Page 15 of Bound By Fire and Magic
“So, you were sneaking off alone to protect me?”
“Yes. Walking in and seeing that thing fighting you…”
He actually smiled. “Scared you. Because you do care about me.”
“Of course I care about you. I did love you once, and I don’t want you dead.”
“You care about me. It’s a start.” He pulled his shirt on. “Let’s go talk to this god of yours.”
She blew out a sharp breath. “Fine.”
They both sank into their thoughts on the drive over, Elle’s dark and conflicted. Kirin’s too, given his expression.
As soon as he got out of the car at the factory, he stiffened. “It’s here. Even heavier than before.”
“Great. We probably pissed it off.”
She pulled out her keys and headed toward the front entrance. The energy changed as soon as they stepped into the reception area. Shadows came to life, whispering near her ear, “Woooomannnn.” Goose bumps flared, and she jerked to the side and into Kirin.
“Did you hear that?” she hissed.
His gaze speared the darkness. “No, what?”
Had it said “woman”? She felt the cold air sucking past her. Breathing her, as though it were or…sniffing her. So creepy! “It’s here. I mean, right here.”
In seconds, Kirin had stripped out of his clothes and Catalyzed, nostrils flaring and head moving back and forth to sense the creature. In both human and Dragon form, his jaw was sharp. Although his eyes became catlike with vertical slits, she still saw Kirin’s eyes in there, too.
She created a blue orb for its power as well as the glow it cast over the room. “I don’t feel the creepy energy now.”
“It moved back, but it’s still here.”
She eyed the darkness, wishing it would make itself visible. Then again, maybe not. It seemed the tulpa was gathering strength to materialize again. “If my dad used driftwood to summon Goron, maybe there’s some left. I didn’t see any in his office, so let’s check in the shop.”
Kirin was light on his feet and graceful for a creature larger than her horse. He pressed close to her, his scales cool and smooth against her arm. The spines along his elegant back stood straight up like flames. His “feathers” were rigid rather than flat against his head. Smoke wafted from his nostrils with each rough breath. He was in full fight mode.
“I’ll watch, you search.” Kirin’s voice, only lower and rougher.
He moved like a feline predator, shoulders prominent with each step, back feet stepping exactly where his front feet had been. Kirin’s scales reflected the orb’s light in a muted glow. She did feel safer with him. She also felt afraid for him. Get in, get out, before the tulpa materializes.
She took in the huge space. Where would she hide wood? She walked to the far right corner, where four shelves were stacked against each other. She searched the shelves, then saw several dark, oblong things that looked like snakes way back on the bottom shelf. A good place to hide something. She crawled through the bottom shelves to the one in the back.
Please don’t be snakes. Or snake tulpas, if there was such a thing.
Her orb floated nearby as she reached the back shelf, illuminating a stack of thin branches.
“Found it.” She grabbed a couple and backed out.
“Good job.”
She wasn’t about to admit she was more nervous about the next part. Then again, she didn’t have to when he said, “You’re nervous.”
“How can you tell?”
“Dragons can pick up the scent of emotion. Fear. Arousal. Even nervousness.”
“Good to know.” She’d definitely have to staunch any kind of emotion around him. “Okay, yeah, I’m a little nervous. I’ve never approached a god before.”
“They don’t exactly like us Crescents. We’re a reminder of their weakness, an abomination of god and human. We are to be tolerated and toyed with, never helped without a price.”
