Mike snapped some twigs and fed the fire. His gaze moved from the glowing worms that made their home in the tree to the woman sleeping across from him. He’d been trying not to stare at her but realized it was an impossible endeavor, especially in the cramped confines of their shelter.

“Marina Fae of the Isle of Magic. She’s a witch, of course,” Mike murmured under his breath. “A witch! A beautiful, exotic, daring, and brave witch.”

He ran his gaze over her relaxed face. Wisps of her dark wavy hair caressed her cheek. Her coloring reminded him of the forest. Her dark brown and gold hair and tanned skin had the same highlights of the tree trunks with the sun shining on it. Her dark lashes lay like crescents against her sun-kissed cheeks. Her nose was long and slender while her lips made him want to taste their fullness.

Mike shook his head at his musing. Since when have I ever been poetic? he thought. I really need to get my head examined. Instead of thinking of how much I want to kiss Marina, I should be focusing on what happened today, where I am, and how in the hell I’m going to get home!

Silently rising to his feet, he decided he’d better collect more firewood. He motioned for Charlie to stay when the pup lifted his head. Turning, he quietly stepped around Geoff and slipped through the narrow opening in the trunk. He took several steps away before he paused and drew in a deep breath of the cool, clean air. He looked up at the night sky. One moon was full while the other looked like a waxing gibbous.

He kept the large tree to his right as he walked in a tight circle gathering several large pieces of dead wood. As he collected the wood, he listened to the different sounds of the forest. A hundred yards away, a large bird hooted from one of the tall trees. It sounded a lot like an owl. He could see the Nightstars light up and fade. The lights made the forest look more like something on a movie set or a theme park ride than a reality.

The sound of flapping wings and several dark shadows blocking the light from the moons drew Mike’s attention to the treetops. Looking up, he caught his breath when he saw dozens of large birds flying overhead. At a rough guess, he’d have put their wingspan at almost twenty feet from tip to tip. He decided anything with wings that big must have an even larger beak. The last thing he wanted was to become their next meal.

He retraced his steps as silently as he could, wincing every time he stepped on a branch. Ducking his head, he entered the tree and released the breath he had unwittingly been holding. He quietly stacked the wood near the fire before taking two logs and placing them across the coals.

“I thought I had dreamed about you.”

Mike’s head jerked up, and his gaze locked with Marina’s. She was watching him. He sank down to the ground next to Geoff.

“You should be sleeping,” he chided.

“I know. It has been difficult to rest well over the past year. There is always a sense of fear that something will come for us in the dark, even though I know none of the Sea Witch’s creatures can,” she admitted.

“Why can’t she attack at night?” Mike asked with a frown.

Marina drew in a deep breath and released it. “She created a spell that drains all magical creatures of their powers from nightfall to dawn. You would think she would have realized that the same spell would affect her and the creatures she made, but for some reason she didn’t. She—and the unnatural beasts she uses like the ogres—are just as defenseless as the rest of us. Unfortunately, there are still things that can hurt us,” she explained.

“Well, that was a big uh-oh,” Mike chuckled, poking at the fire with a stick.

“Yes, but at least her mistake gives us some reprieve,” Marina replied with a yawn.

“Get some sleep. We should have enough firewood to last until morning,” he assured her.

“What about you?” she asked, biting her lip.

Mike smiled and shook his head. “It is still morning for me. You don’t have to worry about me too. I’m old enough to take care of myself,” he responded.

Her lips twitched at his comment. “Yes, you are,” she murmured on a yawn. “You are a very….”

Mike stopped poking the fire and waited for her to finish the sentence. He was a very… what? A silent groan echoed through his head when he realized that she had fallen back asleep. It took him a moment to realize he was still staring at her—and that his body was hard and throbbing.

Leaning back against the inside of the tree, Mike blinked. What the fuck was going on? His body hadn’t reacted to a woman like this since he was about fourteen and Kylie Mooney sat in front of him in eighth grade science.

