Desperately Seeking Starlight

by Zenina Masters

  Dira walked at her side to the Meditation Centre. “Remember to keep breathing and don’t shift if you panic. The balance is not comfortable, and it will feel weird until you two lock it in.”

  “I know. Drak briefed me already. We have to have sex within a few hours of the ceremony. That is what I am ready for. I think I am actually looking forward to it.” She grinned.

  “Glad you don’t have any reservations.”

  Oksana shrugged. “I don’t. I have been thinking about this for a while. Circumstances just moved everything into motion.”

  She took a steadying breath and walked through the centre and out the back. The field was under the stars with a Y-shaped platform taking centre position.

  The bizarrely patched-together woman leaning against the centre straightened when she saw Oksana. From the shadows, Hyther appeared and walked at her side to meet the balance mage.

  “Hello, Melwiss.”

  The mage smiled vaguely, her embroidered and velvet wrap at odds with the delicate pastel of her dress. The hiking boots just brought the whole look together. Oksana thought she looked very comfortable.

  “Please form a circle and we will hold hands.” Melwiss nodded. “You two are the ones being balanced, right?”

  Oksana grinned. “Yes.”

  Hyther agreed, “Yes.”

  She looked at Hyther as she took his hand.

  When Melwiss closed the link, she muttered, “Here we go. Hang on no matter what.”

  That was all the warning that Oksana would get. The world spun, she felt as if her power had a slow leak that drained it while Hyther’s moved into the empty space. Melwiss took up the slack and kept things moving like a strong breeze.

  She held tight to Hyther and kept her gaze locked with his. Power swirled around them in a wave that picked up speed until they stood in the centre of a tornado with fey and shifter magic loose around them.

  Melwiss wrangled their two thousand plus years of power and balanced it, shoving it back inside them and locking it in place with human magic.

  Oksana leaned against Hyther when it was done. Dira and another woman came to collect Melwiss. Oksana moved toward her, but the mage gave her a thumbs-up sign before they led her away.

  Hyther pressed a kiss to her lips. “Well, I suppose that the guardians should send us home.”

  She grinned. “That doesn’t work for me. Do you have your bag?”

  “Yes, it is over by the pillars.”

  “Get it. I will change, and we will be on our way.”

  She kicked off her shoes, pulled the dress over her head and folded it over one arm. She walked to an open position and shifted forms.

  Her body stretched and tingled as it expanded. The fey magic was still unsettled, and it fought the change in shape. It was a good thing that this was a very natural form for her, because otherwise, they would have been stuck.

  She hunkered down, and Hyther climbed on her neck. She could barely feel him, but her senses went on the alert to keep track of where he was. It would never do to drop her mate before she had taught him to fly.

  * * * *

  Hyther ran his hand over the smooth skin of her neck. Based on the reports, he had expected her to be white or crystalline. The print of space on her skin was amazing.

  To his amazement, as he ran his hand along her neck, the markings shifted and the light moved under her skin. She was more magic than flesh, and when she slowly shifted, he braced himself for what was to come.

  Instead of a jerky lurch upward, she rose smoothly into the night, and with a few flaps of her wings, they were on their way across the sky of the Crossroads.

  The wind in his face made him smile. It was as if he was riding astride a piece of night itself.

  As she pumped her wings, he noted that the energy under her skin brightened. When a portal appeared in front of them, she was nearly the bright, gleaming beast of legend.

  The strap that held his bag across his back was tested as she went from the magical realm to the human. Her body resumed the look of the night sky, and she slowly propelled them to a small home at the edge of a mountain range.

  To his astonishment, she landed in front of the tiny ranch house that had a small access road, which trailed off into the distance.

  He slipped from her back and looked at her home. “This is cute.”

  She shifted into her human form, and she grinned, taking his hand. “Come with me.”

  To his bemusement, she hauled him toward the house that suddenly wasn’t there.

  A giant palace of stone that stretched as far as the eye could see toward either side of the horizon appeared as suddenly as the house had disappeared.

  “Welcome to my library. Oh, and our home. You are welcome to look through anything you see as long as nothing leaves the premises.”

  Her voice was amused, and as he looked down at his mate, he smiled. This was going to work just fine, as long as she didn’t make a habit of running around naked. That was a very distracting situation.

  “Wait. Do you have a tattoo?”

  “No, it’s a birthmark. The stellar dragon on my back is an indicator of my identity. When I am with folk who aren’t to be trusted, I use a glamour to keep it hidden.”

  He followed where she led, and soon, they were inside the building. The walls lined with books shouldn’t have been a surprise, but the age of the tomes on casual display took his breath away.

  * * * *

  The first impression was what she was waiting for, and his reverence for the ancient books and scrolls around him was proof enough that she hadn’t chosen the wrong man.

  Ygritte came in, and she blinked at what she saw. Oksana saw her robe over her companion’s arm.

  “Oksana, what did we say about casual nudity?”

  “That it was to be saved for special occasions. Today qualifies. This is my mate, Hyther.”

