Page 6 of Urn My Love

Not willing to let her see how she affected me, I rolled away from her and stood. Folding my wings against my back, I shifted so that they disappeared and made my way back to my soaked sleeping bag.

“We should get on the trail. The lodge is only about two hours away, and the sooner I can drop you off there, the sooner I can return to my business.”

It was a lie. I had nowhere on earth I needed to be. Most of my days were spent guarding the gryphon pride, or taking the odd job that was too messy for the various government militaries to get involved in officially.

I’d been well-compensated over the decades and had spent very little, so I could afford to never work another day for the rest of my very long life. But she didn’t need to know that.

Without a word, Iolani had rolled to her feet, and I tried not to notice she’d taken her shirt off to free her wings and now wore nothing but a bra from the waist up.

My pants grew tighter, and with a growl, I pulled my shirt on over my head and moved to saddle the horses.

Iwas getting whiplash from how fast this man could shift from gentle giant to grouchy troll. Last night, when I’d rolled over to find myself tucked under the protection of his wing, my heart had swelled with affection.

Just like when I’d been sick, he showed me a tender side of himself, one that was easy to fall in love with. I wasn’t used to being taken care of, because I was the one who protected everyone else.

He’d laid on the ground beside my sleeping bag, with dirt and sticks poking his body as he slept. And since he’d removed his shirt to free his wings, his back had been exposed to the rain and the frigid night air. I gently rested my hand against his chest. His skin was several shades darker than mine, and I paused to admire the beautiful contrast. Beneath my palm, he felt cold, and I’d longed to show him the same consideration toward his comfort as he’d shown toward me.

Careful not to awaken him, I pulled off my shirt and spread my wings. Swallowing hard, I scooted closer to him and wrapped my wing as best I could over his chest and shoulder.

I called for the fiery magic in my chest, using it to raise my temperature until I was the human equivalent of a hot water bottle. In his sleep, August had instinctively hooked his arm over my waist and drew me closer.

At first, my muscles had been stiff with tension, but then I’d given in to the desire to be held for just one night in his arms. Tomorrow he would leave me, but while he slept that night, I could pretend he was mine.

I’d been awakened by his fingers caressing my wing, and I’d been shocked to find it was more intimate than any of the sexual things I’d imagined. When I’d gathered enough courage to stroke his wing, and saw the way his eyes glowed in response to my touch, I’d thought maybe he’d changed his mind.

Maybe he was going to give us a chance.

Then he’d abruptly stood and strode into the woods without so much as a backward glance.

August had claimed he didn’t want the bond because he wasn’t good enough, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was something about me he didn’t like. If I’d been someone different, then would he have loved me?

With a heavy heart, I packed my things and started toward the horses, only to stop when I noticed how soaked his sleeping bag was. Squatting beside it, I ran my hands over the fabric. I sent heat into it, and watched with satisfaction as steam rose, until every last drop of water had evaporated.

When I finished, I headed to my horse and found he’d already been saddled. I looked around for August but couldn’t spot him. Chewing my lip, I debated waiting for him to show, but decided I’d go ahead and hit the trail. He liked to move faster than me, so it wouldn’t hurt to get ahead of him.

Gently tapping my heels and clicking my tongue, I guided the gorgeous buckskin back onto the trail that wound ever higher toward the lodge.

We reached the lodge faster than expected. Probably because my anxiety was pushing me to hurry, and I’d been too distracted to notice the view as we traveled.

Visions weren’t something I’d experienced in Cucalas, and I wasn’t sure why I would have one now. I’d spent hours trying to puzzle it out, and my best guess was my link to Azurea was allowing me to catch glimpses of what she was seeing.

While I could always sense her presence, and know when she was near, this felt different. It was as though an invisible thread was pulling me to the lodge. But maybe that had to do with Earth’s effect on the link that had been created between us when she’d been marked by my magic during our battle so long ago.

Here I was, rushing toward who knew what, and I hadn’t even figured out how I was going to deal with her once I found her. It had taken a lot out of me when I’d beat her the last time, and I wondered how I could do it now while still depleted. I was the queen of the phoenixes, yet Amaryllis was probably stronger than me at that moment.

Shoving aside my concerns, I focused on the feeling in my chest that urged me to hurry.

The lodge seemed deserted when we plodded from the woods into the cleared land surrounding it. Dismounting, I led my horse into the barn beside the lodge. To my relief, a stable hand was inside, busy mucking out a stall.

“If you want to tie up out front, I’ll take care of him and you can head into the lodge and get settled in.” He gave me a wide, welcoming grin. “Gino told me a pair of riders were making the trek up on horseback from their barn to the lodge, so I’ve been waiting on y’all. I bet you two are ready to eat and sleep in a real bed.”

I returned his smile. “Thank you, but I’d like to help. Hosea was such a gentleman the entire ride, so I want to make him comfortable before I go inside.”

“Alrighty. Well, the tack can be hung in the room there”—the man motioned to a small room off to the left—“and the brushes can be found in the baskets there.”

He pointed to large wire baskets nailed to the wall that held various grooming tools. “I’ll get the stalls ready while you two tend to that.”

With a tip of his hat, he strode down the long aisle toward the back of the barn. August appeared at my side, and despite my protests, he removed my saddle. When he finished with mine, he began removing the tack from his handsome horse.

---