We spent time just playing, splashing each other, getting dunked and a little water wrestling. My hands more than once strayed into areas where I woul...dn’t have even imagined touching a woman, especially a woman like Tanya, a day earlier. Wherever her wet hands touched my body, it was that feeling of the biggest nerd in high school out with the prettiest girl. It was hard for me to believe that we’d met less than twenty-four hours earlier. Unbelievable to imagine, that for today at least and. Claire If Johnny Murphy had thought about it, he would have admitted that he had a pretty empty life. But then, he wasn't the kind of guy to think deep thoughts... or to think about too much at all. Johnny was 26, and didn't know what to do with himself a lot of the time. He hated to even get out of bed in the morning, so it was a good thing his shift at the gas station didn't start until noon. Almost every Saturday, his routine was the same... and had been for more than a decade. He would. I ran a hand through my hair, and realized that was gone too. “Burnt hair was always tricky.” Zander said from the foot of the bed, “I don’t know why. The tattoos were scars themselves, so a healing incantation would remove them.” “And my eye?” Zander shook his head. “It was a death curse, probably given to you by a man you were killing, since death curses kill the caster. It’s funny. Any mage, no matter how experienced or novice, can cast one curse that is wholly undefendable. A suicidal baby. I didn't last more than a fewlaps and then I just stood on the side, half way down the poolwhere the water was neck deep and watched him knife through thewater with ease. Several times as I stood there relaxing in thewater I was sure that I saw movement in the upstairs window nextdoor. When Jeff finally finished swimming his laps I mentioned it tohim and he said, "Yes, they are always checking out my guestswhen I have any. They aren't normally this lucky though, sincemost of my guests wear.