Page 29 of Urn My Love

August turned, storming into the woods, and I couldn’t blame him. Although I knew in my heart if he hadn’t put the wall between us, we would have already claimed each other.

Not wanting to feel the hurt that August’s leaving caused, I glanced at Jazriel over my shoulder. My heart skipped a beat at the raw lust and feral hunger on his face.

He was untamed and wild.

And he was mine… my mate.

Blue tongues of fire licked across my skin as magic swelled in my chest.

“Gorgeous.” Jazriel reached out a hand, holding it just in front of the fire, as though he were asking permission to pet an unfamiliar dog.

My flames responded to his curiosity by rushing across his skin, consuming both of us in a blue column of fire. Setting my knees back down, Jazriel tucked his left arm around my waist and moved the fingers of his right hand to my throat. He gently pulled me toward him until my back was pressed against his chest.

His wings appeared, wrapping me in a feathery cocoon as I tilted my head back against his shoulder and his mouth claimed mine. My leg burned as his magic marked me. Glancing down, I found a trail of hoofprints running up my outer thigh. I was forever his.

Tears blurred my vision, and I wished with all my heart I could mark him like Ryls had marked her mates. I wanted the world to know he was mine, and if they touched a man bearing my mark, they would know to pray that death found them before I did.

To my shock, I watched the column twist and swirl as though caught by a breeze. Jazriel turned me in his arms as we watched it sparkle and dance over our heads. Slowly, a crow-sized bird made of fire emerged. The bird landed on my shoulder, eyeing me for a long moment before giving me a quick nod of its head.

My jaw dropped as it spread its wings and flew directly into Jazriel’s chest. He hissed in pain, but to his credit, he didn’t release me or try to get away.

When my fire slowly faded away, my mouth went dry as I stared wide-eyed at the image of a phoenix emblazoned across his chest.

“So… how do you feel about tattoos?” I asked belatedly.

I’m not saying I hate that horse, but if he’s ever hit by a bus… I’ll be the one driving that bus.

The sun was high in the sky as I smelled the scent of humans a few miles ahead. My pegasus recoiled, pinning back my ears and slowing my pace. I didn’t handle the scent any better than my beast, and fought against the instinct to turn and gallop in the opposite direction.

Pegasus weren’t known for associating with other species on our best days, and nothing in the last couple of hundred years in this world had made me want to change that. I knew my species had their faults, but we also had a strict moral code.

Humans were willing to do anything to get what they wanted.

I was the last of my species. Our ability to roam had been restricted, thanks to the hunters who saw us as trophies, or a status symbol for their estate. Those who hadn’t been killed in a hunt had their souls die because of being confined to ever smaller areas of land out of reach of most humans.

We were not meant to be tamed, and when we were finally broken, both our souls and bodies died.

Now I was heading toward a human dwelling, and everything inside me screamed I should turn around.

But I didn’t because of my mate, who trusted me enough to lie on my back and fall asleep. I was careful to keep my wings pressed tight on either side of her body so she wouldn’t roll off.

It was strange having weight on my back as I’d never been ridden. Even in my drugged state, I’d killed all five men who’d tried to break me during my captivity. And their deaths had been violent, bloody deaths that had earned me weeks of torture.

I was over five hundred years old, and I’d never heard of a pegasus accepting a rider. Then again, I’d never heard of a pegasus coming down off their high horse and taking a mate of another species. Which was likely another reason my species had vanished from existence.

I’d always considered myself unlucky because I was too stubborn to just give up and die like the rest of my brothers and sisters. How wrong I’d been. Getting to meet my mate was worth everything I’d survived.

I wouldn’t have cared what she was—gryphon, shifter, wizard, human—I would have loved her the same. Well, maybe not unicorns. Those uptight pricks had sticks shoved so far up their butts, they stuck out of their foreheads.

But being matched with a phoenix was the last thing I’d expected. Especially since I thought we’d made the critically endangered species list around the same time.

I’d heard the chatter among my captors about the unstoppable tiny phoenix who was basically like a ninja, but with unconventional battle techniques. Personally, I’d thought they were exaggerating. But after seeing the power Iolani had displayed when she’d destroyed every man on the cliff without breaking a sweat, I understood their fear.

Over the past few days, I’d had plenty of time to study and learn about my mate. Should I have told her I could read the minds of most paranormal creatures? Probably.

But after years spent in my pegasus form, I’d become better at gathering information by observing and listening. Humans lacked magic, making it difficult to use my magic to listen to their thoughts. I could gather bits and pieces if I focused hard enough, but it was often garbled and made little sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to my mate’s rambling thoughts. She was incredibly sensitive and tender-hearted for a being of her power.

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