by Vella Day
Fifteen minutes later, they’d received and chowed down their meal.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yes. Do you want me to drive?”
She laughed. “It’s probably a six or seven hour trip. How about I fly us?”
Kyle might have acted brave a long time ago when she suggested she fly him to the mine, but after watching a few of the dragons dip and soar overhead, he wasn’t sure how he’d like being suspended over the vast realm. “Do I have a choice?”
“Not if you want to be alone with me.” Nessa held up her palms. “But if you’re afraid, just say the word.”
The woman knew how to punch his buttons. “You drive a hard bargain, lady.” He leaned over and kissed her quick. “I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but I’ve piloted an airplane before.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Her pride made him stick out his chest a little. “I even thought about becoming a pilot full-time, but it is a dangerous profession, what with your kind buzzing around.”
She shook her head. “We’re careful. Okay, usually we’re careful. I am always on the lookout for others. To make this flight as enjoyable as possible—or less scary—I promise to fly very conservatively.”
He doubted that. Nessa was rather wild. “Won’t you tire holding onto me for so long?”
She cupped his face and kissed him like tomorrow might never happen. “Do you trust me?”
“Totally,” Kyle said without giving it another thought.
“My grip will never give out—at least not when I’m holding you. And just so you know, if you scream, it’s okay. I won’t think any less of you.” She winked.
He didn’t believe that for a moment. “You’ve crossed the line. I won’t scream.” Damn. Now she’d take that as a challenge. “I meant I will try not to panic, assuming you don’t execute some crazy dive.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I told you I’d be good.”
“Okay then. I’m game.”
They headed back to the SinCas building since she said it was easier to take off from there. Given the distance they had to travel, Kyle couldn’t chicken out now.
“Stand over by the door,” she said once they reached the roof. “I need room to shift.”
He’d seen how large she was when the men had carried her out from the mine. For his safety, he moved far out of the way. The biggest downer about the whole trip would be their inability to communicate during the hour flight.
One second, this trim woman was standing in front of him, and the next, she was a glorious animal, shimmering in the sunlight. Purple scales interspersed with the black ones, created a stunning animal. Nessa spread her wings and lifted a claw. He guessed that was his clue to climb on board.
Inhaling, he straightened his shoulders and strode toward her. Just as he reached out to grab hold of her very long talons, she scooped him up, his face toward the ground. Oh boy. While he couldn’t judge her expression as she grabbed hold, she was probably laughing. He swore he’d acted rather macho and quite self-confident, but considering her extensive talents, she could probably tell his heart was beating hard.
All of his bravado disappeared the moment she took off, because the ground disappeared beneath him a hell of a lot faster than he’d anticipated. Kyle had to work not to tense his body—or vomit. Nessa probably could tell if he was scared, and he wanted to make her proud.
Cows became dots, and roads turned into thin ribbons. Once he realized he could actually breathe and that Nessa wasn’t going to drop him, he started to enjoy himself. The fact his feet were dangling was a bit disconcerting, but her grip was tight enough to keep him from feeling as if he might fall. Kyle really wanted to watch Nessa flap her wings, but twisting in her grasp might not be smart.
True to her word, she flew level. Only when he became totally entranced in the landscape did she change altitude. Somehow, she must have sensed he was okay with the trip, or she wouldn’t have tried any maneuvers.
To his surprise, Kyle was actually disappointed when they landed, and she set him down. Whoa. His feet had gone to sleep.
She returned to her human form. “Well? Did my flying skills live up to the hype?” He shifted from leg to leg. “Oh, no. I forgot to lift your feet when I flew. Your feet are asleep, aren’t they?” She hissed in a breath.
“Yes, but give me a sec. The feeling is coming back.” Kyle waited before taking a step. “It’s all good now. The flight was great. It was like flying in a plane. Surprisingly, I wasn’t cold despite being so high up.”
“Heat radiates off my body and keeps you nice and toasty.” She never ceased to amaze him. “Ready to find this special spot?”
“Lead the way.”
Nessa was impressed with Kyle. She had carried a few humans before, and most had panicked, wiggled, or yelled. Kyle’s muscles were rather bunched at first, but it didn’t take long for him to relax. The fact he trusted her that much gave her such pleasure.
“Do you know how far it is to the eternal flame?” he asked once they found the trailhead.
“Nope.” Actually, she’d seen the faint flicker of flames when she was overhead, but why spoil the adventure for him?
“What are you going to ask these magic people?” Kyle asked.
“I’m not sure. Hell, it’s only rumored that shamans live there. I’m not expecting some man or woman to step from behind a tree wearing a long robe, waiting to answer our questions about the universe.”
“If you don’t really believe there are any soothsayers at the flame, what evidence is there to support the idea that there is magic in this part of the realm either?” he asked.
“That’s a good question. None of my relatives have found any kind of oracle or fortune teller, but it doesn’t mean others haven’t. I have heard rumors of fairies flying around.”
He pressed his lips together. “Fairies?”
“You know those really small creatures with wings.”
“I know what those mythical fairies are supposed to look like. How small do you think these fairies really are?”
