Rain pressed her face into Chase’s chest and slid her hands to his cheeks. He couldn’t be gone. She refused to accept it.

His arm jerked, and she sat up. The muscles in his throat contracted, and he gasped, choking on the potion. His lids slammed open, his eyes wide with confusion as a coughing fit wracked his body.

“Chase!” Rain’s heart lurched into her throat, beating a frantic rhythm as she stroked the hair from his face and leaned over him. “It’s me. You’re okay.” She ran her hands across his forehead and down his cheeks before pressing a kiss to his head.

“Rain? What?”

She lifted his shirt, her eyes widening in astonishment as the knife wound began to heal. The fibers of his skin stitched themselves back together, closing the gash and stopping the bleeding instantly.

He rose onto one elbow and felt his chest with his other hand. “How?”

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, but this time, they were tears of sheer joy. “I gave you my unbinding spell.”

Snow knelt next to her. “Unbinding spells release your magic in a gush of power. That’s why you healed so quickly.”

He sat up, and she reached for him, wanting more than anything to hold him in her arms forever.

But he put his hand on her shoulder, gripping her tightly. “My wolf.”

Her shoulder ached. Apparently, his strength had returned in that same rush of power. “You’re hurting me.”

His face pinched, and he yanked his hand off her arm. “Get away from me.”

His words stung, but she refused to move. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t control my wolf.”

“Oh, shit.” Snow shot to her feet and yanked Rain up by the arm. “He’s going to shift. We need to run.”

“No, we don’t. I’ve seen him shift before.” She planted her feet and pulled her arm from her sister’s grasp.

“It’s a blue moon. Werewolves attack the first living thing they see. He said so himself.” She tried to drag her away, but Rain held her ground.

Chase’s body shimmered, engulfing him in magical light as he transformed into a massive wolf with dark-chocolate fur rolling over his body. He bared his teeth and let out an ear-splitting howl.

“Crap, those teeth are big.” Snow’s voice trembled.

“Stay behind me.” Rain took a step toward him. “He won’t hurt me.”

He growled as she approached, and her heart sprinted in her chest. She reached a shaky hand toward him and stroked the soft fur on the side of his face. “You need to hunt?”

He exhaled a huff through his nostrils.

“I love you, Chase. Go.”

Lowering his head, he turned and bounded into the trees.

Rain let out her breath, and a strange mix of relief, exhilaration, and shock tumbled through her system, making her limbs tremble.

Snow moved to stand next to her. “Holy crap. I can’t believe that worked.”

Rain laughed and threw her arms around her sister. “He’s alive.”

“And Isaac is dead. It’s over.” She took Rain by the shoulders and held her back to look into her eyes. “Are you okay? You may never get rid of your curse now.”

“I don’t care. Chase is alive, and that’s all that matters. I’ll gladly spend the rest of my life cursed, as long as I get to live it with him.”

Snow smiled. “I suppose his life is worth whatever the curse decides to throw at me for completing the spell without getting paid.”

Rain cringed. Her sister would pay dearly for what she had done. “I’ll write you a check as soon as we get back to the bakery. Maybe that will be good enough to spare you.”

She nodded. “I’ll call Macey and see what she wants to do about these bodies.”

“Good idea. I—” Her stomach quivered like a swarm of moths had been turned loose inside her. Her head spun, and she pressed a hand to her temple.

“Are you okay?”

“I…don’t know.” The fluttering spread to her chest and down her limbs, buzzing and humming with a familiar power, though the intensity felt like her veins would explode. She gripped Snow’s arm for support as her magic unfurled in her core, filling her with energy that rolled over her body in waves.

The hum spread, connecting her soul to her element, every molecule of water in the air buzzing with her magic, preparing to do her bidding.

She laughed, straightening and throwing her arms to the sky, sending her energy into the clouds. The water obeyed her command. Drop by drop, she collected the elemental liquid, drawing it toward her as if she were magnetized. Thunder clapped, and the sky darkened as she gathered the storm.

Snow backed away. “Did you get your magic back?”

“It sure feels like it.” She unleashed an explosion of energy, and rain poured down on them. It washed away the blood and the muck, cleansing her body and soul as the energy welled inside her. Another burst of electricity flew from her fingertips, and thunder boomed from above.

