Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

even for a moment, that Lev might have fallen in love with the woman. Stefan knew with absolute certainty that there was no other woman for him than Judith. He had been around the world, knew he was cynical and jaded. He certainly didn’t believe in fairy tales, or love at first sight. And it hadn’t been that, his feelings had grown over time without him even knowing. There had been something in her photographs that had attracted him to her, and then her paintings had revealed so much about her.
    He had studied the file on her childhood, the way she was so gifted in art and color, the way she applied herself to her studies, in her own way, every bit as one-track as he had been. He embraced that small shadow of darkness in her. She hadn’t quite learned to control her talent and therefore viewed the darker emotions as weaknesses instead of strengths, but she would learn once she got over her fear. And it was those darker emotions that would allow her to love him completely.
    Physically, he was very drawn to her exotic appearance, her mouth and hair. He loved her Japanese heritage and the way she moved so gracefully. He was drawn to her passion and fire, matching those traits with his own.
    It was just possible Lev was telling the truth. It made sense, especially if his wife was an element, as Stefan suspected. Like attracted like. Their psychic gifts would be magnets, continually pulling at one another.
    A soft rustle had him rolling to his right, staying prone in the deep vegetation, his gaze sweeping the surrounding forest. Lev was close. He felt him close, a subtle wave of energy spreading out around him, encompassing the owl in the tree, probably using the owl’s vision to spot Stefan. Although the ability to see through the bird’s eyes would be a distinct advantage, the fact that Stefan knew his brother could do such a thing aided him. There was no way to use that kind of psychic gift without a shift in energy and Stefan was too adept not to feel it.
    The wind moved again, and thunder rolled. Mist crept through the trees, eerie tails of streaming vapor coming off the roiling ocean. The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs was never ending, a part of the life on the coast, lending a certain rhythm to the earth sounds. Stefan strained to hear the smallest of sounds. The fog branched out like a great hand, reaching with fingers toward him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a shadow coming at him and he leapt to meet it, knife in his palm.
    The two hard bodies crashed together, went to the ground and rolled together. He had Lev’s wrist in his fist, controlling his knife while Lev had his. Pine needles, twigs and leaves collected in clothing and hair as they rolled. The thick trunk of a tree smashed into Stefan’s back hard. The two brothers came to an abrupt stop, staring into each other’s eyes.
    They remained locked in a life or death hold, neither relenting, neither giving an inch.
    “I married her because I love her,” Lev reiterated. “And I don’t like you using Judith, even if you came here to find me. Judith is part of my family and under my protection. That makes her off-limits.”
    “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Ivanov is in town.”
    “The hell you say.” Lev didn’t so much as blink, his grip as strong as ever.
    “I chased him across the rooftops of Sea Haven, got cut up, managed to get in a few good swipes. He’s hurt, but I rolled off the damn rooftop and he got away.”
    “I should have known he’d come back.”
    “I think he was planning on taking both of us out once I brought you out into the open. He arranged to have me sent here as bait.”
    Lev abruptly rolled off of him, sitting up, knife still in his hand. “Damn. Why would Sorbacov want you dead? He’s the only one who could issue a contract. No one else would dare to go over his head.”
    “A reporter has been delving into the past and discovered records of the orphanages and the schools. He intercepted an excerpt of a document containing classified material on the training of children in military operations, spies and assassins. The excerpt was just detailed enough to keep the reporters in every other country digging deep. I think Sorbacov wants to purge the ranks, get rid of anyone who could be a threat to him. It was his father’s operation and politically they’re on shaky ground with this. If the program embarrasses the current government, the fortunes and power the