  “I know who he is. I just can’t believe you went through with it.” Ygritte helped her put the robe on and then hugged her. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. Hyther, this is my companion, assistant and friend, Ygritte.”

  Hyther shook himself, and he stepped forward, bowing low over Ygritte’s hand. “It is an honour to meet you, lady.”

  “Call me Ygritte or Gritty. I run her household, make the appointments for library studies and keep track of the guests who are lodging here.”

  “And she makes sure that I am fed and watered. Oh, Ygritte, did the books come through?”

  “The ancient poetry books? Yes, they were delivered this morning. When did you last eat, Oksana?”

  Oksana wrinkled her nose. “Dira made me have breakfast. I am good.”

  “Excellent. Your clothing is at the foot of your bed. The kids are at school. Enjoy yourself.”

  Oksana nodded. “Oh, there is going to be a lot of energy output, so I will have to ramp up the privacy wards around my room. Call if you need anything.”

  Ygritte chuckled. “Will do. Hyther, would you like me to take your luggage to your room?”

  “Please. I am guessing that Oksana will give me a bit of a tour before we adjourn to seal our union.”

  Oksana grinned. “I was just thinking about that.”

  She took a deep breath and put on her docent voice. “Well, here in the lobby, we have the copies of the books deeper in the library. The copies were also made years earlier to protect the originals, and it is a point of pride that I have collected the whole set.”

  He paused. “These are copies?”

  “Done by students or priests off the original document.”

  He cleared his throat. “Can I touch them?”

  “Sure, use magic to purify your hands and touch anything here that catches your eye.”

  He slid an arm around her, and she blinked in surprise.

  She licked her lips. “Should we head up to the bedroom?”

  He grinned. “I can wait. I just needed to
touch you.”

  She sighed. “Well, with that out of the way, come with me. I want to show you my pride and joy.”

  “That sounds promising.”

  “You have no idea.” With a smile in her heart, she pulled him into her home, and via a series of walkways and elevators, she got him right where she wanted him.

  Chapter Eight

  “Welcome to the hall of the first dragon myth.” She pushed open the doors and walked into the chamber where the wall of stone was preserved.

  He was at her side with his arm around her, and she could feel him shaking. “How did you get this?”

  “My life has been occupied investigating the black market offerings that deal with dragons. Dira collects money and mentions of herself; I have collected all books and references to dragons and magic in general.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head as he took in the detail of the depiction of a primitive human drinking from a pool and transforming into a large animal with wings.

  “Is there more?”

  She touched the wall and banks of lighting came to life, showing the slices of stone that carried stories from the dawn of time.

  He slid his hand into her robe, and she blinked. “Here?”

  “Where things started. I am feeling the pressure of the spell, how about you?”

  She chuckled. “Since we were on the pedestrian walk.”

  A study table was against the wall, and she turned to face him, backing him up until he was sitting on the hard surface.

  Smiling, she crawled up and straddled his lap. “I forgot to compliment you on your clothing today.”

  He smiled. “I think clothing is overrated.”

  She grinned, showing her teeth. “I think so, too.”

  He laughed and removed the embroidered black shirt that covered his glowing skin. When he reached between them to loosen his trousers, he reversed his hand and stroked between her thighs.

  Oksana shivered and welcomed the invasion of his fingers. Her inner thighs were slick, and he slid in easily.

  Hyther groaned, his eyes narrowed and focused on her face. “You feel amazing.”

  “So do you.” She started to ride his hand with slow motions, and his eyes nearly crossed.

  He pulled his hand free of her and released his erection. She wrapped her hand around the hot, hard length and gave it a few strokes a moment before he moved it against her and pressed upward.

  The time for playing would come later. Now, they needed the bonding that would come with sex.

  She muttered a shielding spell as he thrust into her, and her hips pressed against him in response. The dome of protection snapped into being around them a moment before she kissed him and began to ride him in earnest.

  She groaned and nipped at his lips. He muttered and held her hips, controlling her pace.

  Rocketing over the edge seemed like a good idea, but he restrained her unbridled enthusiasm, and they slowly approached release.

  Oksana felt the power pushing at her skin. It swirled, pressed and heaved inside her. When she was on the edge of her orgasm, she pulled back and stared into Hyther’s eyes.

  He stared back and dug his fingers into her hips, his neck cording as he began to jerk against her.

  He jetted inside her, and the pressure of his cock wedging into her was what she needed to push her over the edge. She opened her mouth and magic flowed out, mixing, mingling and becoming a solid mass of fey and shifter magic.

  Hyther’s expression was just as shocked as she imagined hers was as his energies swirled above him before diving back into his body once again.

  Oksana collapsed on him and breathed deeply. She felt different—weirdly energized and ready for action but exhausted at the same time.

  She pressed her forehead to Hyther’s, and they simply sat there for a time. Minutes or hours later, he lifted his head. “Do I get a flying form?”

  She chuckled. “You should. Come on. We will clean up in the baths and make our way to one of the balconies.”

