“Think about how you felt when our cells merged.”
“When you were making love to me?” She’d never forget the merging of his breath with hers, his heart with hers. The details remained sharp in her mind, especially how he’d taken such care not to frighten her, how he’d taken such care to arouse her.
“Recall the process of sinking into me. But this time you are sinking into a bird.”
She opened her eyes. “What kind of bird?”
“Whatever kind you like. Now close your eyes and imagine your cells shrinking, imagine your mind entering the Inf.”
She shook her head. “Nothing’s happening. I think you’re going to have to make love to me again.”
“Focus.”
She sighed. Obviously he was taking this much more seriously than she was. Samantha had been one of those hit-or-miss students. When a subject interested her, she was at the top of her class, but when she was bored, she’d barely passed.
While shapeshifting did interest her, making love with Ari again interested her more. She wanted to do so without the shapeshifting complication. She wanted to find completion in her own body.
“What are you thinking about?” Ari interrupted her musings, a bit of frustration in his tone.
“You. I was thinking about making love in my own body. It would be—”
“Impossible if we don’t fly out of here.”
At his sharp tone, she opened her eyes again. “What’s wrong?”
His gaze stared to the west at darkening skies and dark gray clouds that cast murky shadows across the sea. “A storm’s blowing in. We should leave before it arrives. Fighting wind currents takes practice, and you have—”
“Fine. I’ll concentrate harder.” She turned into the wind so her hair blew back from her face. As the wind gusted and brought in cool air and a mist of fine rain, her nipples tightened.
“Push your mind into the Inf. Focus on shrinking your body into a bird. A bird with strong wings and feathers to protect you from the rain. A bird that can fly tirelessly for hours, soaring above the sea.”
His voice relaxed, almost hypnotizing Samantha, but finally she focused. And her cells felt as if she were melting, shrinking. Pressure on pressure, she coaxed her mind into the Inf. If Ari hadn’t shown her how, she’d have never been able to start the process, but once initiated, her body took over as if it knew exactly what to do.
She shrank. And her excess mass flipped into the Inf along with most of her mind. Her toes became webbed. Her bird body grew feathers with no more thought than her human body grew hair.
And her eyesight . . . oh . . . wow. Her eyesight grew keen. Her only regret was that in animal form, she could no longer communicate her thoughts to Ari.
But he whooped at her success and then transformed into a bird beside her. Together, they flapped their wings, and with almost no effort, she followed him into the air.
She was flying. She was a bird, and she was flying. She’d defied physics, and the experience was exhilarating. The entire time she’d taken the shape of a turtle, she’d worried whether she could change back. This time she had no worries.
Her heart was as light as her bird-boned body. And flying was magical. Sure, she’d flown in airplanes and helicopters, but machines had powered the metal. Flying under her own power was like the difference between navigating the ocean in a submarine and swimming in the sea.
The wind whistled past her ears. Rain began to fall, but her feathers kept her dry, and she wasn’t the least bit cold. And with her wings outstretched, she was surprised how little energy it took to keep her in the air.
She could have flown for hours, and without any hesitation, she followed Ari and left the island far below. He flew higher, faster, racing away from the storm. And she stayed on his wing, enjoying a freedom she’d never known.
Nine
THE WHIPPING wind told Ari’s keen senses that the storm was catching them. He could smell the change in ions, feel the drop in temperature. The air carried the feel of a dangerous electric charge before a major summer thunderstorm.
Normally, he’d have dived into the sea, morphed into a fish and continued the journey, but Samantha wasn’t ready to try the complex change from animal to animal. As the winds lashed them, Ari searched for a smooth slip stream of air to fly in. But despite his best efforts, the wind gusts buffeted them.
As New Atlantis’s dark green mountains came into view on the horizon, he increased their speed and hoped they’d make landfall before the storm caught up with them. But as thunder roared and the wind whipped the sea below into a frothing cauldron, slashing rain nicked them. The sudden summer storm had turned what should have been an easy flight into a fight to make landfall.
Sensing Samantha’s struggles to make headway, he feared she might panic and fall into the sea, but he hesitated to decrease their altitude. If they flew lower and she panicked or succumbed to exhaustion and morphed back into human shape, the fall might not kill her, but it would be dangerous to fly so close to the ocean where one strong downdraft could fling them into the waves with enough speed to break a bird’s neck.
Ari shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to bring her to New Atlantis. After the wind had picked up, he should have known better than to have her solo so far in unpredictable weather. He’d been too anxious for her to see his home, too eager to make love to her again on New Atlantis, and his impatience may have placed her life in jeopardy.
He thought about landing on the water and morphing back into human form. Although she was a strong swimmer, he knew from his own efforts how tired she was. Staying afloat in those waves would take a superhuman effort.
Ari worried and fretted and blamed himself as Samantha gamely flew toward New Atlantis. When they were only a mile out, he began to believe they would make it to shore.