He itched to bury his fingers in her long hair, but it was his cock that he wanted to bury somewhere else. He tilted his head back and watched the wisps of smoke rise from the fire to the top of the tree. It was going to be a long, long night.

* * *

“Come on, boy. You’ve watered enough trees,” Mike called to Charlie.

Beside him, Mike heard Geoff chuckle. The teen had become his shadow since he and his sisters woke up as the sun peaked over the horizon. Mike wasn’t sure if it was because the boy wanted to know more about him or if it was to keep an eye on him. When Mike stated he needed to take Charlie out for a bit, Geoff had eagerly stood up as well.

Mike shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He had wanted to go with Marina when she said she would find some food to break their fast but, before he could suggest it, she had disappeared. Erin stayed to pack up their blankets.

“He listens well,” Geoff commented when Charlie came up.

“When he feels like it,” Mike retorted with a wry grin.

Mike watched as Charlie came trotting toward them with a long stick that kept getting caught in the tall ferns. Of course, Charlie didn’t come to Mike. Geoff bent over and gave Charlie a rub when the pup dropped the stick at the boy’s feet.

“Watch him. He’s playing you. If you try to grab the stick, he’ll take off,” Mike warned.

Geoff grinned and winked at Mike. One second Geoff was there, and in the next he was gone. Mike stumbled backwards and blinked—and blinked again, and again. Either he was having issues with double vision or there were now two Golden Retrievers.

Mike lifted a hand and rubbed it over his eyes. Looking between his fingers, he still saw two dogs. They looked identical.

“Geoff, knock it off,” Marina ordered, walking past them.

Mike started and turned to look at her. She was carrying several large, dark orange roots by their leaves. In a flash, Geoff was back into the shape of a teen and following her back to the tree. Mike looked down when Charlie whined. He could see the pup’s gaze following Geoff.

“I’ve fallen down the fucking Rabbit’s hole!” he muttered before shaking his head. “Come on, boy.”

* * *

Marina scowled at her brother. Geoff just grinned at her, adding to her irritation. Bending over, she grabbed the pot and held it out to him.

“I need water,” she stated, staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?” Geoff asked with a grimace, taking the pot from her.

Marina opened her mouth to scold her brother for startling Mike. She snapped her mouth closed and pursed her lips when Charlie entered their shelter a moment before Mike did. Turning, she knelt by the hot coals leftover from the fire and pulled her knife out.

“Charlie!” Erin called, opening her arms wide.

The pup didn’t need any other encouragement. His furry, wiggling body almost knocked Marina over in his haste to get to her sister. Fire swept through Marina when she felt a pair of strong hands steady her.

“Sorry about that,” Mike said, kneeling down next to her. “He still needs to learn some manners.”

“So does my brother,” Marina retorted before she blew out a breath and turned her head to look at Mike. She was startled to see his face so close to hers. “He… he shouldn’t have startled you.”

Her eyes widened when he lifted his hand and brushed her hair back from her cheek. His fingers caressed her earlobe as he tucked the long, thick strands behind her ear. Marina leaned closer to his body when his fingers traced the line of her jaw.

“It was actually pretty cool—unexpected, but cool. Can you…?” Mike asked in a slightly hesitant voice.

Marina shook her head. “We each have our own strengths and weaknesses. I have an affinity for the forest—and….” She paused and shook her head again. “Geoff can imitate living creatures. It is forever getting him in trouble. If he is not careful, a hunter or meat-eating animal will mistake him for their next meal,” she said in exasperation.

“So, Erin can heal, Geoff can imitate living things, and you can…,” Mike encouraged, turning to sit down on the ground so he was facing her.

“Marina can talk to the trees and plants,” a voice replied.

Marina grimaced when Mike jerked his head around to look at the bow that was propped up against a log. Erin giggled at his reaction while Charlie stood up and walked over to sniff the bow. Mike chuckled when the bow growled at Charlie. The pup yelped and hurried back to lay next to Erin.

“Is that thing for real?” Mike asked, studying the bow.

