Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

To her. To this farm. To this little village pulsing with so much power. Did the combination have enough power to save a man like him? A man meant for the shadows? His emotions welled up, real and strong, the intensity shaking him. He lost himself there in her mouth, in the feel of her body moving restlessly against his.
    She was reluctant to say they could ever have a relationship, yet her body melted into his the moment they touched. She gave herself to him without reservation. He wasn’t stupid enough to push his advantage any further and God help him, he didn’t want to. He wanted to do this right. He wanted all of her, not just sex with her. The attraction was all-encompassing and he’d been with nothing all of his life not to recognize the real thing when it dropped into his lap.
    The photo of her inside his pocket burned through the thin layer of material against his skin, nearly as hot as her kisses. He wanted her with every fiber of his being. He came up for air and took another dive, going under fast. Something stung the back of his neck hard and he jerked back, nearly flinging both of them to the ground, afraid of a bullet, before he heard the angry buzz of a bee.
    Lev, you bastard. Back the hell off.
    Stefan pressed his hand to the back of his neck. Already there was swelling. “A bee just stung me.”
    For just one moment Judith looked carefully around them, frowning, as if perhaps she’d felt that small surge of energy. She was spirit and it would make sense that she might feel power in the air as Lev directed the attack.
    “Oh, no. Let me see.” Judith turned her attention fully to him, her expression anxious.
    The sting was almost worth it to see that look in her eyes, but he was furious with Lev and rather satisfied that she might be as well.
    Who the hell do you think you are? I know that’s you, Lev.
    Then leave Judith alone. I know exactly what you’re doing and you can forget it. Find yourself another woman to use.
    Stefan closed his eyes, relief flooding him. He had been certain Lev was alive, but there was that small doubt he couldn’t quite avoid. The sound of his brother’s voice, no matter the harsh greeting, sent a surge of happiness through him.
    “Are you allergic?” Judith asked. “Because this is already swelling. I need to take you back to the house and put something on it.”
    “I don’t actually know whether I’m allergic or not,” Stefan hedged. He was fairly certain he wasn’t, but if it meant getting inside of her house, well . . . he wasn’t in the least opposed.
    Judith caught his hand and tugged him back toward the trail wagon. “We should go right away, just in case. Bee stings can be serious.”
    He slipped into the vehicle and raised his hand into the air over the top of the roof as she settled quickly into the driver’s seat. He answered his brother with a worldwide, easily understood, finger gesture.
    I’ve got you in my crosshairs.
    Self-righteous, low-down bastard. Stefan repeated the finger gesture as Judith whipped the wagon around and sent it barreling over the rough ground, back toward her house.
    Lev had married his cover, an autistic woman at that. Who the hell did he think he was judging Stefan when he’d committed an unpardonable sin? At least Stefan had a legitimate reason to be undercover in the first place. He’d come to find his idiotic younger brother and make certain he was safe. Now, he might have to take Lev down a peg or two, teach him a long needed lesson about right and wrong.
    “You’re upset,” Judith observed, glancing at the muscles tightening in his jaw. “I’m so sorry this happened, Thomas.”
    “No worries, Judith,” he assured her, all the while touching the back of his neck to shamelessly remind her of his injury. “I don’t as a rule have problems with insects.”
    “You said you’ve never been stung.”
    He grinned at her. “Exactly. They leave me alone. That one was unusual, maybe a little vicious and jealous because I was kissing the lady of the realm.”
    The corners of her mouth went up and her dimple appeared. “I’m sure that’s what caused the bee to sting you.”
    “If I were a bee, I might have gotten jealous. You do taste sweet.” He pretended to frown, thinking it over. “Sweet with a taste of fire.”
    She blushed, the color creeping into her cheeks. “You’re impossible. And if we’re going to the hospital, I swear, I’m eating that lunch you brought.”
    “And I’m coming back