fisted her fingers in his hair and held his mouth to her when the first ripples of sensation coursed through her and Torin felt every jolting surge of pleasure as it shook her to the bone.
Only when the last one had dissolved, leaving her body trembling with release, did he ease her back onto the mattress. He buried his body within hers in a long, hard stroke, laying claim to all she was. She urged him on with tiny, barely heard cries of ecstasy.
He felt lightning-like whips of energy snapping between the two of them. They moved together in a tender symphony of rhythm. Her body tightened around his, liquid heat, clenching down, pulling him deeper, deeper, until Torin was sure he would never completely be apart from her again. The fires between them burned and flared. He reached for her hand and twined their fingers together.
The mating fire erupted, burning brightly over their joined hands as their bodies shattered together, each of them jolting into a climax that was all the stronger for the sharing.
In the darkness, two decks above, the tip of a cigarette glowed in the darkness like the eye of a demon.
The watcher smiled.
Chapter 42
“It’s time.” Kellyn spoke into her phone and idly plucked a stray thread from her plum-colored silk shirt. “According to my contact, Shea and Torin are very close now. They should be right where I expect them sometime in the next twenty-four hours. I’ll need to have everything in place well before so we’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. I’ll handle all of the arrangements.”
“Kellyn,” the voice on the phone said patiently, “we’ve discussed this before. You’ve given me the coordinates for this confrontation and I’ve already made the arrangements. When we hang up, I’ll notify them to set up immediately.”
Rage swarmed like dragonflies in the pit of her belly, but Kellyn bit back her frustration and kept her voice cool and disaffected. She’d come too far to lose her temper now. She still needed this connection. So she took a breath and said, “I’m sure you remember how badly the Seeker operation ended.”
“Yes, but my instructions weren’t followed,” the caller insisted. “And those who made the mistakes have been dealt with. This time it will be different. My own people are taking care of things rather than subcontracting it out. There won’t be any blunders this time—I won’t stand for it.”
Neither would Kellyn. Which was why she wanted to be in charge. However, there were still reasons for maintaining this relationship, so she would give it another try.
“Now, if the coordinates you gave me haven’t changed . . .” the voice continued.
“They haven’t.” Kellyn knew exactly where the witch and her Eternal were headed. It might take Shea a bit longer to recall everything, but Kellyn’s memories had returned some time ago. The past was wide-open to her and the future, if maneuvered correctly, shone with promise.
“All right, then,” the voice said with confidence. “I’ll make the call. Everything will be set up and waiting within the hour.”
“Fine.” Kellyn forced a smile and looked down on the street traffic in front of her hotel. Yes, the view had changed, but any view that could be seen from the very best suite in a luxury hotel was a good one. She laughed to think of Shea and her Eternal, darting across the countryside, staying in tacky motels and abandoned homes. All to avoid detection, she thought—for all the good it had done them.
Between the trackers implanted in Shea’s body and the scrying Kellyn had been doing, the witch and the Eternal had been chased from one edge of the country to the next. She had enjoyed her magical meetings with Shea and was looking forward to the next time they met. Kellyn would talk Shea into turning her back on the coven and joining forces with her. Then the two of them would hunt down the other Awakened witches, each in turn. And in the end, the Artifact and the power would be theirs.
Smiling, she realized she was in a much better mood as she told her partner, “I’ll go directly to the coordinates and make sure your people are set up correctly.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll contact them, let them know you’re coming and that they should do as you order.”
“Excellent.” Nothing she liked better than men snapping to attention.
“Fine then,” the caller said easily. “And Kellyn, see that nothing goes wrong this time. I don’t want the witch