Chapter 6
The Future’s Wide Open
The light of day was just beginning to filter through the windows when they finished. Taja pulled his head down to her collar bone and she stroked his damp hair.
“So dragons can sweat?” She kissed the top of his head.
He chuckled as he tried to catch his breath. “Of course. There aren’t many animals that don’t sweat.” He kissed her neck and Taja felt herself aroused again. However, she knew that there were other things to do.
Her hands caressed his hair as she spoke, “You plan to leave today.”
Phelan nodded as he continued to kiss her.
She smiled down at him. “I will need to collect a few things.”
He stopped and looked up at her. “Do you need help?”
Taja shook her head. “No, but I will need to leave soon while my mother is asleep. The fewer people in the house the better.”
He nodded at her. “But I am going with you.”
“I can’t ask you-”
“You aren’t.” He pushed off of her and got off the bed. “I’m going because I want to. Because I don’t trust you to stay out of trouble.” He walked around the bed and picked her up. Carrying her to the bathroom, he explained the timeline for the day. Taja nodded and smiled as he put her down in the bathroom. He heated up the water in an instant and turned to leave. Taja grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs. To her surprise, the water was fresh. He smiled at her and picked her up. Taja laughed as he stepped into the water with her. With a few tender kisses (and a few deeper ones), the pair cleaned each other and climbed out.
They were quiet as they dressed and slipped out of the house. Holding hands, they worked their way to her house. Taja let go of his hand when they arrived. She moved to the door and turned to wave. The look on Phelan’s face as he took in where she lived touched her heart. He was clearly upset that she lived in such a terrible place, and his eyes looked at her. She smiled softly and went inside.
Her mother was passed out, which meant that the task would be that much easier. Remembering Phelan’s words from earlier, Taja thought about the things that she had that her mother had said were from her father. Those were kept safe so that her mother couldn’t sell them during their worst days. Taja moved to their hiding place and took them out. Moving over to her bed, the young woman took what money she had been able to save. She almost felt guilty as she returned to the door. With a look back at her mother, Taja remembered the letter, the last words her mother had to convey. There was so much her mother had never told her. Her mother rarely said anything kind, and always showed a disgust when Taja had tried to hug her. Perhaps it was because Taja had pixie blood. From her father.
Taja turned and opened the door, her mind going over everything she had experienced for years. If she did have pixie blood, that explained a lot about her life and her difficult relationship with her mother. She wished she could ask about what happened to her father, why they had separated, but Taja knew that her mother would call the guard at the sight of her daughter.
Taja’s heart was heavy as she closed the door. But as soon as she saw Phelan standing across the nearly deserted street, the young woman smiled.
“Are you ready?” he asked as she reached him. Her smile widened as she nodded. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”
She pulled on his hand as he turned. “What about your stuff?”
He looked down at her and pulled her closer. “I can get it any time. It’s just a short flight from anywhere else.” He gave her a smile as he took her things and tucked them into a bag on his other side.
Taja leaned her head against his warm chest and together they walked without urgency toward the gate.
By late morning, the pair had made their way into the farms of the realm. The palace looked considerably smaller from where they stood eating a small breakfast Phelan had acquired on the way out of the city.
Taja looked at the city where she had spent her entire life. It seemed unreal. Illyrian had always been her home, and it had never occurred to her that it would ever be anything else. “21 years.”
Phelan turned to look at her, a bite of food in his mouth. His eyes asked the question his mouth couldn’t.
“I’ve lived there 21 years.” She laughed a little. “21 years today.”
He swallowed, “Did you move here 21 years ago?”
She looked at him. “I was born here 21 years ago.”
“Oh.” His eyes looked her up and down. “I thought you were older.”
It was something no one had ever said to her. Taja shook her head. “Are you saying I look old?”
He pulled her head toward him and kissed the top of it. “Not at all. Pixies are notorious cheaters when it comes to guessing age. It makes it difficult for the rest of us to know what looks old for a pixie and what is youthful. I guess you have more human, though.” His smile was cute.
Taja brushed a crumb from the corner of his mouth, then rested her head against him. “I wonder if they have noticed I’m gone yet.”
“Not yet.” He took another bite, finishing off his breakfast. “You should finish yours.” Phelan pointed at her sandwich. “We’ll need to get moving soon.”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“I would like to get you as far from here as possible because – ah.” He turned to look at the city. “There. They definitely know now.”
Taja looked at the city. Nothing appeared to have changed. “How do you know?”
He closed his mouth and pointed to his ear, then he winked at her.
She stood up and brushed off her clothing, a light skirt and comfortable cotton shirt. “You can hear?”
He winked at her again. “Come on. We’ve got places to be.”
“Where are we going?” she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.
Phelan took her empty hand and looked at the sky. “I have some business in Accident.”
“Accident? Isn’t that a little town near the Scythian border?” She sounded surprised.
“Yes. Does that bother you? I can find somewhere else for you to stay while I take care of a few things.”
“No,” she gripped his hand tighter. “I was just curious. I’ve never been so far from here.”
“It’s pretty up there. Cold, but beautiful.” He squeezed her hand. “You must be tired, so let’s get moving and turn in early.” Instead of walking along the road, Phelan pulled her toward the forest.
“Why are we going into the forest?” Her heart was beating a little faster because there were horror stories about what happened in the forest outside of Illyrian. “Monsters and beasts roam wild in there.”
He looked down at her with a sly smile. “Finish your food.”
“You aren’t worried?” She pushed the rest of her sandwich in her mouth.
“Should I be?” His pace was quick and his words dismissive.
“You don’t even have any weapons!” she said, her voice full of concern. “I don’t want something to happen to you.”
“Happen to me?” His voice was shocked for a moment, then he burst out laughing. “I am always armed.” There was a glint in his eyes. “And can you really imagine there being a creature in here that is scarier than a dragon?”
Taja’s mouth formed an O as she looked at him. She had entirely forgotten about his shifting ability. Without warning, he leaned over and gave her a kiss. She leaned into it as she tasted the sausage from his breakfast. She giggled when he pulled back.
He looked at her and shook his head. “Come on. We need to get somewhere so we can properly celebrate your birthday.” Gently he pulled her toward the forest.
The End