Chapter Thirteen
Birk stepped back about fifteen feet from Lily in order to have enough room to shift. Shielding her eyes from the bright sun, she waited for him to transform. Not that Lily knew much about flying, but the minimal winds seemed like ideal conditions. Later she’d ask him if the rain and gusty conditions made flight more difficult even though his scales were waterproof.
“I’m going to shift now,” Birk warned. “I am rather large in my dragon form, so please don’t freak out.”
“I’ve seen a dragon before. They’ve been flying overhead my whole life,” Lily said.
“Good. Do you remember what to do if you become scared and want me to land?”
She sighed. They’d been over this several times. “Yes. One squeeze on your talon means slow down or level off, and two squeezes mean I’m done and want you to land right away.”
He grinned. “You got it. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Determined not to be afraid, Lily pictured the eternal flame and the tiny blonde woman in the hopes of finding answers. Nessa had told her how incredible and helpful Fay had been to her and Kyle. While the woman’s message had been rather cryptic, it had provided just enough information for Nessa to figure out who was after them.
Wind swooshed across Lily’s face. One minute, Birk was human, and the next, he was this soaring mass of black and ruby scales. Holy shit! He was huge—bigger than Kyle in fact. She couldn’t imagine growing that large in mere seconds. It had to hurt.
Birk reached out slowly, and Lily grabbed hold of his talon. They’d discussed whether she wanted to be cradled against his chest or face downward in order to watch the landscape pass by.
For her trial run, she chose to face upward. Birk lifted her up, but before she was mentally ready, he burst upward. Wind swept her hair from her face, and the pressure from the change in gravity caused her to grip his talons harder and her heart to shoot to her throat. It was almost like the first time she’d gone downhill on a rollercoaster. Everything in her body freaked out for a bit.
Lily could almost hear Birk’s comforting words about how he’d never dropped anyone, and that helped her relax—somewhat. Concentrating on his chest, she forced herself to breathe evenly. Thankfully, heat from his body took away the chill from being this high up.
For the next few minutes, Birk flew parallel to the ground, and Lily eventually released her death grip—that was until he headed downward again. She swore she was falling. Tapping his talon twice was useless since he was headed to the ground anyway.
Trying to be brave, she thought about the lovemaking from last night and the look in Birk’s eyes when she’d taken off her red lace push-up bra. She loved how his irises had changed colors several times. Usually when he was excited, they were pure turquoise, but this time swirls of green and amber had skidded across the surface.
Birk set her down before she realized he’d landed. A bit disoriented, she clasped his claw for a moment before letting go. He needed to shift back, so she stepped away from him. Seconds later, he was human again.
“How was it?” He leaned forward, his body language implying he was anxious.
“Good. It was a bit nerve wracking at first, but when I let my mind wander to other things, I was fine.”
“Does that mean you’re ready for your hour-long trip? I want to make sure my grip wasn’t too tight.”
He was the most thoughtful man. “No, it was perfect.”
He grinned. “Face up or face down this time?”
Lily was brave but not that brave. “Face up going there. I might change my mind for the return trip.”
Birk stepped closer. “I’d kiss you right now, but if I start…”
She laughed. “You won’t be able to stop. I know.”
Probably because he didn’t trust his dragon, Birk moved back and then shifted once more. This time when he swooped her up and took off, Lily was far more comfortable with the increase in speed.
After several minutes of being in the air, she looked over her shoulder at the ground below, and to her delight the view didn’t disorient her. In fact, from this high up, the landscape was spectacular. A girl could get used to this mode of transportation.
Sooner than she thought possible, Birk landed and then shifted once more. It was hard to believe an hour had passed.
He rushed up to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be? I didn’t squirm or cry out, did I?”
His shoulders sagged. “No. Did you enjoy the flight?”
She loved his hopeful expression. “Totally.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”
She rubbed his arm. “Me too.”
“We’ll have to walk a bit before we reach the flame. I couldn’t fly any closer because of all the trees.”
“I figured.”
The path was flat and easy to navigate. Nessa had said she and Kyle had spotted no one on the trail, but this time two couples, one with two teenagers in tow, passed them. When she and Birk arrived at the sacred spot, Lily was a little disappointed at the less than spectacular fountain. Four pipes protruded from the mountain face, each with water flowing out of them that fed a small pool. In front, and slightly to the side, was a large cement bowl that contained the eternal flame.
While the size of the flame was impressive, there wasn’t a fairy or a blonde woman around anywhere, and there weren’t any fireflies either—something else Birk had said he’d seen the last time he’d visited.
He led her to the fountain. “The last time I made a wish, Fay appeared. Maybe that’s how we contact her.”
“It would be fun to make a wish anyway.”
Birk handed her a coin. “Close your eyes, make a wish, and then toss in the coin.”
With the metal pressed against her palm, Lily faced the fountain and tried to picture those lost souls trapped in the jail. I hope Birk and his family can find a way to save them.
Once she mentally spoke her desire, she opened her eyes and tossed in the coin. There were several other different denominations at the bottom of the pool. She spun around and looked deep into the forest, waiting for Fay to arrive.
“Where is she?” Lily asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe she has the day off.”
That was lame. “I doubt that. She appeared for Kyle and Nessa.”
Birk placed a hand on the small of her back. “Let’s read the inscription on the flame. I didn’t get a chance to look at it the last time.”
For the next few minutes they read about the four provinces and their pledge to remain allies. “Do you think the provinces decided to unite because they believed Earth or Cargonia would challenge them?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe if we run into Fay again, we can ask her.”
All of a sudden, a strange buzzing sound came from down the pathway. They both turned at once and watched a swarm of pinpoint lights come toward them. Birk stepped slightly in front of Lily. A moment later, the individual pinpricks grouped together and transformed into a small, blonde woman.
