"I'm beginning ta recognize that tone." He thrust again, water sloshing over the sides of the tub. Snagging her lower lip between his he whispered, "Come for me, lass." On a strangled cry to the ceiling, she did.

Her whole body trembled against his, her sex squeezing only emptiness. She felt his body tense, then shudder as he released his seed on her belly. "Christ, woman, you madden me," he groaned through gritted teeth. She arched her back, loving the feel of this big male writhing against her... Her male.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and clamped her legs against his torso. Sitting there, clinging to him, she was suddenly scared that some force she couldn't see, couldn't fight, would yank him from her.

His calloused palms swept up and down her back as they caught their breath. Nothing had ever felt so right. Izel felt as if on the brink of losing something she'd just discovered, something invaluable.

She hugged him closer, feeling as though any moment he'd be ripped from her arms.

Chapter 18.

Izel slipped into the new bra and panties that had been delivered. The deep blue silk draped her body so flawlessly she had to do a double take at her reflection. The pieces were expensive, handmade, strategically revealing more than they concealed. She smiled at herself in the full-length mirror.

Kelvin had left her to dress alone in the bedroom. After "bath time," he'd merely cupped her neck in his hands, blue eyes studying her face. The more he looked at her, the more she felt him searching as if she held some kind of answer.

But Izel didn't have any answers. She understood the Pookah about as far as she could throw him. What his personal issues were, they'd flush out in time. For now he was a brooding, instinctual, animalistic male, the epitome of all that was fierce and masculine. He was probably just out of his element.

She gathered his hatred for her grandfather ran deep, but surely, whatever his grievance, could it not be surmountable? Despite his issues, Kelvin was aware that she was not Euan and certainly wouldn't hold her accountable for whatever grudge he harbored, right?

Sliding crisp, dark jeans up her legs, she buttoned the fly and examined her profile. They were too tight in the rear, but the waist gapped. Letting out a breath, she tugged on a purple cashmere sweater. This ass is going to take some getting used to.

After pulling her hair from the collar, she rifled through the pile of bloody, dirty clothes in the corner. Maybe her old belt was salvageable.

A thud sounded, something with mass hitting the floor. Her grandfather's journal. Thank God, she thought, picking up the booklet. She'd noticed that their packs were nowhere in sight. Kelvin must have ditched them at some point. But she was glad he'd kept this.

Sitting on the mattress, she opened the book. Random scribbles covered the thick pages, and Izel had no idea what any of it meant. "Secure the Zarr," "Kerr Curse," "Twenty-five." Okay, so the least she could guess was her age. But at this rate, she wouldn't be surprised to find Euan's grocery list in here. Just as she was praying for explanation, a crumpled piece of paper dropped from the journal. Exhaling slowly, she unfolded it.

After seeking the Dryads, my course is clear. Izel, do not be cross with me. I had to keep you hidden. You are special, child. Whatever belief you may have, perhaps that I cheated you, in emotional endurance or otherwise, trust that it was only with your best interests at heart. Sometimes feeling is not all good, child. I'm sorry to say you shall endure heartache, despite my best efforts.

You are the last human. But the Campbell blood is strong in you. You possess all three castes of our kind. You've only to access them. The Dryads assured me that after twenty-five years you shall come into your power. You must stay with our clan. They will keep you safe. The potion will only last but so long and is unpredictable in its potency.

Stay away from the Pookahs. Stay away from any Kerr. Your fate will change at a single encounter. Do not let the price I've paid be wasted, in vain.

Find Andrew Thompson, and all will be taken care of. It is not only your own future you hold within your hands, Izel.

Love, Grandpa E.

She stared wide-eyed for long moments. What did this even mean? What price? And stay away from Kerr Pookahs?

Now he tells me.

She lowered her forehead into her palm and clenched the letter, more confused, if possible, than before. A knock sounded at the door. Rising from the bed, she stuffed the letter in her back pocket and slammed the journal closed.

"We're all set ta go." Kelvin apparently wasn't the kind to wait for a response once he'd knocked. He flopped a new pack on the floor and flicked two fingers at her. She glanced at the book in her hands and reluctantly handed it over. She hadn't uncovered anything damnable aside from some stern warnings written by an overly protective grandfather. Yet she felt as though keeping the journal out of Kelvin's hands was the right thing to do.

He hadn't opened it, but maybe he'd already read its contents while she was passed out. Doubtful, considering the note left for her was still intact. He only unzipped a small side compartment on the bag and stuffed it in.

Freshly dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Kelvin zipped up his jacket and weaved his arms through the straps of the pack. His tan skin and piercing blue eyes seemed to shine in contrast to the dark, clinging material of his shirt. Biting her bottom lip she thought, Darkness does suit him well.

"Where's my pack?"

He tossed her a pair of hiking boots. "No pack for you. I will carry everything we need." Since their "moment," Kelvin had been short with her, and she didn't know why. Could she just add that to the mental list of all the other things she didn't understand? Hadn't they at least made some headway? He turned for the door.

"Hey, Kel?" Ceasing his steps, he glanced over his shoulder. "I was wondering, do I have any potion left?"

