I said those things. But please, let me help you.”

Hand on her chin, Sam tilted her face upward to meet the regret in his gaze. “Please, Kel? I fucked up royally and insulted you badly. But don’t let that stand in the way of me doing my job.”

Now the pain felt as if she’d thrust her arm into a roaring furnace. Tears leaked out of her eyes. “Duty and honor. Doing your job. You want to save me because you’re under orders and you’ll obey, good SEAL that you are.”

“No,” he said quietly. “Screw the order. I want to heal you because I care about you and if I lose you, part of me will die, as well.”

At this glimpse of the real Sam, the tightness in her chest eased. Kelly nodded. “Okay. Fry my organs, but have someone serve them with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Very yummy. Or so says the good Dr. Lecter.”

He gave a soft smile. “That’s my girl.”

Sam stretched out his hands, warming them in the sun. Power pulsed through him, wreathing his muscular body. His expression intense, like a predator’s, the green in his eyes a blaze of emerald, he went very still.

Cold knots twisted her stomach. He was going to throw that current at her, inside her, and she’d seen living things vaporize beneath the force of that violent power.

“Stay as still as possible.”

Kelly closed her eyes. She felt Sam’s hands on her shoulder, strong and yet gentle. Warmth spilled into her body, shooting down from the wound into her shoulder. She felt it snaking through her core, chasing away the hot agony with cooling relief. Strength returned to her weakened muscles.

“Oh, wow, sweet,” Nancy murmured. “I’ve never seen that before.”

“Curing through energy manipulation,” her companion stated in a smug voice. “Basic electromagnetic light therapy, commonly used in healing ceremonies. Although I’ve never seen it demonstrated on an Arcane, because that kind of power is wasted on them.”

“Stop it, Mark,” Nancy snapped. “I’m sick of your attitude. She saved my life.”

The last of the venom vanished beneath the humming current of Sam’s power. Kelly felt refreshed and energized.

“You okay?” he asked, searching her face.

“I could run a marathon. But I’d need a few power bars first, because I’m really hungry.”

“I’ll be damned,” he said softly, gazing at his still-glowing hands. “I still have power.”

“But you healed me.”

“I held back. Didn’t want to risk burning you.” Sam glanced around.

“Thank you,” she told him. “This is the second time you gave my life back to me.”

Sam stroked a single finger down her cheek, his gaze tender. Nancy looked at her with newfound respect, while her companion snorted in derision.

“She’s just another Arcane. No big loss. If you’re that hot for them, you can always find another bitch to spread her legs,” Mark said.

Kelly winced. Nancy gasped, shoving her friend. “Mark, I wish you’d just shut up!”

Sam flicked his hands, sending an energy current at Mark, knocking him unconscious to the pavement. “Wish granted,” he told Nancy.

Then he stood, pulling Kelly with him. Nancy glanced at her. “I never thought an Arcane would risk her life for me. I was wrong.” She glanced at the unconscious Mark with disgust. “About a lot of things.”

“I’m sure he has some redeeming qualities,” Kelly offered.

“Like drooling on the sidewalk,” Sam muttered. With a nod to Nancy, he guided Kelly to El Milagro. Inside the car, he draped the triskele over her neck.

“You scared me to death. Don’t ever take the pendant off again.” He hesitated and added, “Please.”

Silence lay between them, intense and heavy, as they drove out of town. After a few miles, she turned in the seat, avoiding a spring sticking up through the cracked leather.

“Do you know what happened back there? I thought your powers healed me, but if you still had them, they didn’t.”

“I sent only enough energy into your body to find the venom and neutralize it, not repair the damaged muscle.” Bone strained against flesh as he tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “You healed yourself.”

“That’s impossible. I don’t have enough power and certainly not any healing abilities without the triskele.” Unless they’d formed a new, unique connection. Arcane magick and Elemental.

“I don’t understand it, either.” He gestured to the back. “I packed a cooler with snacks and water. We have a long way to go.”