A beautiful creature, full of light herself, smiled and held out her hand to Birk. “Nice to see you again.” She faced Lily. “And this must be your mate.”
“Yes, this is Lily Harper.” Birk wrapped an arm around Lily’s waist.
“Nice to meet you Lily—I’m Fay Forrester. I trust Birk has been keeping you safe?” Fay asked as sweet as could be.
Lily’s lips wouldn’t move. She’d never seen anyone like Fay before.
“I’m trying to,” Birk said. “We came because Lily was hoping to meet you.”
Finally, her breath returned to her lungs. “Yes. We were curious if you learned anything more about the men who want to harm me.”
Fay shook her head. “Information comes to me in waves. It’s not like I have Internet service here and can type in my question.”
Her comical answer relaxed Lily. “I understand. I do have one more thing to ask, and it doesn’t require that kind of knowledge.”
Fay’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be happy to help if I can.”
“There are people—white lighters we believe—who are trapped in the basement of the Royal castle. They are being held in order for the Royals to steal their magic.” Lily told her about Kaleena and Finn’s remarkable rescue.
“I did hear about that. It was tragic.”
That was all she could say? “Is there anything Birk and his family can do to save them?” Or anything you can do?
“You sound very passionate about them. Do you know any of them personally?”
“No, but I can imagine what it would be like being trapped—especially if I did nothing wrong. I’m not a shifter, and I have no power, but if I did, and someone wanted to mess with it, I’d be terrified and quite upset.”
“I see.” Fay turned around and strolled toward the forest. She stopped and then spun back. “I might have a solution.”
Lily’s pulse soared. “What’s that?”
“How would you like to save them?”
Laughter burst out of her. “Me? Not only is the underground part of the castle a maze, I have no powers.”
“What if you did?”
Lily didn’t know how to answer.
Fay moved closer. “What if I told you that I could give you the power of invisibility one time? And that whatever you touched would become invisible too? That way, you could sweep in, unlock the cells, and lead the prisoners out.”
Had Birk not had his arm around her waist, she might have collapsed. “For real?” She looked up at him to see his reaction.
“If someone bumped into her, would they know she was there?” Birk asked, his voice coming out hard.
“Yes, but in the time it took this person to react, Lily could move out of harm’s way.”
Her mind spun. Finding the prisoners was a daunting enough task, let alone freeing them, but if she were invisible, it might be possible.
“When would this spell start?” Birk asked, his voice lower.
Fay lifted something from her pocket. It was an amulet of some sort, and she handed it to Lily. “It’s not a spell in the traditional sense. If you place this over your heart and say the words: pure of soul, kind of heart, I shall be free to do my part, the power of invisibility will begin.”
Birk slid one of Lily’s hands into his.
The chant sounded rather hokey to her, but she had nothing to lose. “Once I’m invisible, how do I change back to being seen again?”
“To go from invisible to visible, place the stone over your heart once more and repeat the chant. After you use the amulet, the next time you return, give it to me so I can offer it to someone else.”
“Of course.” Her heart pounded as she squeezed the metal piece tightly in her palm. She looked up at Birk. “What do you think?”
He let go of her hand and cupped her face. “It’s up to you, baby, but I think we can come up with a plan to make this work, if that’s what you want. Since it only works once, maybe you want to use it if you are ever captured by Toma’s men.”
Lily shook her head. “No, I have you to protect me. I want to do some good with my new power.”
Fay smiled. “Then enjoy your day of being a rescuer.”
Lily didn’t know how to thank her. “May I hug you?”
Fay spread her arms. “All creatures need to be appreciated.”
The embrace that followed was warm and wonderful. “Thank you,” Lily said.
“My pleasure. Now, if you two are worried about being safe, there is a cabin not far from here where you can relax. The fireflies will make sure nothing happens to you. We fairies use it all the time.”
Heat swamped her. “It is your cabin?” Lily blurted.
“For today, it’s yours.”
It didn’t seem as if Fay was going to give out any more information. “I don’t know what to say.”
Fay laughed. “No need to say anything. Enjoy the natural beauty of our forest here. I have no doubt you have a few ideas of your own on how to spend the rest of your day at the cabin together.”
Lily understood very little, but she was thrilled. “Thank you for everything, Fay!”
As quickly as she appeared, the fairy turned into a small winged creature and then disappeared into pinpricks of light.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Lily said with total awe.
“I hadn’t either. Ready to find this cabin?” Birk asked.
“You bet. Besides, the walk will give me some time to come to grips with what just happened. I can’t believe I saw a fairy appear and disappear into what looked like fireflies. And then I learned I could appear and disappear at will—at least one time. It’s overwhelming.”
“I imagine it would be.”
“Let’s not forget, I had my first ever dragon flight today too. I’ll be marking this day on my calendar.”
Birk stroked her arm. “I’ve interacted with the Four Sisters of Fate on several occasions, so being able to give you this kind of ability shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. As for this being a red-letter day, I’m hoping to make it even more memorable.” He winked.
Her heart nearly jumped out of her body from the sheer joy racing through her. Lily stuck her hand in her pocket and rubbed her thumb over the surface of the amulet to make sure she still had it.
Less than fifteen minutes later, they arrived at an adorable white wooden cottage. It had green shutters and a porch with pink and green rocking chairs on it.
“Let’s look inside,” Birk said. “I bet we can think of something fun to do.”
Lily laughed. “Do you think of anything besides sex?”
His mouth opened. “How can you ask me that? I think about your safety, your comfort, if you’re happy, and—”
She smiled and held up a hand. “I was only teasing you. Come on.”