Page 25 of The Sapphire Dragon Prince
I didn’t care how many of the farm workers, or the chickens, were watching us. I grasped Misha’s face in my hands and leaned down to slant my mouth over his. He was so beautiful when he was happy and laughing, and I couldn’t help myself.
Better still, he continued to laugh as I kissed him, which only made me laugh as well. There was nothing quite so deliciously amusing as kissing while laughing. It made me want my mate even more, and it also made it harder just to kiss.
Making it harder still was the sudden peck and pull at my ankle as one of the hens grabbed hold of my trousers.
“Oy!” I called down to the hen, annoyed about being parted from my mate but still giddy. “What do you think you’re doing?”
My pretend anger was stopped short at the sight of a single, bright purple feather sticking out from the tail of the chicken pestering me.
Misha gasped as well. “It’s the purple feather,” he said, his voice filled with wonder.
I smiled and let him go. “That was easy,” I said.
I spoke too soon. As soon as I leaned down to grab the chicken so I could pluck its feather, the wily bird jumped awayfrom me, flapping its wings cheekily. I lunged for it, but it leapt even farther away.
“Hurry!” Misha said, laughing again. “Catch it before it gets away.”
I tried to do as he asked, but every time I reached for the bird, it dashed farther from me. Misha chased after it as well, laughing the entire time he did. That in itself encouraged me to continue the chase.
We dashed around the chicken yard like madmen, leaping over some of the other chickens and even a trough of water at one point. The chicken with the purple feather stayed just out of our reach, ducking under a long table at one point and trying to hide in a group of her fellows at another.
The other workers watched with amusement as Misha and I ran and jumped, dodged and crouched, moving almost like we were chickens ourselves as we tried to catch the bird. I’d never heard Misha laugh so loudly or so freely. It made me want to continue the chase for as long as possible just to hear that glorious sound.
The chase came to an end eventually, though. Misha and I managed to corner the chicken against one of the fences. I snatched at it and Misha leapt after it when it tried to flap its way free. It was all for naught and the clever lady managed to evade us, but not before the purple feather dropped from her backside.
“We’ve got it!” Misha shouted in triumph, picking up the feather and holding it up like a trophy. “We’ve got the purple feather!”
He turned to me, his expression bright with victory, then launched himself at me.
I caught my mate in both arms, lifting him so that he could wrap his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck. He didn’t stop there. With the feather still held aloft in one hand, heslammed his mouth over mine, kissing me with far more passion than I would have expected.
I felt that kiss reverberate through every part of me. It filled me with light and hope, not to mention arousal. My mate was clever and spritely when he wasn’t in the grip of his anxiety. He had the stamina of a warrior and the speed and agility of a racer. As we kissed, I felt like he was so many more things than just a timid omega who had been traumatized. As our mouths met and explored each other, I felt as if I held my future in my arms.
“We did it,” Misha said breathlessly when he ended our kiss. “We found the second item. We can do this, Azurus,” he said, looking into my eyes with excitement and hope. “We can complete the quest and break whatever horrible curse I’ve been under, I just know it.”
“We can,” I agreed. And if we broke Misha’s curse, my magic would come back as well.
Chapter
Nine
Misha
Icouldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun. Who would have imagined that chasing chickens around a dirt-packed yard would have brought so much laughter with it? Chickens were ridiculous in their own right, but watching someone as strong and dignified as Azurus lowering himself to their level as we went about our task was one of the most hilarious things I’d seen in a very long time.
“You still have feathers in your hair,” I giggled, pointing at Azurus’s hair as we sat with the other farm workers at the end of our task, enjoying a feast of omelets, toast, and tea as thanks for our labor.
Azurus’s eyebrows went up and he brushed a hand over his head, coming away with a few downy feathers. “I’m not the only one,” he said, shaking his hand out then plucking a few bits of fluff from my head. “You’ve got enough feathers on you that I’m worried you’re starting to molt.”
I laughed out loud. I couldn’t help myself. My soul hadn’t felt so light in ages. It was like the shroud that had covered me had lifted even more. Everything about the quest Queen Gaia had sent us on so far made me feel as though healing were possible. The sunlight I’d found myself in for the last two days and the physical activity was soothing, but more than anything, seeing Azurus happy along with me was wonderful.
I still had the feeling there was something he wasn’t telling me, but at that moment, as we finished up our omelets and drank our tea made with good, pure water from a spring that flowed magically from a fountain off to one side of the farm, it didn’t really matter. We were together, and for the moment, we were happy.
“I really think that Queen Gaia’s spell will actually work to make me whole again,” I said cheerily once we were traveling along the magical path again. “I mean, I believed it before, but I’m starting to reallybelieveit.”
We’d said goodbye to the farm workers, thanking them profusely for allowing us to join them for a time. They’d been so gracious, and even though I was usually wary of strangers, I didn’t feel at all threatened by them. That, if anything, was a step in the right direction. Now, with our packs on our backs again and the road stretching before us, Azurus and I walked on with a spring in our steps.
“Of course Mother’s spell will work,” Azurus said, smiling up at the sun as though it were his mother and he was expressing his gratitude. “Mother has always been there to help us when things are looking down.”