She enjoyed that Kyle was playing along. His humorous side appealed to her—a lot. “I never asked for details since I didn’t really believe they existed. Until I meet one, I’ll reserve judgment. Dragons are usually bigger than a human, so I’m guessing fairies will be much smaller.”
He smiled. “Good point. How about we act like tourists and find this eternal flame first and then see what happens? Afterward, we can enjoy the peace and quiet of the surrounding woods.”
She looped an arm through his. “Now you’re talking.”
In less than twenty minutes, the fairly dense forest path that was to take them to the eternal flame dead-ended at a rock face.
Kyle turned to Nessa. “I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this.”
Protruding from the rock face were four five-inch diameter metal pipes spewing water into a fountain basin. Off to the side sat the eternal flame, which was on top of a concrete pad in the shape of a circular bowl ten feet in diameter. From the center shot a flame. Mesmerized, they approached.
Engraved in the metal sphere were pledges from each of the four provinces, Avonbelle, Grindale, Hearndon, and Thedia that vowed to unite instead of fight.
Kyle ran his hand around the edge. “I never thought I’d see this.”
She loved the awe in his voice. “Even though it isn’t far for any dragon to come here, I never have.”
They chatted a bit about what it must have taken to bring the realm together. The past had been fraught with battles. After reminiscing about bravery for a bit and finding no one there to answer her questions, they stepped over to the fountain that never seemed to overflow. Nessa bent down and studied it. “I don’t see any drainage system.”
Kyle looked too. “Me neither.”
What she did see were several coins at the bottom as well as four names engraved on the stone ledge surrounding the fountain: SolRa, LunRa, AstralRa, and TerraRa. Nessa wasn’t sur
e what any of it meant, but it sounded ancient.
“I see you’re curious about the fountain,” said a melodious voice behind them. “If you toss a coin in, your wish will come true.”
Nessa and Kyle jerked around. In front of them stood a beautiful, blonde woman who was quite tiny—less than five feet in height. She wasn’t a shifter, but her size implied something else. “Really?”
Kyle pressed a coin into Nessa’s palm. “Go ahead. Try it,” he said.
What should she wish for? That Kyle would fall madly in love with her or that whoever was out to harm her would be caught?
Believing that with time Kyle would fall for her, she tossed in the coin wishing for her second option.
Nodding toward those names engraved around the rim, Nessa asked the woman, “Do you know what the names mean?”
“I do,” responded the blonde. “For thousands of years, many here have worshipped different gods. SolRa is the god of the sun, LunRa is the god of the moon, AstraRa is the god of the stars, and TerraRa, as you know, is the god of our Tarradon.”
“What about the eternal flame?” Kyle asked. “How long has it been lit? And does it ever go out?”
The woman smiled. “No, it never goes out, but that’s only because a few of us watch over it and make sure it never extinguishes. We have no idea what evil would descend if it did.”
Chills rippled across Nessa’s chest. No one ever mentioned that possibility existed. “I never thought about that.”
“Most don’t.” The woman held out her hand. “I’m Fay Forrester by the way.”
“Nessa Caspian. Nice to meet you.” Not that she wanted anyone to treat her differently, but most people she’d run into knew the Caspian name. When Fay didn’t react, Nessa figured her family’s path and this woman’s had never crossed.
Kyle shook her hand too. “Kyle Harper.”
“Did you come to ask the flame a question?” Fay asked, acting as if that was the reason why anyone would be there.
“Not the flame per se,” Nessa said. “I was hoping to find the oracle.”
The tiny woman smiled. “I’ve never met any fortune teller, prophet, or oracle as you say, but the flame often provides answers if you look deeply into it.”
Nessa was not a superstitious person, so she would feel rather silly staring at a flame and talking to it. Kyle moved closer to the flame, his gaze fixed in one spot.
“We were hoping to learn something about a shifter who has the ability to become invisible when in his human form. Have you ever run into anyone like that?”
“I can’t say I have.”
Nessa tried not to show her disappointment. “Do you know of anyone who might know if such a person exists?”
Fay rubbed her chin. “Hmm. There are some very smart people around here, but I think I would have heard of someone like that. Have you tried Cargonia? Or the Earth realm? I’ve heard they have some unique characters.”
“I get the sense he’s from here.”
Fay shrugged. “Well, I hope you find what you’re looking for. Are you sure this person is a dragon shifter? Over the years, I’ve learned that not everyone is who he appears to be.”
Nessa wasn’t in the mood to tell this caretaker about all the crap that had happened to Kyle and the mine. “Oh, he’s a dragon shifter all right. Of that I am sure.” He wouldn’t have been able to set the charges if he’d had nothing to stand on, nor would he have been able to follow her to the roof of the SinCas building if he couldn’t fly. Then again, a dark lighter might have been able to put a spell on a person that would enable him to do this. Stranger things had happened.
“I wish you luck.”
Before Nessa could thank her, the small woman sprouted wings, shrunk to about six inches in size, and then flew away. She then disappeared. In her place were hundreds of fireflies. Wow. Fay was right. People aren’t always who or what they appear to be. “Kyle, did you see that?”