He faced her fully. "No' much."

"Enough so that we can drive the rest of the way?"

"No," he said gruffly. "To take a car and get ta Kerr territory, we'd have ta go through a major city, which is risky and no' in your best interest." He looked at her face for a long moment. "I feel we've risked you enough for one journey already. And like I said, an automobile can only get us so far. It can no' weave the terrain we must trek to get to the castle."

She exhaled loudly, lacing up her new boots. So this was how her life was going to be. First she was internally sheltered from her own feelings, and now she was to live a life in hiding. Her thoughts turned back to the letter. The lack of elaboration gave her cause for concern. The Campbell clan and this Andrew Thompson would keep her safe? All would be taken care of? Not to help her, not to aid her in a mission to live a normal life in this realm, but to hide her.

Euan had also alluded to the potion being rare, maybe even nonrenewable. And Kelvin had just said there wasn't much left.

She choked on a shaky breath. They're going to lock me away.

Her grandfather did love her, did care about her well-being. But the promise of power made people do crazy things. What price did her grandfather pay? She was not convinced of his death. Euan was too powerful. Plus, he would have told her good-bye. And he hadn't. He merely wrote her a note, once again, instructing her.

Suddenly, finding and staying with the Campbell clan didn't feel like a wise venture. Or maybe she was looking for any excuse to stay with the Pookah. The Pookah she was specifically forbidden to be near.

Izel frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. She would not stop in her search for her grandfather, but she would end her dependency on him. He'd kept her emotionless. Despite his reasons, he had taken things from her. Her whole life, she'd never been able to feel, to reach out and relate to a single soul in this realm. And now, by an old letter, she was being told to relinquish the one man she wanted more than her newly beating heart? No. She wouldn't do it.

The promise of fate altering, or paths changing, mattered little. How bad could it be? Euan was anything if not dramatic. But he was right about one thing: she was a Campbell. The sole heir to the Campbell clan. Feeling the blood of her father, the blood of a warrior rush through her veins, she eyed Kelvin.

My life is my own and I've set my sights on what I want.

As the day went on, Kelvin's tension seemed to ease. Izel knew he purposefully slowed his strides so she could hike at her own comfortable pace. He stayed next to her. Casually touching her hand or her side, guiding and helping her along through overgrown plants and shrubs.

She caught him regularly stealing looks at her injured arm. "I'm fine, you know." His gaze snapped to her face and she smiled. "It feels nearly healed. I don't know what kind of doctor you found, but whatever he did, it's working."

"Glad ta hear, lass."

Kelvin hadn't said much. Although she was wrapped in her own thoughts, she couldn't shake the loud ticking clock that seemed to follow her. When they reached his castle, she'd speak with Ryo, maybe stay a day, and then find the Campbell clan. And once that happened, she very well could be confined and kept from the outside world. Could she build a relationship with the Pookah and live with the Campbell clan? Would she even be able to see Kelvin again? That this was even a question made her stomach twist.

Over the last few days, she'd grown accustomed to the domineering Pookah. His gravelly voice and glowing eyes were treats she wasn't ready to forego. Not to mention his mouth.

A tingle rolled down her spine.

Worse than a frustrated child in a toy store, Izel wanted to stomp her foot and whine. She wasn't ready to leave this. Not when Kelvin was finally warming to her. But if she was going to be locked away, living her short, mortal life behind cement walls and armed gates, she wanted to take full advantage of her freedom now. There was so much she didn't know. So much she craved to learn.

Her gaze roamed from Kelvin's chiseled jaw down over his rock-hard chest. Eyes lingering on his hips, she tasted her lips when thinking of the sinful ink that lay beneath. Yes, she was ready to learn. One could not find a more willing student.

"What has you musing, lass?"

"You." Her eyes shot to his. Did she just say that out loud? Heat flooded her cheeks.

"That so?"

She bit her bottom lip, stifling a mortified grin.

"Good thoughts, I hope. Seeing as how you've been silent all day."

"I could say the same thing about you."

He nodded, but kept walking. He was distracted; that much was obvious. What had the Pookah's attention? Dare she hope it was she? She looked up at him, the yellow sun highlighting his handsome face. Her heart somersaulted in her chest. As if gazing up at him like this, surrounded by green hills, the smell of bark and wet grass, beams of sunshine warming her skin, was how she was always meant to look at him. Kelvin Kerr was hers.

His blue eyes blazed as if he were thinking the same thing. But she knew better. As Kelvin had said, finding one's mate was a serious, seemingly complicated matter. She envied the woman who got to spend an immortal lifetime with this warrior. Her nails dug into her palms, and the need to maim this nameless, faceless woman became overwhelming.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her thoughts, deciding not to waste the time she had thinking of things she couldn't change. The darkness was coming, and Izel fully intended to make these nights with Kelvin memorable. Because after the Solstice, the memory was all she would have to cling to.

Kelvin was in deep. Although Izel had been quiet nearly all day, he could hear the wheels of her mind turning. Something had her reeling. She'd been so complacent, tackling her emotions and trudging along for the ride. Yet now, she hiked with intent, looking as if her thoughts were constantly turned inward. As if she was determined.

