Master of Smoke

on to every second of this incredible, soul-searing delight.
    And, ooh, the way she looked.
    She had her eyes closed, her lashes like sable feathers against her creamy cheeks. Her mouth parted as she moaned, lips flushed dark rose with passion, a blush painting those high, exquisite cheekbones. Her hair spread across the floor around her head in a dark halo of shining silk.
    Every time he thrust deep, he felt her belly against his abdomen, her thighs sliding against his, her hips rolling to meet his grinding pelvis.
    She slid her hands down, ran her fingers over his hips as if looking for a good grip. Found it, nails digging into his skin, the tiny pain sending him jolting deeper, harder, faster.
    Lost and flying.
    Her eyes opened, met his. Dark as the reflection of a moonless night on a still mountain lake. Drawing him in, pulling him down.
    Her pupils flashed red, like fire igniting from a lightning strike, canine teeth lengthening into fangs as she came. Her scream spiraled into a deep-throated roar. Her nails lengthened into claws, but he barely felt the pain as he roared back at her.
    Coming.
    Pleasure like a firestorm raced along his nerves, searing his consciousness to ash as he shoved all the way to the balls.
    Coming.
    She writhed beneath him, her legs twining around his, tightening until his bones creaked. His teeth became fangs.
    He raced along a forest trail on four big paws, alien trees all around. And she ran beside him, a streak of black wolf fur and flashing fire eyes, tongue lolling between white, white teeth.
    Not human. Either of them.
    Together. Finally. After so many uncounted centuries of longing.
    Together.
    FOUR
    Eva lay on the floor with David collapsed on top of her, sweating, panting, listening to their heartbeats slow.
    For a moment as they’d come, she’d seen them running together in some kind of rain forest straight out of Avatar, surrounded by plants in colors she’d never even imagined. He was a huge cat, a streak of black with silver stripes along his haunches and massive forelegs, his eyes pale as sapphires. And she was in wolf form—a real wolf, not a were, running full out. And she’d felt him in her mind, intelligent and powerful and somehow incredibly old. Had it been real? Gathering her courage, she asked, “Did you feel that?”
    Bracing himself on his elbows, David looked down at her with a sound midway between a laugh and a snort. “I felt a great many things.” He grinned and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “All delightful.”
    Eva blinked, oddly flustered. Though why she’d find a kiss on the nose more intimate than everything else they’d done, she had no idea.
    Maybe it was because the gesture was so sweet and silly—something shared between true lovers, not a pair of strangers scratching a seductive itch. Eva found she liked that about him—that he’d do something that gently goofy. The gesture gave her courage.
    Taking a deep breath, she told him about the—vision? dream?—whatever it was. Running through that hyper-real forest together, linked mind to mind. “For a minute there, it felt like we touched.” Her courage almost deserted her, but she managed to get the rest out anyway. “Mentally, I mean. Like in some kind of psychic connection.”
    God, that sounded lame.
    But David nodded. “Yes, I experienced the same thing.” Absently, he smoothed a lock of hair back from her face, his gaze thoughtful. “We were running in a jungle together, and we were ... happy. You were a wolf, while I was some kind of huge cat. What do you think it means?”
    She stared at him. “You’re asking me?”
    “You’re the one with a memory longer than three hours ago.”
    “Ah. Good point. I have no idea what it means. I don’t even know if I can really turn into a wolf—the four-legged kind, anyway. Maybe it was just a dream.”
    “We could experiment. See if we really can transform into animals.” David yawned hugely and gave her a lazy grin. “Tomorrow. I’m afraid I won’t be good for much more tonight. You’ve exhausted me.” His smile took on a wicked quirk. “Fabulous sex does that.”
    Eva’s cheeks flamed. “How do you know it was fabulous if your memory only goes back three hours?”
    “Trust me, darling. A man knows.” David leaned down and kissed her, but this was no affectionate peck on the nose. He took his time with it, conducting a deliciously lazy exploration, with tongue and teeth and male sensuality so intense her head