“Can you rein it in?” Snow asked. “I don’t want to get struck by lightning.”

The overwhelming sensation rolled through her body, awakening her cells, filling her heart with exuberance. “I can’t, but I’ll try to take it with me.”

Snow smiled. “I’ll take care of the mess here, and I’ll meet you at the car when you’re done.”

Rain nodded and strode deeper into the trees, running her hands along the rough trunks, breathing in the fragrance of the storm, feeling things as if she were feeling them for the first time.

An act of selflessness would end her curse. She’d saved Chase at the cost of never breaking the spell, putting his life above everything else.

She wandered through the woods to a clearing and stood in the center, looking up at the sky. As her burst of magical energy waned, the sky began to clear, the pouring rain relenting to a light shower, with the blue moon peeking from behind the clouds.

Chase bounded through the forest, the elation of having his wolf back driving him to run harder than he’d ever run before. He’d hunted, his instinct guiding him to his alpha to assure Luke everything was okay. Now that the beast had been satiated, the man needed to be with his woman.

She wasn’t hard to find. He simply followed the downpour to its center, where his fate-bound stood beneath the falling droplets, lifting her face toward the sky. Soft moonlight glinted off her dark curls, giving her a magical glow.

He shifted into human form and stepped into the clearing as the rain lightened into a fine mist that hung in the air like a fog. She met his gaze and smiled, and he stood there for a moment, absorbing her beauty. Water dripped from the ends of her hair as it cascaded over her shoulders. Her wet shirt clung to her curves, the fabric darkened from the downpour.

A peacefulness settled around her, and she put her hands on her hips, looking more comfortable and complete than he’d ever seen her. “How was your hunt?”

“Good.” He moved toward her, taking her in his arms. “I figured with your name you had some kind of water power, but…you can really control the weather?” He gazed into her dark-gray eyes, reveling in the magic energy dancing across her skin.

“I can only make it rain.”

“Impressive.” He leaned down, touching his lips to hers, and electricity shot through his body, the combination of their magic and their emotional chemistry mixing into a whirlwind of desire. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“Thank you for breaking my curse.” She held him close, resting her cheek against his shoulder and running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

He kissed her temple and sighed as he memorized the perfect way she fit in his arms. The vapors in the air settled on the ground, and he inhaled the sweet scent of clean air mixed with the feminine fragrance of the woman he loved.

She pulled from his embrace and cupped his cheek in her hand. Her touch was warm. Soft. Her eyes brightened with her smile as she placed a tender kiss on his lips. “Snow is waiting for me at the car. Will you come home with me?”

He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her palm. “I’d go anywhere with you.”

He led her through the swampy forest toward his bike, making a wide berth around the place they’d defeated Isaac. The tulpa had disintegrated, so Isaac had to be dead, but Chase wasn’t taking any chances.

He was still high on adrenaline and magic, and he knew the perfect way to expend his energy.

With the way Rain looked at him, she seemed to have the same idea. “There are so many things I need to say to you, but I can’t seem to form a coherent thought.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for talking. Right now, let’s just ride.”

They reached the road and found Snow leaning against the hood of Rain’s car, an amused grin lighting on her lips. “Hey, you two.”

Rain squeezed his hand before releasing him and running to her sister. She hugged her tightly, and Snow laughed. “Since you seem to have another way home, I’m going to wait here for Macey. Give me your keys, and I’ll drop off your car at the shop later today.”

Rain handed her the keys, and Chase pulled Snow into a hug. “Thank you. For everything.”

She patted his back and whispered, “Anything for my future brother-in-law.”

He chuckled. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.”

Rain gave him a curious look. “The sound of what?”

He took her hand and led her to his bike. “I’ll tell you later. Let me update Luke, and we can head home.”

He grabbed his cell phone from a pocket on his bike and dialed his number. “Hey, man. Checking in.”

“Everything’s under control on this end. You okay?” The smile behind Luke’s voice was evident.

“Never better.”

“Take the night off. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Thanks.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and tossed Rain a helmet. She put it on, sat behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

They flew down the freeway toward the French Quarter, the crisp air biting into his skin, his wet clothes intensifying the chill. With Rain hugging him from behind, his body blocked most of the wind from her, but she shivered as he exited I-10 onto the frontage road.

