and in the darkness he called on the fire that formed the core of him.
More of her power moved into him and his fire burned hotter, brighter. “Our energies must be blended, joined. Trust me, Shea. Don’t fight it. Give me your magic and trust me.”
She nodded, her face pale against the grass. Only yards away, cars flowed along the freeway like fish in a river. Never stopping, never noticing anything around them. But they couldn’t have seen Shea and Torin even if they were looking for them. The magic soaring around them moved like fog, a thick gray mist to conceal and protect.
The flames rushing through Torin’s body, racing to the hand he held to Shea’s shoulder, were the brightest light in the shadowy world they inhabited.
“Do it, Torin,” she whispered, eyes locked with his. “I trust you.”
His heart swelled as his own magic burst forth in a rush. His hand erupted into flames and caressed her injured shoulder with a magical balm that made her sigh and squirm beneath him. Their hands linked, their powers as one, Shea breathed easier, and seemed to gather herself as her body healed.
The joining was strong, rich, and filled him with a sense of rightness that he’d waited several lifetimes for. This was the woman who was his other half. The heart and soul of him. He would never lose her again.
He watched as the wound closed and the angry red flesh paled and smoothed into unbroken skin beneath his hand. She took a breath and let it sigh from her lungs—and Torin could have sworn he felt her relief as his own.
At last Torin pulled his hand free, inspected the wound and smiled to himself. “It’s done.”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she admitted and slowly sat up beside him.
She looked down at their joined hands and watched, bemused, as Torin’s flames licked at their fingers in wavering bursts of bright orange and yellow.
Finally, she lifted her gaze to his. Lit by the starlight, she said, “You’re amazing.”
“Together,” he corrected, “we are amazing.”
She nodded. “I’m starting to get that. Now what?”
“Now we discover how these people are tracking you. But not here.”
“Where, then?”
“I know a place.” He wrapped his arms around her, called on the flames and in a breath of light and heat, flashed them both away.
Chapter 23
It took several jumps to reach their destination. By the time Torin led Shea into the small mountain cabin, he was feeling the drain of magical energy. He’d used too much both on the travel and on healing Shea without allowing his body to recharge. Rest would do it, he knew. But sex would do it quicker.
And he had no wish to rest.
His gaze dropped to the curve of Shea’s behind as she walked into the cabin ahead of him. Even in the ugly prison uniform, her beauty couldn’t be hidden. She was the woman who had held his heart for hundreds of years. Her energy, her spirit, her soul remained the same throughout her many incarnations. All that she was called to him on a cellular level.
He had watched her over the eons, seen her learn and change and been witness to the growth of her soul into the woman she was here. Now. In this lifetime, he had seen her resilience. Felt her determination and courage. Her warmth and humor. And he had loved her more than he ever would have thought possible.
“Where are we?”
“Somewhere above Palm Springs,” he said and she turned to face him.
The cabin was cold and dark. Shea shivered and he waved one hand at the fireplace, where kindling and logs lay waiting. Instantly, flames erupted on the stacked wood, sending brilliant patterns of light dancing around the small room.
She sighed. “You do that so easily.”
“As will you.”
She walked toward the fire. “I don’t know. I feel . . . as if something inside me is locked down and struggling to get out.”
“Your power already escaped you once tonight.”
“I don’t know how, though.” She laughed shortly and shook her head. “Seems like that’s something that would come in handy.”
“I can help.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “I hope so.”
“Trust me.”
“I guess I am.” Scrubbing her hands up and down her arms, she said, “I’ve never been as scared as I was the last couple of days. I never want to be that scared again. Or that helpless.”
“You won’t be,” he said, and internally he made a vow. “I’ll keep you safe.”
She gave him a tired smile. “I’m counting