Byrd waited, patient and silent. She had the sense he’d wait all night long if necessary. Love surged through her, potent as good whiskey, and she decided. “I’ll transform and fly if you’ll stay close. I’m a little scared, Byrd.”
“Don’t be. I’ll be beside you and you’ll be amazed. It’ll be something you just do.”
Skeptical, she asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Without another word he began the twirling dance she’d seen before and began the process of transformation. As his speed increased, his human features faded and became avian. Celia watched, uncertain, and then she began to spin in slow circles at first, then faster.
Her head whirled with dizziness and her body came alive with something electric. Tiny prickles ran through her limbs and torso, tickling and teasing. Something began to shift and she caught the rhythm without trying. She picked up pace with the realization that it seemed like dancing. Once she yielded to it, a rush of exhilaration soared through her being. Until she slowed, Celia hadn’t realized she’d sprouted feathers or grown to a larger size. Her dimensions increased and her body changed into a shape she’d never known, looming larger. Strength poured through her body and when she attempted to move her arms, she realized they’d become wings.
Byrd spoke to her, not in the rich melodious voice she’d come to adore, but with bird sounds, chirps and noises she understood now as well as words. Celia opened her mouth, now a beak, and replied in the same.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her. “Let’s fly!”
He flapped his wings and rose into the night sky. After a fumbled moment, she relaxed and followed. They ascended and she made sounds meant to be laughter. Joy rushed through her as she winged beside her mate in the moonlight. He knew the way and she followed as they soared over the Oklahoma hills and plains, then veered northward into different country.
Time ceased to matter and when he led her over some of the most breathtaking hills she’d ever seen, Celia knew they must be close. In a hidden valley far from any sign of civilization or the modern world, Byrd descended and she dropped with him beside a sparkling, clear river. A rugged bluff stretched skyward and before she’d even begun to shift into her woman form, Celia saw the mouth of a great cave. She repeated the dance, the steps, and moved in circles until she stood in her familiar body. “Byrd?” she called and he stepped out of the shadows, as handsome and incredible as the first night she saw him.
“We’re home,” he said.
He led her to a huge door and pushed it open. She expected limestone walls and the chill of a typical cave but instead they walked into a beautiful multilevel home. Soft carpets covered the stone floors and the décor resonated with Native American beauty. Lakota artwork covered some of the walls. If Celia didn’t know any different, she’d swear she’d entered a fine home anywhere. “It’s beautiful,” she said as she turned to her husband.
“So are you, winuhca.” His voice was soft and gentle. “How did you like flying?”
She couldn’t begin to describe it, the awesome delight, the power, the view. “I love it,” she said. “But I love you more.”
Byrd grinned. “No regrets?”
“None.”
“Then welcome to forever.” He drew her into the circle of his arms and kissed her. Everything became new and her life had changed irrevocably but Celia knew their love would be as constant and as timeless as the stars they’d flown past on the way home.
“I love you,” he murmured and kissed her again.
She knew he did and would never doubt it, not in all the long time or the eons to come. No matter what the future held, it would always be now. “Mais oui, mon cher,” she told him. “I love you, love you, love you.”
The End
www.leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com
Other Books by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy:
www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy.html
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
Into the Pride by Michelle Monkou
A Late Summer Blood by Cherrie Mack
A Lamb for the Bear’s Appetite by Jenika Snow
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Byrd's Desire Page 6