As he stopped at a red light, she loosened her grip, resting her hands on his thighs. He squeezed her fingers. “We’re almost home, cher.”

Without saying a word, she slipped her hands beneath his shirt, tucking the tips of her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. The magic on her skin tingled against his stomach, tightening his muscles and hardening his dick. Holy hell, he couldn’t wait to get her home.

The light turned green, and he sped into the French Quarter, parking in the alley next to the bakery. Rain slid off the bike, and when Chase dismounted, chunks of mud fell from his pants legs onto the cobblestone walkway.

“We can’t walk through your kitchen like this. We’ll make a mess.” He kicked off his boots and set them next to the door.

Rain stepped out of her shoes and peered at her legs. With a wicked grin, she slipped her pants off, dropping them in a heap next to her shoes. “Better?”

His pulse quickened. “Getting there.”

She unlocked the door as he shoved his pants to the ground and stumbled out of them, wrestling to yank the wet denim from his legs. She’d disappeared into the building by the time he got the damn things off.

He stepped into the dark kitchen, and the door slammed shut behind him. He spun around in time to catch Rain as she flung herself into his arms. She kissed him hard, slipping her tongue between his lips and moaning into his mouth.

Her taste. Her scent. The vibration of sound moving across her lips. It was enough to drive him mad. Between the unbinding spell unleashing his magic in a rush and the power of the blue moon, his instincts had sharpened to a fine point. He needed her to be his and his alone. To belong to him, like he belonged to her.

He broke the kiss, trailing his lips to her ear. “Rain?”

She stepped back and grinned. “I feel dirty.”

His heart thudded. “What kind of dirty are you talking about?”

She took his hand and tugged him through the kitchen. “Shower with me.”

The thought of his hands on her naked body, slick with soap, hardened him even more…if that were possible. He followed her into the bathroom. “I still don’t know what kind of dirty you mean.”

She laughed as she took off the rest of her clothes and stepped into the shower. Tipping her head back, she let the water flow down her body, drenching her from her hair to her toes. It ran in rivulets over her soft curves, caressing her skin as it washed away the grime from the swamp.

Damn, she looked good wet.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to come help me get clean?” She lathered the soap between her hands and ran them down her stomach and up to her breasts.

Holy hell. He stripped and joined her in the shower. His fingers twitched with the urge to touch her, but watching her washing herself…touching herself…sent his heart racing. Warm water beat down on his shoulders as Rain slid her hands to her throat, leaving a trail of suds along her skin. She closed her eyes as she massaged her neck and glided her hands to her breasts again, cupping them and circling her nipples with her thumbs.

She opened her eyes. “Want to help?”

His stomach tightened. “I want to watch.”

She lathered more soap in her hands and continued washing herself, putting on the sexiest show he’d ever seen. As she bent to slide her palms along her legs, her hair brushed his dick, sending a jolt of electricity to his core. He didn’t want the sensation to stop.

Straightening, she looked at his hand gripping his cock and grinned. “Like what you see?”

He chuckled. “How’d you guess?”

She wrapped her fingers around his hand, moving it up and down his shaft. “It’s kinda obvious.”

He shuddered. Her hand on his, guiding it on his dick, helping him pleasure himself…he wouldn’t last long like this. He’d never had a woman show him how to jerk off before, but damn it if she wasn’t better at it than he was. She knew exactly how to move, how much pressure to squeeze with, the perfect spot to twist her grip. He ground his teeth, staving off the orgasm coiling in his core.

As if she felt his climax building, she released her hold and ran her hands up his chest. “Not yet.”

He let out a shaky breath and put his hands on her hips. “You’re good at that.”

“I’m good at a lot of things.” She poured more soap into her hands and spread it over his torso. Her soft touch raised goose bumps on his skin, and he closed his eyes, memorizing the way her hands felt on his body.

Her magic tingled on his skin as her fingertips caressed every inch of him, setting his soul on fire.

“All clean.” She pushed him under the stream, and bubbles spiraled down the drain.

He glided his hands along her slickened curves, holding her close as the scents of soap and Rain filled his senses. Everything about this moment felt so right. The woman he loved in his arms. Their magic intertwining, dancing across his skin, seeping into his being.

Though they stood skin to skin, he couldn’t get close enough. He needed her. To be inside her. To become one with her.

