Master of Smoke

and wind and deep forests. He’d finished telling her what he knew of their situation, and she’d begun to make her peace with it.
    Which was a good thing, since his cock lay long and hungry behind the zipper of his jeans, eager for a taste of her.
    Her gaze flicked sideways at him as she drove, and his keen night vision detected the blush that darkened her high, pretty cheeks.
    Eva was as aware of his scent as he was of hers. And she liked it. Maybe more than she was comfortable with. Shifting in the car’s leather seat, she focused on the road with obvious determination. Cat let his gaze drift down her body, lingering on the rise of her breasts, her delicate hands gripping the wheel, her thighs encased in well-worn denim.
    “You’re purring,” she said, without looking at him.
    “Ciardhas mate for life.”
    As he’d known it would, the statement brought her wide eyes darting to meet his. She immediately jerked them back to the road, swallowing. “And your point would be?” Her obvious attempt to sound cool failed when her voice cracked.
    “We dreamed of you. Before we were broken, when we were still one. We dreamed of you for weeks. We knew we would meet you, but we did not know when.”
    “David never said anything about that.” She frowned at the rear of the SUV just ahead and accelerated as the light changed. “Then again, David doesn’t remember a damned thing.” Her gaze flicked to him, then as quickly away. “But you do.”
    “I kept parts of us he did not.” Cat shrugged. “Smoke believed shoving our magic down Warlock’s throat was the only way we would survive. But he did not realize how devastating it would be for us, or how difficult it would be to regain what we lost.” He took a deep breath, deciding the time had come to explain. “When they attacked us—hurt you—my rage drove me to the surface and I pushed David aside. At the end ... I did not know who you were in your werewolf form.”
    She turned to look at him, eyes wide. “So it was you who ...”
    “Butchered them? Yes.” He bared his teeth. “They hurt you. But when I saw how you feared me, I called Smoke. He tore away from Warlock and answered. At least, until Warlock dragged him back.”
    “Wait—Warlock has Smoke’s mind?”
    “Most of it. Warlock has walled it away to keep from being overwhelmed. The elemental is very powerful, and he would wipe Warlock’s mind if given the chance. But with his power turned against him, Smoke is trapped behind that spell. Reaching him is difficult, even with our bond. Luckily, your fear so infuriated me, I was able to free him.” He sighed, the sound brooding. “Unfortunately, it didn’t last.”
    She said nothing for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the road. “Yeah, well, I’m afraid of a lot of things. I was useless in that fight.” Her lips peeled off her teeth. “Sucks being a coward.”
    Studying her profile, Cat recognized shame. He found himself bitterly missing his spirit brothers. Either of them would know what to say to comfort her, but he had no idea.
    “You are not a coward.” His snarl made her look over in surprise—and, he saw to his shame, a little fear. He fought to gentle his tone. “A coward would not have stood beside me when you could have run away.”
    “Key word there is ‘stood.’ I didn’t fight.”
    “Yes, you did. You killed one of them.”
    She brightened a little. “He was charging you from behind, and I just ... hit him. Didn’t even have time to think about it.”
    “That doesn’t sound like cowardice to me. You saved my life, Eva. You need to stop selling yourself short.”
    Eva looked startled. He decided to let her think about that.

    She’d saved his life.
    Well, maybe he’d have heard the guy coming and defended himself—he’d sure made short work of those other jerks. But maybe he wouldn’t have. Maybe she had saved him.
    True, it wasn’t the first time; Eva had helped David escape Warlock last night. But this was different. She’d actually fought a werewolf, and she’d won. Her fear had not paralyzed her. Which meant it didn’t have to. She could gain control.
    Still, she needed to learn how to fight. Eva didn’t delude herself; she’d gotten in a lucky shot she’d seen in a Spider-Man comic book. That was not the kind of thing that she could pull off twice.
    Still, whether he was Cat or David, her lover knew his way around a fight. He’d probably be willing to teach her what she needed to know.
    She