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examining a new specimen of animal. She pursed her lips. “Perhaps you may find it too worrisome to be in my company. Most do.”
    “I think I’ll take my chances.”
    “Really, Mr. Black.” Kailin shook her head and glanced at the points of her boots. “You seem to bring out the worst in me. It may not be healthy for you.”
    A little snort mixed with a chuckle. “I just won’t bathe.”
    Her gaze shot back to his. “Oh, please do.” She turned on her heel. “It would not be right to make all of Luxor suffer for your cowardice.”
    She grinned slightly as she walked away. This verbal parrying was admittedly fun.
    “And then there’s the interesting fact that I’m immune to your…temper.” His voice wafted across the deck to her and her grin faded on an inhale. “Perhaps for the safety of Luxor I should touch you more, Miss Whitaker.”
    The warmth tried to surface in Kailin’s cheeks but she was prepared this time. The taunts of others who whispered about her differences were something she’d learned to deal with early on. Like a steel cage descending around her, she cleaved through the words. At least enough to keep the fish of the Nile swimming. She grabbed her reticule and made her way to the cabin for a momentary refreshing.
    Jackson watched Kailin descend the stairs with slow, steady steps, her head held high. “What are you?” he murmured. He’d heard all the rumors about the Ice Princess Whitaker, but had categorized them as exaggerated excuses for no one being brave enough to talk to the highly-intelligent, strawberry-blond beauty. Doctor Kailin Whitaker was indeed as stunning as described. Long wavy hair he’d glimpsed on her balcony that first night, coiled against her slender neck where it had fallen from her bun during the night. Sharp blue eyes had met his gaze with infallible courage. They held intelligence and poise but also sadness, loneliness, regret. Almost to match his own. Warm luscious lips, just the perfect shade of natural pink to match the healthy color in her high cheekbones, turned upward when she watched her strange pet soar. Then there were the hills and valleys of her body. Even under the current fashionable costume, Jackson could easily follow the slim line of her waist, a soft valley between her curved hips and her ample breasts.
    Kailin Whitaker, so much more than the doctor of archeology, so much more than the frigid, breathtaking beauty, so much more than a devious parlor illusionist.
    Jackson had felt the tremor of magic before. After hunting for over a decade through curse-infested tunnels in the desert hills, he’d encountered his share of unexplained presence, the tingling pressure of power. Kailin Whitaker certainly possessed power of the magical kind. So much so that she seemed at times unable to control it. She wasn’t the type to purposely boil placid animals in their own river.
    No, that had been a slip of control. She’d been blushing. He’d caught her perusal and she’d been embarrassed. Jackson’s frown smoothed into a cocky grin. She’d been watching him. Jackson chuckled, grabbed a long-poled net, and strode back to the rail. Perhaps he’d catch some perfectly poached tilapia or perch for breakfast.
    ****
    Kailin concentrated on her balance as she stepped down the center of the thin plank of wood separating her from the murky harbor water. Parasol in one gloved hand, her small valise in the other, she blended into the milling crowd at the end of the pier. She stopped and breathed, trying not to wrinkle her nose at the tang of unwashed humanity and tainted water.
    “Kailin, Miss Whitaker, wait.” She heard Jackson’s command and ignored it. Her lips pursed tight as her heart skipped along in an annoying canter at the velvet twang of his voice. She’d had enough of Jackson Black and his bizarre influence on her control. He touched her and her magic disappeared. He gazed at her and her magic shot off like blind artillery trying to take out as many