Page 19 of A Lick of Flame

“I was going to say that you don’t look the part.” His eyes move over me, making my insides flare with heat all over again. “No…not even close.” He grins.

Anger rolls through me. “How do they look if not like me?” I look down at myself, noting that the neckline of this dress is low, showing off the top of my cleavage. I hope that the other garments I so hastily packed are more appropriate. I most certainly do not look like one of Kakara’s ladies. I don’t look modest, either. I realize that my hair is loose about my shoulders. The leather tie is still around my wrist. I ran away. I ran all the way to the Forgotten Caves, and I can’t be blamed for the way I look. Namely, not at all like one of Kakara’s ladies. I look wanton.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Actual sisters look pious, serene, and well-mannered. You don’t look like any of those things. You’re not any of those things. I’m not going to call you Sister, so you may as well tell me your name.”

I won’t give him my name.

I refuse. To allow a fae to hold any kind of power over me, even such a small amount, fills me with anger.

“The children call me Sister at the orphanage; it will do.”

He gets this mischievous look. “Do I look like one of the children at the orphanage, human?”

“This conversation has grown tedious. Surely we need to take our leave? You said it yourself. It’s going to take several days to get to this Windsar Forest. Why are we still here?”

Then, out of the blue, it happens again: I get an image of Raila in my mind, and my temples start to throb in time with my heartbeat.

I hold my head in my hands, and my eyes widen.

“What is it?” Orion asks.

“No! No! No! Not again,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “I can’t take another episode. I can’t!”

“It’s Raila. She’s reaching out to you.” The fae closes the distance between us. “You need to let her into your head.”

“I can’t,” I growl when the pain becomes more intense. “How? How do I do it? Please!”

“You can. Listen to me. Picture her. Let her feelings in. You said longing and sadness. She misses you. Feel it. See her. Acknowledge her.”

I do as he says. At least, I try to do as he says.

“Picture yourself rubbing her scales or tickling her under her chin.”

I smile as I do. I hear her purr. I feel her joy, and the pain starts to lift until my vision clears and I feel like me. In the next moment, I realize that I’m pressed up against Orion. He grips my upper arms in his big hands, pulling me against him. His bright green eyes are hazy with concern. His face is close to mine. Too close. Too intimate. Too much.

“Are you back?” he asks, smiling. His eyes dance, and his whole expression softens. Kakara help me, but he’s even more attractive when he smiles. He gets dimples on either side of his mouth, which is full.

I try to pull away, but he holds me tightly, not letting me go. His chest is hard with muscle.

“Y-yes. I’m fine.” I sound breathless. “I’m…I-I’m fine,” I stammer, feeling anything but fine.

Thankfully, he lets me go, and I can breathe. I clear my throat and smooth my dress.

“Next time it happens, you know what to do. Know that it will get easier and easier to connect with her from a distance. For now, let’s go and say our goodbyes to our dragons.”

Our dragons.

I like the sound of that too much. The thought of breaking my tether with Raila saddens me. I follow him into the cave. My thoughts are a jumbled mess.

9

Orion

We emerge from the mouth of the cave on the other side of the mountain and make our way down the path leading to the base. The silence between us is palpable, only broken by the soft crunch of our footsteps on the rocky terrain. Lichen and moss are the only things that grow on the rugged, desolate landscape. I had almost forgotten how bad it is outside of the fae kingdoms.

I am carrying the spear, a waterskin, and the human’s bag. I almost had to wrestle it from her. The silly woman still won’t tell me her name. She refuses, and I don’t understand why. I’m trying to think of something good to call her, something that will irritate her. I’m not sure why I’m acting this way or why seeing her angry or flustered amuses me as much as it does. Only that it does, so I keep doing it.

“Which way?” she asks as we arrive at the base of the mountain.

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