  “You have baths?”

  “We do. Hot springs. What is mine is yours now. Oh, that reminds me, do you want to invite any of your family to reside here?” She slowly lifted off him, wincing at the attack of icy cold to her wet flesh.

  “I will think about it. I might have some friends who have retired from court life. Will that do?”

  “It should.”

  She moved slowly, dismounting from him and straightening the lines of her robe as he got dressed.

  He dressed by the simple expedient of waving one hand and having the fabric slide into place.

  “Can you teach me to do that?” She bit her lip as she watched.

  “Sure. I am a fan of sharing knowledge as well. Now, where are these hot springs?”

  She took his hand and led him through over a mile of corridor to the hot springs. A long soak and time to adjust to the new lightness of her body was just what the doctor ordered.

  Oksana would have preferred a nap, but Hyther was eager to master his new shape.

  She stood next to him and watched his face as she explained how to find his inner beast and release it with slow concentration.

  “Don’t let him take control of your change or you will be shifting indoors. He gets to take over when you are out in an open space, like now.”

  Hyther nodded. “Right. So that is what I have been feeling, scrabbling around in my mind. Is your beast like that?”

  “No. She and I have been familiar with each other since before I was born. I shifted from dragon to human and back again before I even hatched. We had an agreement to share both spaces.”

  He nodded. “Of course. You will have to tell me how that worked. Your mother laying an egg, that is.”

  “Oh, I will. If you want to have little people, you will need to know how this works so that I don’t do anything stupid. Now, take a deep breath, focus on your beast and slowly let him go, like air from a balloon.”

  They were standing in the sheltered area covered by enough wards to blind the most dedicated of satellites.

  It was fun to watch her mate change shape into something large, sleek and glowing.

  He was a starlight wyvern. There were lovely lines and huge wings, but his skin was glowing bright.

  “You are very pretty, Hyther. I will have you know that no other dragon on the face of the earth has ever had your characteristics.”

  He extended his neck and preened.

  She laughed. “Yes, you are lovely.”

  She took a deep breath and mentioned, “If you let your beast loose, it will fly for you. I have already keyed the wards for you, so you can come and go as you please.”

  He nodded slowly, his purple eye translated to his new form. She stepped back and watched him prime his wings before he did an energy lift that got him off the ground smoothly with only a few dips and wobbles.

  Once he was airborne, he shot into the sky with enthusiasm.

  She covered him in cloaking wards as he flew and she waited on the terrace for him to return. She wasn’t going to fly with him. Their union was too new, and he wasn’t up for mid-air mating.

  Ygritte set up a small table for her and brought her some tea and a tray of snacks.

  “How is his flight going?”

  “Pretty good. It is something best managed on one’s own. When I did my first flight, your grandfather freaked out. He was biting his nails until I made it back home.”

  “Was he that worried?”

  She chuckled. “I still hadn’t removed the blocks on the access points. He couldn’t get out. He was living on preserved food and was getting really antsy about it.”

  Ygritte sat across from her, on the chair that held a robe for Hyther. “You rarely mention him.”

  “I miss him. He was my first friend. My first anything. He taught me all that I know about how folks can stab each other in the back for the sake of social elevatio
n. He didn’t like Hyther, but he was willing to follow him in exchange for a payday. It didn’t turn out the way he planned.”

  “Was he a good man?”

  “He was kind, he had a great sense of humour and a mind that didn’t stop learning. He passed that along to his children. I appreciated that about him.”

  “Where did you find grandma?”

  “I have told you this story before.”

  Ygritte grinned. “Tell me again. I love hearing it.”

  Oksana leaned back, closed her eyes and told the tale of a fey woman, lost in the woods, chased by wolf shifters and hunted to the edge of a precipice.

  “You swooped in and grabbed her.”

  “I did. I flew down, caught her in my claws and took her back to Urmbret. He healed her wounds and helped her get dressed and then undressed, and then, Urmbret’s first child was on the way.”

  “Why didn’t she leave?”

  “She had left her family to go on a quest for adventure. They were of Hyther’s clan. They sought out the falling stars. She didn’t find the star, but she did find adventure. Urmbret and the library were quite the challenge for her.”

  They spoke of Ygritte’s ancestors for another hour before Hyther returned. His landing was not as smooth as his takeoff, but he was proud of himself when he shifted back to his fey form.

  “Well done, Hyther.” Oksana held out his robe and was unsurprised when he pulled it out of her hands and kissed her.

  Ygritte had retreated and they were alone, outside and enjoying the privacy.

  Hyther ran his hands all over her, through her clothing. Everywhere he touched her, the fabric faded away.

  “Are you stripping me?”

  He nipped her lip and pulled her to the grass. “What was your first clue?”

  She laughed and he finished stripping her with a flourish. “The cold draft.”

  He smiled, moving over her. “I will just have to keep you warm.”

  He started a slow trail of nibbling that turned into biting, and when every inch of her was flushed and aching, he moved over her to slide inside.