Page 11 of Bound By Destiny

“Do we have to do this?” I ask for the hundredth time at least.

Dane taps his foot agitatedly. “Listen, I don’t want to be here any longer than you do. But under the Guild’s instructions I have to stay at least three weeks. At least until you learn to fly and all the other things phoenixes need to know, like passing for normal in human society.” He shoots me a leveled look. “Flying isn’t only the most important lesson. It’s also the best one. You don’t want to miss out on it.”

I screw my eyes shut, blocking out this insanely attractive man and the daunting heights he expects me to overcome. Dane probably thinks I’m a coward.

But I’m not a coward. Or at least, I didn’t use to be.

There’s a reason I don’t want to fly. I’m probably the only aviation security expert who’s never set foot in a plane that’s not on the tarmac.

It’s because I’m afraid of the thrill, of the wildness it awakens me – and the consequences I’m left to deal with after. A thrill not too different from the buzz Dane kindles just by standing near me.

“What happens if I resist taking my lessons?”

The corner of Dane’s lips tugs up into an infuriating smirk. “I’ll find ways to force you.” His gaze seems to sweep over me almost hungrily, but maybe it’s just my imagination. “And I won’t give a damn whether you approve of my methods or not.”

I gulp as awareness tingles through my whole body, even my most intimate parts. My nipples strain uncomfortably against the fabric of my top, an moth-eaten shirt I picked to rip two holes for my wings. Horrified, I turn around before Dane can see.

Taking a deep breath, I spread my wings.I can’t escape this,I tell myself with grim realization. Dane won’t leave before I’ve grasped the basics of these blasted lessons. And judging by my body’s reactions, I very much want him near me but suffering another romantic indignity so soon ranks right up there with my desire to crash and burn. Pun absolutely intended.

A breeze, unusual for this part of Arizona, blows through my feathers. The call to fly is nearly irresistible, even if I’m still terrified. I screw my lids shut and let my feet part company with the ground I’ve so firmly latched onto for the past fifteen years.

“That’s it, Destiny! You’re almost there!”

The sensation is nothing short of exhilarating, even more than my memories of sailing through the Colorado mountains, adrenaline pulsing through my veins as I swooped over neverending pines. All my worries are carried away as I let myself drift. My wings adjust to the current of their own accord, with a precision I never would’ve dreamed possible when I was younger and lived for the passion of flying.

The wind picks up. Just a small gust, nothing like the storm that swept it all away, including my common sense. My heart beats a mile a minute, my hair whips across my cheeks, and I’m overcome with an urge to go faster, farther, to dare the impossible. To risk everything just for the thrill of it.

My eyes shoot open. Terror zips through me as I recognize the impulse all too well – it’s the same one that drove me to the biggest mistake of my life so many years ago. I lose momentum and I don’t know what to do with my wings anymore. I flap uselessly but the ground only grows closer, along with the region’s stunning array of cacti.

“Help!” I scream, but I know it’s too late.

My fate is to end up impaled by a thousand needles. Okay, maybe I won’t die. But bursting into flames the way Dane described isn’t high on my list of priorities either.

Just as I brace myself for hell on Earth, something massive and sturdy swoops me away. The scent that accompanies me in my long hours of unconsciousness envelops me – earthy and warm like a smokey campfire.

We land none too gently. I sputter as sand finds its way into my mouth and try to straighten, only to realize that a very broad chest keeps me captive.

“What the hell was that about?” He snarls, handsome features contorted with rage.

I wince. He’s already intimidating in his normal brooding state, but angry Dane looks more feral than any coyote, bighorn sheep or horned toad crawling in the Sonoran desert.

“I lost concentration for a few seconds.”

My eyes narrow as Dane trails a hand over his face. His fingers are quivering with rage, and the vein at his temple pulses dangerously, threatening to burst.

“Calm down. I’m still learning!”

“In four hundred and thirty-eight years of existence, I never saw a phoenix, let alone a bird do such a crazy thing!” He snaps right back. “You just… gave up. I saw it!”

I grimace, because I know that’s what it must’ve looked like from an exterior point of view. And in a way, I guess I did stop myself short – never again do I want to succumb to my own folly.

I look away, embarrassed. “You told me I would always heal no matter what. Why do you care?”

Silence. I venture a peek. Dane’s eyebrows are drawn together in a dark scowl, and he stares blankly at a shrub a couple of feet behind me.

“Because…” His Adam’s apple bobs as I study him in confusion. “Because…” He waves an agitated hand through the air. “Damn it, I don’t know! But I’ll tell you what Idoknow.”

It suddenly occurs to me that we’re dangerously close. Those lips – the very ones I’ve been yearning to kiss each waking minute since I met him – are only a few inches away. I blink. Maybe it’s an optical illusion, but the more I look, the nearer they seem to get.

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