A reluctant grin curved Marina’s lips at the sound of awe in his voice. She glanced at her bow before focusing on cutting up the roots she brought back for their breakfast. Once boiled, it would make a thick, creamy, and delicious meal that was high in protein and nutrients.

“My father gave Mr. Bow to me when I turned eight summers old. The wood came from an ancient elder tree. They are the oldest trees on the Isle of Magic. It is said that the elder trees were planted by the Goddess herself and contain the elements of magic that give us our power. The forest is protected by a magic so old that not even the Sea Witch’s evil can touch it. Father was given the gift of a limb after he healed a sick tree. My gift of magic comes from him while Erin’s comes from our mother. We like to tease Geoff and say he was a foundling, because no one knows where his gift came from,” Marina said, looking up when Geoff entered with the pot of water.

“That is not true. Our grandmother is a shapeshifter. Here is the water,” Geoff said, placing the pot of cold water on the bed of coals from the fire.

“Thank you,” Marina replied, adding the roots to the water.

“Erin, do you want to take Charlie out for a walk?” Geoff asked with a hopeful look at his younger sister.

“Yes,” Erin answered, rising to her feet. “Come on, Charlie.”

Marina looked up with a worried frown. “Don’t go far, and keep your eyes open,” she cautioned.

“We will,” Geoff promised.

She bit her lip and watched as they slipped through the opening. Both of them were aware of the dangers, but she couldn’t help but worry after yesterday. Erin looked better this morning, but she was still pale and far too thin for her age.

Her sister had lost weight over the last couple of months. The strain of caring for so many children who had fallen ill, then becoming sick herself had left Erin with little appetite. When they returned to the camp later today, she would place the healing stones around Erin again.

“What is that?” Mike asked with a sniff.

Marina blinked and turned to look at Mike. She parted her lips as she stared at his mouth. She wondered what his lips would feel like against hers. He must have read her expression because he leaned forward and cupped her cheek with his hand. She lifted her eyelashes and became captivated by the burning expression in his eyes.

“Mike…,” Marina murmured, leaning toward him.

A soft moan escaped her when his lips captured hers. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck when he slid his hands around her waist and lifted her enough to pull her onto his lap. She threaded her fingers through his short hair, holding him to her.

Their hot breaths mixed as their tongues tangled with each other, each seeking to satisfy the hunger that had been ignited. Marina felt the magic inside her soar to a level she had never experienced before. Her body trembled with need for the man who had saved her life and connected with her on an elemental level.

“Woof!”

The sound of Charlie’s bark pulled Marina back to reality. She reluctantly broke their kiss, her eyes still closed as she clung to the wave of emotion still washing over her. Eyelashes fluttering, she looked up when she felt Mike stiffen and heard his swiftly inhaled breath.

Her dazed gaze met his. His hand slid from her waist to tenderly touch her cheek. His fingers skimmed along her flushed, heated skin. In the reflection of his eyes, she could see the glow surrounding her.

“I’m not sure what is happening, but I can promise you, I intend to see where it takes us,” he stated in a determined voice.

Marina flushed with pleasure and released him. Her body was glowing—literally. She held her hands out in front of her and turned them. Looking up, her lips parted. She could see the awe reflected in his gaze. He could see her aura.

“Marina, is the food ready? I’m starving,” Erin called.

Marina slid off of Mike’s lap and knelt in front of the fire again as Charlie, followed closely by Erin and Geoff, entered their small shelter. She quickly picked up the spoon and stirred the root mush she had been cooking. Luckily, it didn’t stick to the bottom of the pot or burn.

“It is almost ready,” Marina said.

Erin paused as she started to sit and stared at her. Marina could feel her cheeks heating and had to resist the urge to lick her lips. Erin sank down the rest of the way and tilted her head.

“Are you feeling well? You look flushed,” Erin asked in concern.

“I’m fine. Here, we need to eat and leave. We still have a long way to go before we get back to camp,” Marina said, holding out a bowl of mush to Erin.