With her back against the wall, he pressed his body to hers, his cock sandwiched between their stomachs, aching to fill her. He nipped at her collarbone, gliding his tongue along the delicate skin of her throat to find her mouth.

She tangled her tongue with his and moved her hand between their bodies to grip his dick. Heat flushed through his veins, igniting his nerves with electricity.

“I love you, Chase.” Her words pierced his soul, filling him with emotion, weakening his knees with their sincerity.

“I love you too.” His voice was thick, and she must have sensed his need because she hooked one leg around his hip and guided him to her entrance.

He pushed inside her, delicious wet warmth squeezing him as he filled her, and she let out her breath in a slow, satisfied hiss. Holding still for a moment, he gazed into her stormy eyes and ran his hand over the creamy flesh of her thigh. He pulled out slightly, and her breath hitched, her lids fluttering before her focus returned.

Her foot slipped, and he caught her leg, lifting her from the floor to settle his cock deep inside her. She moaned and leaned her head against the wall, arching her back toward him to take him in even farther.

Holding her ass, he rocked his hips, sliding in and out and creating a delicious friction that awakened every instinct inside him. She moved with him, using the wall as leverage to match his thrusts beat for beat.

Gripping his shoulders, she cried out his name as she came, her body writhing against him and her sounds of ecstasy dancing in his ears. She was a goddess. An angel…no, an elemental witch.

His witch.

He buried his face in her neck, pinning her against the wall as she clutched his back, thrusting his hips harder and faster until his orgasm coiled tight like a spring and exploded through his body.

Her breath came in pants as she clung to him, resting her head on his shoulder, trembling from her own release. He leaned into her, stroking the hair from her face and trailing kisses along her neck.

Unwilling to break their intimate union just yet, he pushed deeper inside her. “You’re mine, Rain Connolly.”

She lifted her head from his shoulder, and a tiny smile played on her lips. “I know.”

Slowly lowering her legs to the floor, he slipped out of her but held her close. She shivered as the once warm water of the shower turned cold, and she stepped out of the stream. “I suppose we’ve wasted enough water.”

As he reached for the faucet, Rain lifted her hands, palms up. The water stopped, droplets suspended in midair as if she’d pressed a pause button on the flow.

“This is incredible.” He ran his hand through the water as if the drops were glass beads, holding steady to their spots in the air. Taking one between his thumb and forefinger, he plucked it from the stream and rolled it in his hand. Squeezing it, the droplet crushed, returning to its liquid state and dripping from his fingers.

He looked at the amazing woman before him and smiled. He’d known she was powerful the moment he’d met her, but to control an element? “Amazing.”

“Can you hit the faucet?”

He turned the knob to shut off the flow, and Rain released the droplets from their semisolid state. They splattered on the floor of the shower and cascaded down the drain.

“I’d forgotten how amazing my powers were…are.” She grabbed two towels from a rack and handed him one before patting herself dry. “When I was young, it was all I really cared about. Elemental witches are rare, but for some reason, my power never seemed like it was enough.”

She hung the towels over the shower curtain rod and guided him to the bedroom. “I always wanted more. I thought getting a seat on the national council would be my greatest achievement, but I doubt I would have even been satisfied with that.”

Chase climbed into the bed with her and pulled her into his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting more. Ambition is a good thing.”

“Maybe, but spending seven years cursed and powerless helped me get my priorities straight. Power and position won’t make me happy. I know that now, thanks to you.”

He kissed her forehead. “Me? What did I do?”

“You have power…and position, but that’s not what makes you tick. Your pack…your friends and family…they’re what matter most to you. From now on, they’re what matter most to me.”

His heart pounded. “Speaking of my pack…and family.” He rolled to his side to face her, taking both her hands in his and entwining their legs together. “You are my fate-bound.”

She smiled. “I know. That’s why the unbinding spell worked on you, even though it was created for me.” Holding his hand, she touched his palm to his own chest and then to hers. “The bond works both ways. You’re stuck with me.”

He held her gaze, losing himself in the deep-gray of her eyes. The raging storm had settled, and now all he could see when he looked at her was the rest of his life. “Will you be my mate? My wife?”

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled and rested her hand on his cheek. “All I can promise you is forever.”

He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her palm. “Forever is all I need.”