But fate was against them.
A lightning bolt caught them in its fringe. The near miss stunned him, and as he fought to maintain balance, Samantha plunged toward the sea, her wing bent at a peculiar angle, indicating severe damage.
Fear activated his instincts. Ari pulled in his wings, tucked his head, and dived after her. Within seconds his streamlined form caught up to her out-of-control plummet. He flew under her then shapeshifted into a larger bird and extended his wings. Knowing even at this size he hadn’t the strength to fly her to safety, he focused on breaking her fall.
He couldn’t stop their plunge into the sea, but he could slow their rate of descent. His muscles burned. His lungs worked triple time. And still they fell sickeningly fast and hard, the wind whistling in his ears.
Just before they crashed into the sea, he morphed, wrapped himself around her still body in a cushioning ball. They struck the water hard. If he’d still possessed lungs, he had no doubt the landing would have knocked the air from his chest.
Had he cushioned her enough? As they dropped into the water, he changed shape once more. This time he altered into a giant manta ray. Spreading his pectoral fins, he floated Samantha to the surface and prayed she was still alive, still breathing.
As a manta, he couldn’t see her on his back, couldn’t tell if she moved or lay on his cartilage broken and hurt. The wave action kept washing her back and forth, but he swam her to the deserted sandy shore of his home, morphed back into human shape and used his last energy to gently pull her into his arms.
“Samantha. Samantha.”
She didn’t move.
“Are you hurt?”
Damn. Damn. Damn. She looked bad. Her eyes were shut. Blood oozed from her beak. Her chest rose and fell, but erratically. If she tried to morph before she could heal, she’d use up the very last of her life forces.
He gathered her gently against his chest, shielding her from the wind and rain with his body, his heart skipping in despair as he noted her broken wing. “I know yo
u can’t talk. I know you’re in pain, but it’s important that you listen to me.”
One eye fluttered open.
“Don’t try to morph. You’re too weak.” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he wanted to rail at fate, which had hurt her and left him sound. He ached to howl into the wind and cry out his pain.
“Just breathe. Relax. Remember when we spoke about self healing. I’ll explain the process, and you’ll fix the damage.”
Samantha closed her eyes, but at least she didn’t appear to be attempting to morph. But he wasn’t certain if she remained conscious, either, and his fear escalated.
“Come on, Sam. Stay with me. Fight. I know you’re a fighter, and we can do this, sweetheart.” Ari’s every muscle wound tight, and he had to force himself to breathe. He took a calming gulp of air, told himself that to talk her through the process, he had to stay coherent, positive, and upbeat.
Samantha opened her eyes again.
“Good. Now, focus on your damaged cells, but don’t morph. The healing process is more delicate. Think of your cells as torn. Heal the tears. Stop the bleeding first. Try to change just one cell until you get the hang of the process. It’s not hard. Repairs take less effort and energy than morphing, and once you stop the internal bleeding, the pain will lessen.”
He kept talking, repeating his instructions and adding encouragement. When she closed her eyes to rest, he allowed her a few minutes to recover before urging her to continue. And finally, beneath his hands, her heartbeat strengthened, giving him hope.
“You’re doing wonderfully well. You’re healing yourself. Your pulse is stronger. Keep going. And when you’re done, we’ll work on the bones.”
Ari had no idea how long the process took. But the storm had passed over them and the sun shone brightly on the beach once again before she healed her broken wing. Knowing she didn’t have enough energy to morph back to human, he carried her up the beach in his hands.
“You did great. Now sleep, and I’ll take us home.”
SAMANTHA AWAKENED in a room she’d never seen before. She tested her wing with a small movement, and when she remained pain-free, she morphed back to human. Mouth dry, stomach growling with hunger, naked as the night they’d made love, she stretched and worked the kinks from her neck while she glanced at the room.
She must have slept through the night. Morning sunlight lit the room of white stuccoed walls, a white-stained wood floor, and elegant gauze curtains that framed open windows. The only color in the room was Ari’s bronze flesh resting on a thick white comforter.
Ari had been sleeping beside her, but the moment she altered her shape to human, she must have depressed the mattress with her increased weight. He opened his eyes, sat up, and handed her a glass of orange juice that he had waiting on a nightstand.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Grateful to wet her parched throat, she gulped greedily, surprised to find the juice was cold, as if he’d just taken it from the fridge. After she’d finished the juice, she discovered the glass remained cold. “Does the glass possess its own refrigeration unit?”
“It’s nano technology.” He fluffed a pillow and pulled her next to him. “I’m so sorry. I should never have brought you here during a storm.”
He sounded sad, and she didn’t understand why he was blaming himself for her injury. He’d saved her life. After the lightning had shocked her, her last thought had been of death as she plunged to the sea. Yet, he’d risked his own life to break her fall, swam her to shore, taught her to heal herself.
Snuggling against his warmth, she tilted up her head to look at him. “You couldn’t have predicted that storm. And you saved my life. Thank you.”