He broke his gaze from watching the flame. “See what?”
Hadn’t he been paying attention? “Did you see how that woman just sprouted wings and flew away?”
“She’s a dragon shifter too?”
“No! She was a fairy who was maybe a half foot tall.”
“I’m sorry. The flame transfixed me. I was in my own world. You really saw a fairy?”
“Yes.”
He moved next to Nessa and cupped her shoulders. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“This woman, Fay, was a real live fairy. You met her. She looked like a regular woman, right?”
“Yes.”
“When your back was turned, I asked her about our invisible shifter, but she said she didn’t know anyone like that. That’s when she sprouted wings, shrunk, and flew away.”
He glanced around as if he expected to find her hiding behind a tree.
“She warned me about people who weren’t who they seemed. Maybe she was trying to warn me about the type of person who was trying to harm my family.”
“So now you think some tiny fairy is out to get your family and not a dragon shifter?”
When Kyle said it like that it did sound ridiculous. “No, not a fairy, but…I don’t know what to think anymore.”
Kyle stilled as he looked behind her. Nessa turned around and sucked in a breath at the beauty unfolding in the forest. “Oh, my. Fireflies.”
“I thought they only came out at night.”
“So did I.”
They stood there, enjoying the scene before them, and for a moment, Nessa almost forgot about the odd creature, Fay. In all of Nessa’s one hundred plus years, she’d never known humans could grow wings. Live and learn. Or wasn’t this fairy human at all?
“Nessa?” Kyle asked.
She jerked her attention back to the present. “Yes?”
“What do you think about exploring more of the forest?” Kyle wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.
Her impulses shot to high alert. She grabbed his hand. “Absolutely. We definitely need to find a place a bit more secluded though.”
Kyle grinned. “You read my mind.”
They followed a dirt path deeper into the forest. For the first twenty minutes, the fireflies darted in and around the path. It was almost as if they were keeping watch. Eventually, the fireflies disappeared. While Nessa found the whole experience with Fay and the fireflies odd, she didn’t want to dwell on it. She had more important things to think about—like seducing Kyle.
Mate, mate, her dragon chimed in.
Not yet. I want to make sure he wants me forever first.
He does. I can tell.
Nessa almost laughed out loud. She shut off her internal chatter and concentrated on Kyle and her surroundings. Birds were chirping, furry sardons were scurrying up the trees, and the heavenly scent of the frenlen trees filled the air. As they moved farther into the forest, the rustling of water echoed in the wind, and joy spread through her.
“I hear a stream to the west,” she said. “Let’s head that way.” So I can strip you naked and make love to you like I’ve been dreaming about.
“Sounds great.” Kyle moved out of the way so she could lead.
She loved how Kyle didn’t have to be the one in control all the time. It was such a nice change from her ex-boyfriend, Landry Madison, the dragon-shifting ass who always had to be in charge. What she’d ever found appealing about him, she didn’t know. Oh, yeah, he knew everything about mining.
Nessa forcibly kicked that memory out of her head and followed her nose toward the clean water. They had to trek uphill for a bit, but when they crested the ridge the view below thrilled her. Trees, pasture, and water jacked up her endorphins, though not nearly as much as being with Kyle.
He stepped next to her. “It’s beautiful.”
“It sure is.” A small patch of grass bordered the gurgling stream, and a hundred feet down the river was a three-foot waterfall that screamed of peace and passion. “Let’s go.”
Nessa char
ged down the hill laughing, loving the thrill of her feet almost going too fast for her body. By the time they reached the bottom, her young spirit had emerged. After a quick glance over her shoulder at Kyle, she shucked her shoes and rushed into the six-inch deep stream. The cold was a bit of a shock, but soon, it became refreshing. Too bad it wasn’t deep enough to submerge herself.
Just as Kyle joined her, she bent over, scooped up a handful of water, and tossed it in his face.
His mouth dropped open, and then he squinted his eyes. “You’ve really crossed the line this time, young lady. That is an act of war.”
“Is that so?” she countered, enjoying the fact he didn’t consider her old even though she was three times his age.
The next thing she knew, Nessa was on her back in the cold stream. Goose bumps rippled up her body as the water nearly encompassed her waist. The rest of her muscles froze for a moment before her instincts kicked in. If he wanted to fight, she’d play along.
Nessa partially shifted, extending her claws—claws that could shoot fire out the tips. She aimed toward the water, turning it warm.
Kyle smiled and nodded in clear appreciation of her talent. “You are clever, I’ll grant you that.”
She returned her claws to their human form. “Never forget it.” Without warning, she jumped up and plastered her still cold front against him.
“Hey!” he shouted as he grabbed her shoulders, trying to keep her wet body away from him.
She laughed. “Next time you’ll be more careful.”
“I’ll show you careful.” Kyle dipped his head, and when he kissed her, every ounce of chill disappeared.
Nessa melted into him, and as the two of them became one, all sounds disappeared. Without breaking contact, Kyle carried her to a patch of grass alongside the stream.
After kneeling with her in his arms, he broke the kiss. “I can’t even put into words what I want to do to you.”
