Free Soul of Flame by Merryn Dexter Page B

form. The pain continued to prickle along skin always sensitive post-shift, and he flinched away before the man could touch him.
    A square of white cloth dangled before his streaming eyes. He reached for it, blowing his noise, wiping his cheeks. “That’s a no, then.”
    He shrugged, trying to make light of the situation, ignoring the raging fear inside. He would find a way to break the curse. Struggling into his clothing, he appreciated their discretion when the two men averted their eyes. His nudity didn’t bother him. Shifters didn’t think twice about stripping before each other. He knew they were giving him space to adjust to the disappointment of still being at the mercy of his curse.
    “Have you completed the mating?” Rekkus asked.
    He shook his weary head in response. “I think Ceara needs a little more time to come to terms with parts of our relationship.”
    Rekkus snorted. “Which parts, exactly?”
    Shim gave him a rueful grin. “The relationship part.”
    He sighed, enduring the loud burst of laughter from both men as they left the room. The noise drew a glaring Sarka out of her office, and she clicked her fingers in an imperious gesture at Shim.
    “Time for your potion, snot boy, and this one is gonna be a doozy.”
    Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Sage left after introducing Ceara to a small wizened man. Add a red pointy hat and a beard and he would be the perfect image of the ceramic garden gnomes humans loved to decorate their gardens with. He shook her hand, his skin surprisingly soft for all its wrinkles and liver spots.
    “A pleasure to meet you, my dear. My name is Robert, and I am honored to assist a Shining One. Lie back on the table and we’ll get started.” She hesitated, and he gave her a kind smile. “If it makes you more comfortable, you can leave your clothing on. I don’t need to touch you to carry out my psychic scan.”
    Settling back, she tried to relax. Soft music and the sounds of a rippling stream filled the room.
    “Close your eyes, my dear. Just listen to the music and try to forget I am here.” Robert’s kind voice matched the twinkle in his gray eyes, and she did as he bade.
    An image from the previous night rose in her mind’s eye. Shim leaning over her, rocking tenderly into her body. Their first fierce coupling melting into delicate intimacies and moments of sheer bliss. She’d cried at the unbearable perfection, and she remembered the soft press of his mouth when he kissed the tears from her cheek. She’d fallen asleep cocooned in his warm embrace, the drape of his body over hers so good, so right. For the first time since the accident, the chill had been banished from her body.
    Soft snores woke her just after dawn. She’d lain there for a moment, relishing their closeness. Letting herself drift and daydream, she imagined waking beside him every morning. Instead of dread, calmness took root deep within her.
    But then the wash of guilt knocked the wind out of her—she had no right to happiness in the wake of causing so much death and destruction. The wives and girlfriends of the men on her team would never again sleep in the comfort of their embrace. Their children would never feel the soft brush of Daddy’s kiss on their forehead. Self-loathing forced her from the warmth and comfort of the bed and into the shower. The confusion on his face when she avoided his touch became another layer of guilt. He’d taken everything she threw at him, let her vent her anger and pain on his flesh, without complaint or censure.
    The endless loop of her thoughts threatened to drive her insane. Pushing back the memories, she drew a breath and held it for a count of five before releasing it for the same count, using the breathing exercises she’d learned in Trixie’s classes. The willowy fae had been kind, if a little wary of Ceara, a natural reaction from one of the Seelie Court raised to believe every Unseelie was the monster