Dark Magic

“Not particularly,” she admitted with a flash of her blue eyes. “I was only trying to get you to come here. You know, classic honeymoon. Sweet young wife teaches wizened old grouch how to have fun. That sort of thing.”

“Wizened old grouch?” he echoed in astonishment. “The old part I can accept, even the grouch. But I am definitely not wizened.” In punishment he tugged her hair.

“Ow!” She swung around and glared indignantly at him. “ Wizenedsort of seemed to fit. You know, wizard, wizened.”

Gregori crushed her hair to his face to hide the sudden emotion overwhelming him. The fragrance of flowers and fresh air surrounded him. So this was what he had sought all those long centuries. Fun. Belonging. Someone with whom to share laughter and teasing and to make even the difficult moments in life beautiful. She was so much a part of him, he couldn’t return to a barren existence again. He would never choose to stay in the world without her.

“Do you think I am too old, Sava

“Not old, Gregori,” she corrected gently. “Just old-fashioned. You have a tendency to believe women should always do as they’re told.”

He found himself laughing. “Not that you do.”

She tilted her head back, a not-so-subtle hint for him to resume brushing. “I wish you would understand that I can’t stand by and watch someone get hurt because of me.”

He sighed audibly and allowed several heartbeats to go by before replying. “I should never have taken you with me and placed you in such a position, ma chérie.For that I apologize.”

“I want to discuss this,” she insisted, clenching her fist.

He pushed aside the thin shirt, bent his head, and touched his mouth to her bare shoulder. The sensation was as intimate as sin. “There can be no discussion. We put this to rest last night. I will not do this, not even for you. You must understand who I am. You are in me, as I am in you. You know how I feel. I can do no other than to protect you. That is who I am.”

“Do you have to be so inflexible about this, Gregori?” Sava

“The storm is passing over us. Do you want to go to the bayou this night?” he asked softly, separating her hair deftly and begi

She loved the feel of his hands in her hair, his fingers massaging her scalp, tugging so gently on the thick length of braid. She reached up to place a palm over her bare shoulder, the exact spot where his lips had touched her. “I would love to go to the bayou with you.”

He smiled at her, his silver eyes molten mercury. “We can observe wildlife for a change. No vampires.”

“No weird society types,” she added.

“No mortals in need of rescuing,” Gregori said with intense satisfaction. “Get dressed.”

“You’re always taking my clothes off, then telling me to get dressed again,” Sava

He turned her around to face him, caught the front of her shirt, and drew the gaping edges together to cover her tempting body. “You ca

It took Sava

His laughter was soft and husky. His body was already begi

Sensations were completely different. Like the night she had run free as the wolf, Sava

Are you having fun?Gregori’s voice held a hint of laughter.

This is so cool, lifemate,she answered. Her rapidly beating wings lifted her into the air. The light mist was already passing overhead. The air was warm and heavy with the promise of moisture, but she soared high, reveling in her ability to do so.

Gregori’s larger, stronger body dropped over hers, close and protective, guiding her in the direction of the bayou. As high up as they were, the sharp eyes of the raptor could spot the smallest of movements below. Details were vivid and clear. Even colors were different. Infrared vision, heat sensors—Sava

She dipped beneath Gregori and soared away from him, turning sideways and circling high above him. In her mind she could hear him swearing. As always he sounded arrogant, elegant, Old World, completely in command. Laughing, she caught a thermal and rode it up over the river. The male dropped down to cover her with his huge wings, fencing her in. Spoilsport!she accused him, her touch in his mind a whisper of lightness, of invitation to join in her fun.

You are in a great deal of trouble, mafemme. He knew the threat was empty when he made it; he would give her the world. But why did she have to be such a little daredevil all the time?

Anyone choosing to live with you would have to have a sense of adventure, don’t you think?Her soft laughter played over his skin like music, like the gentle breeze blowing from the mountains in their homeland.

Even within the bird’s body, he stirred to life, need and hunger rising to become a part of him. Relentless. Demanding. Savage in its intensity. It was more than simple lust. More than hunger. More than need. It was all of it merged together with a tenderness he had never conceived he could feel. When she was at her most outrageous, her most defiant, that was when his heart melted. What I think is, you had better do things the way I want you to do them. Shape-shifting is no simple thing.

Everybody else does it,she objected, darting out from beneath him.

The male raptor dove at her, coming in fast and as straight as an arrow, plummeting toward her out of the night sky. Sava

Sava