Determined about what? He knew that she had grown to at least trust him, a thought that should gladden him, except the guilt mounted instead. The lass had offered herself completely. And God help him, he'd almost taken her. The feel of her hot quim, wet and ready. It had taken all the strength he had to still her rocking hips and deny her hunger... hunger for him.

He didn't deserve such a thing. She was bright, knew better than to trust him. Christ, why couldn't she just hate him? Why couldn't he take the final step in his betrayal? Such a sad sack he was. But with the day drawing to an end, he knew that he faced another challenge tonight. Should she seek his touch again, reach out her arms for him, could he deny her once more?

We shall see.

Since her near-death incident, Kelvin had actually been trying to find ways to spare her. He'd had the option to pull the trigger, so to speak, last night. All he had to do was bed her, and he had refrained.

Why? He knew relinquishing her was the right thing to do. Right by his clan, at least. But did he have to give her up just yet? He had plenty of time before the Solstice to take her. Perhaps he could enjoy her until the last possible moment.

As long as he didn't make love to her. Didn't seat himself deep within her giving body as he desperately wanted to, he was still salvageable. But on whose terms? Although he could refrain from taking her completely, would that make the end result, giving her up for eternity and turning her over to his brother, to do God knows what with, any less despicable? Make the sting of betrayal any less painful...? His jaw clenched. He was well aware of the answer to that question.

"How much time do we have?"

"Time for what, lass?"

Her cheeks flushed, as if embarrassed she had just said something accidentally. "I mean, when will we get to your castle?"

He grasped her hand, helping her over a fallen tree. "We'll reach the outer towers by tomorrow eve."

"The outer towers?"

"Aye. We have watchtowers encircling our land ten miles out."

Her striking eyes glanced at him. "Isn't tomorrow the Solstice?" Kelvin's heart sped up and damn if she didn't hear it.

"It is." He expected more from her but she remained silent.

Forty-five minutes later, Izel sat on a blanket next to the fire. For the first time since he'd met her, Kelvin felt successful in providing for his female.

Best not to get used to that feeling.

He had strategically set up camp next to a freshwater stream, allowing them to clean up in the cool water. Bathed, hair loose, and with a full belly, she sat clad in only his T-shirt when Kelvin took his first, deep taste of her lips.

He only had this moment. Time was running out. Tomorrow would bring the day and with it, reality. He would give her up. One way or another he would let her go. But now, he could take these last hours to revel in her. As much as possible, at least.

The night was like a caress on his skin, fueling him, driving him to his woman. It was the night before the Solstice and the instinct in him was strong.

Tomorrow it would only be worse.

He would not think of that now, for this was quite possibly his last moment of peace. Not a single bad thing had occurred today. They'd hiked free of attacks and threats. And now, easing her to her back, mouth tangling with hers, Kelvin felt her desperation.

It was as if she wanted him just as much as he needed her. She had asked how much time they had, and it wasn't until this moment, feeling her warm body trembling beneath his, that he realized what she'd meant. The lass knew she was doomed.

The potion would run out, and she would either have to conceal herself by magic or confinement. Or else she might as well walk around with a giant target on her back.

Clasping her face in his palms, he drew away from her sweet mouth. Her shining eyes went heavy lidded when he ran his thumb along her plump bottom lip. It all made sense now. He'd been so wrapped up in his own plots and schemes that he'd neglected her own mental anguish. He had known this entire time that this human was a smart one. She had figured out her future, and whatever she saw in Kelvin's expression now made her whisper, "Don't feel sorry for me."

"I feel many things for you, lass. Sorry is no' among them."

She smiled softly. "Tomorrow we arrive." She glanced away. "Everything will change, won't it?"

Kelvin nodded. He couldn't lie to her. Everything would change. In that moment he knew her train of thought as if it was his own. She was trying to squeeze a lifetime of feelings and memories into thirty-six hours. He only wished he could give her everything she yearned for.

"Izel." He grazed his fingers down her jaw. "I do no' know what tomorrow will bring. But for tonight, will you remain in the present with me?"

No more thinking of what lay beyond this moment, mostly because Kelvin couldn't bear the thought of another hundred lifetimes without this little mortal before him.

"Just here and now?" she whispered.

"Aye. Here and now."

She nodded.

He tugged the hem of the shirt to her waist. He'd never seen anything sexier than his woman, wearing his clothing, yearning for his touch. Pride soared through him.

"Part those pretty thighs for me." She swallowed audibly, and did. "Ah, that's it, lass. Let me see you."

She wore no panties. Eyes riveted to her glistening sex, he traced his hands up her smooth calves before clasping her knees, forcing her legs even wider apart. She whimpered and leaned up on her elbows.

She was in his grip, in his control. Completely exposed, his to do with as he pleased. A growl rumbled low in his throat as he watched her sheath squeeze, growing wetter before his eyes.

Her body's ready for mine... recognizes me as its master. Just as it should.

He couldn't hold back. He had to taste what was his. "Mine," he grated, and pressed his open mouth to her core.

My God, she was delicious. A long, slow slide of his tongue made her collapse to her back and cry out his name.