“Do you hurt anywhere?” he asked, smoothing her hair from her brow.
“I’m fine. In fact, I’ve never felt better.” She marveled at how good she felt, awake, alert, and very alive. Surprisingly, she didn’t have one sore muscle, not even a twinge of pain.
“When you healed your injuries, you also revitalized your cells. You can always feel as good as you do right now—every day for the rest of your now extended lifetime.”
“Wow.” For the first time, his earlier words sank in. She would never go back to what she’d been before she’d learned how to morph. Now that she understood how easy it was to coax all her cells into perfect health, she would repeat the process whenever she felt the need. To do anything less would be like putting sugar in her car’s gas tank instead of fuel.
Even if she rejected New Atlantis, she could rejuvenate her cells. But did she want to outlive her friends and associates? If she married, she’d outlive her husband and her children—and she didn’t want to think about if her children inherited her abilities. The possibilities were mind-boggling.
The longer lifespan and her health would cause any number of problems in the outside world—certainly ones that could be solved with her wealth—but did she want to live the rest of her life hiding her abilities?
Still, the morphing didn’t come without risks. She could have died in that lightning storm. Without Ari beside her, she’d be one dead bird right about now.
“You risked your life to save me, didn’t you?”
He pulled her onto his chest. “You are my responsibility. It was my fault you were hurt.”
“But—”
“But more importantly, I wouldn’t have wanted to live without my soul mate.”
“We’ve only known each other a short time.”
“Time has nothing to do with love.” He placed her hand on his chest over his heart. “Can you not feel our connection? Surely I can’t be the only one who—”
“Ari, I’m not like you. I’m not certain I believe that there’s only one perfect love for me.”
His eyes darkened with a pain that knifed her own chest. “You wish to search for another mate?”
“I didn’t say that.” She didn’t want to hurt him, but she simply couldn’t give him more of her thoughts when she hadn’t come to terms with her feelings. “I need more time to decide what I’ll do with the rest of my life.”
“Why do you need more time?”
His question left her flabbergasted. “We . . . you and I . . . I have no idea what you even do for a living.”
“And that is important to you? Would you reject me if I were a carpenter?”
“Of course not. I’m not that stupid. Do you know how hard it is to find a good carpenter?”
She teased him, and it felt good to be in this peaceful white room with him. She could hear the waves lapping on the beach, catch a view of the mountains behind them, and couldn’t have imagined a more perfect location for a house. He’d brought her to paradise.
He laughed at her. “Does what I do for a living matter so much?”
“My point was that I don’t know you.”
“Afraid I’m after your money?” He eyed her hungrily. “My family is extremely wealthy. I could keep you in the lifestyle to which you’re accustomed by simply living off my trust fund, but I prefer to dabble.”
“Dabble?”
“In nano technology. That glass is one of my inventions.” He spoke with pride. And she didn’t blame him. His invention would make him even wealthier.
“I’m impressed, but until you just mentioned them, I didn’t know you had a family.”
“I have parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents. My family is huge. The entire population is related if you go back far enough. That’s why we need new blood. That’s why we need you.”
“Your entire family lives on New Atlantis?”
“Most of us. But we all like our privacy, so you needn’t worry about—”
“A large family sounds wonderful, but you keep missing the point. I don’t know what you like to do for entertainment”—her s
tomach growled—“or what you like for breakfast.”
He chuckled in delight. “As for breakfast, I believe I’d like to have you.”
“I’m seriously starving.”
“So am I.” He wriggled his brows suggestively.
Samantha decided she could wait to feed her stomach. Leaning forward, she kissed Ari with an abandon that surprised her. She’d never been so relaxed with a man and suspected his simple admission of his feelings for her had a lot to do with it. Ari had the courage to say what he felt and go after what he wanted—her—and she admired him for it.
That he’d been willing to risk his life to save her from that horrific fall out of the sky proved he spoke the truth. For the first time in her life, she felt unconditionally loved—and not for her wealth or her looks, but for her true self. Ari’s love was a truly liberating feeling, and it transferred to making love.
Samantha suddenly wanted to try everything she’d ever fantasized about with Ari. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with him today and tomorrow and as long as it took to be sure she’d never have regrets.
His powerful arms closed around her, and his clever fingers skimmed up her back, shooting tingles into her core. He surprised her when he broke their kiss and gazed at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “I have a surprise for you.”
“I’m not too certain how many more of your surprises my heart can take,” she teased.
“I want to show you the force field that protects New Atlantis.”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “I thought you were starving for me.”
He chuckled. “I am. I can do two things at once.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will,” he promised and went right back to kissing her, leaving her curiosity aroused while he worked on exciting the rest of her.
Between the magic of his lips and hands, it didn’t take long for them to come together physically, but in another way that was totally new. Seemingly in no rush, Ari stoked her embers until fire licked into a blaze of need.
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