Chapter 13 Flight From Hell #2
Nyree thinking of him instead of others. “No, you need to fly. It will help you stabilize and decrease the effect of the moonlust.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll wait here until I can move. I must fly too, even if it’s painful.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Never. I’ve never had problems with shifting or flying before, never suffered this agony. My gut says if I try to avoid flying and shifting, the symptoms will become worse.”
“This is not a common phenomenon,” Nyree said.
“Have you ever heard of a warrior encased in a stone curse? No, me neither,” he muttered.
Nyree nuzzled his neck, taking care to graze his black scales with gentle pressure instead of causing him further pain. “I get your point.”
“Fly. Enjoy the full moon. You need to steady your dragon. Let me worry about myself.”
“No, I—”
“Please, Nyree. Just do as I ask.”
Nyree brushed her nose against his in the taniwha form of a hongi.
Then, she backed up and propelled herself upward, her black wings flapping slowly and gradually increasing in speed. She lifted with a sexy twitch of her tail, and Tāwera’s heart went with her. This woman slayed him with her beauty, her generosity, her selfless help to a confused Māori warrior.
Tāwera stretched his neck and moaned softly at the arc of pain that darted toward his tail. He swallowed hard, every one of his instincts telling him to curl into a ball and give in to the torment. He fought with his mind while scarcely daring to breathe.
Was it the curse again? Was he going to lose everything? Lose Nyree when he’d just found her?
No.
He refused to let that happen. Tāwera forced himself to move in small increments.
He gritted his teeth and attempted to center his mind as he used to do when he was shifting.
The agony didn’t lessen, but it didn’t become worse either.
He continued to pull up a screen, brick by brick, until the wall surrounded him.
The instant he completed the barrier, the pain deadened, and he took a deep, sustaining breath.
Next, Tāwera focused on pushing out the walls and giving himself more space.
He needed to fly and join Nyree as she soared through the sky. A sliver of determination jumped into the gap where the discomfort had been.
Tāwera expanded his lungs, focused his mind once again, and leaped into the air. He ignored the flash of soreness as he beat his wings. The pain continued, jabbing at his confidence and pushing him to return to land. No stopping because he suspected after a halt, he’d have difficulty trying again.
“Tāwera, move your wings faster,” Nyree instructed. “Push yourself harder, or else your body won’t lift.”
Tāwera focused on her sweet voice and attempted to follow her instructions.
It hadn’t been this difficult last time.
He increased the speed of his wings and almost cried out when his bulky body rose.
Every flap of his wings brought a wince, but at least he was flying, and he was with Nyree.
He focused on her scent and the friendship they’d forged since they’d met.
He recalled the conversations they’d had, and most of all, he remembered the way she’d fit in his arms. The way her mouth moved against his and how much he wanted to hold and touch her again.
His body rose, and with this came relief.
Nyree, his lodestone.
His everything.
The more effort he put into flying, the easier he pushed back against the torture in his bones and muscles. He soared toward Nyree, his heart still full of that determination and now joy because he was beating this sudden handicap of his.
With Nyree at his side, he could do anything. He firmly believed this, which meant he must fight for her, fight this stupid curse and walk with confidence into the future.
“You’re doing great,” Nyree said. “Is the pain gone?”
“No, it’s still there, but it’s more manageable.” Thanks to Nyree.
“Are you ready to fly farther?”
“Yes,” he said, confidence shading his words when he wasn’t sure he had the strength to swat a gnat.
“Fly at my side. I want to make sure you’re okay before I soar at will.”
“Go. I will fly for a bit longer and wait for you by our clothes.” It might take him a while to shift again—he needed to find his nerve after this disaster.
“Are you certain?” Once again, concern filled her words.
“Go ahead.” He forced out the words when he wanted to demand she stay with him. It was what Rāwiri would’ve done, and immediately, Tāwera fought the impulse. Without warning, he dropped. A startled roar escaped him. Flames shot from his open maw even as he struggled to control his plummet.
“Tāwera!”
Nyree’s voice forced through his panic, and he pulled out of the plunge seconds before he collided with a wall of rock.
“What were you thinking?” Her shout slapped some sense into him, and he directed his body away from the rock face.
Tāwera shook his massive head, shocked by his near-miss. His thoughts scrambled as he admitted he wasn’t himself. “I think I have flown enough. My energy has faded.”
“I’ll come back now too,” Nyree said. “We can fly again tomorrow.”
Tāwera made a noncommittal sound through their mind-bond while he battled his worry. He’d thought he’d escaped the curse, but something was very wrong.
Tāwera thought back. He’d felt fine earlier in the day—this afternoon. Yes, it was only this evening when sluggishness had crept upon him. At first, he hadn’t noticed or recognized the signs. It was when he’d shifted the full effects had struck him over the head.
Instead of worrying, he focused on each wing beat.
Not much farther to go now. To his left, he spotted three lights glowing from the settlement.
The rest of the island lay in blackness, the wind and the sea creating the only sounds.
The waves whooshed to shore, curling and crashing against rocks. One more wing beat. Another.
Exhaustion turned his limbs and body to onerous weights, and he struggled to continue.
“Tāwera, keep going. We’re almost there. Another five minutes at most.”
Apprehension carried in her voice, spiking his own anxiety because he didn’t think he’d make it. They skimmed the landscape, barely clearing the peaks.
“Keep flying,” Nyree said, her voice calmer this time. “I can see the spot where we took off.”
Tāwera strained to exert force with his wings. He remained in flight but barely cleared the craggy rocks littering the landscape. He couldn’t avoid the next pile of stones, and he grunted as they gouged his stomach. For an instant, his wings ceased flapping.
He struck the ground and landed in a heap, too stunned to feel anything except shock.
“Tāwera, are you okay?” Nyree landed beside him and shifted. “Turn over. No, even better, try to shift.”
“Can’t.”
“You haven’t even tried,” she snapped. “Shift right now.” She pinched the tender skin under his belly hard enough to make him groan. “Move now.”
He tried to push past the pain, but the fiery agony robbed him of his focus.
“Tāwera! I will not lose you. You will not die while I’m here.
I saved you from the curse, and you have to get past this.
You have an entire life to live. You have an opportunity—a second chance—and if you do nothing, you’re throwing it away.
” She kicked him in the ribs as if to emphasize her point.
He grunted. “That hurt.”
“Then you know you’re still alive.”
Excellent point, and she was right. He couldn’t lie here like a rock. Nyree had to return and rest before work the next day.
When the pain evened out to a tolerable level, he visualized his two-legged form and locked onto the image.
This time pressure pushed at him, and he almost lost his focus.
A bit longer. Hold it for a little longer.
Once you return to your human form, you’ll be okay.
Nyree can help you get back to her place.
Nyree placed her hand on his back, and her touch centered him.
The pain receded enough for him to concentrate on his shift.
Suddenly, he was more human than taniwha, the more troublesome part of the change done.
He continued to pour his will into the transformation, and his form condensed, morphing into his human body.
“Great job,” Nyree said. “Here are your clothes. You’d better dress fast before you shiver again.”
His hands shook so badly that Nyree helped him to stand. Once again, her proximity aided him to stabilize, and when her palm cupped his shoulder, his throbbing faded.
This time, his groan was one of pleasure. “Your touch makes the torment vanish.”
She cocked her head. “Are you certain it’s not the shift giving you relief?”
“Stand back. I can manage my clothes on my own.” He stepped into his trousers before she released her grip on his shoulder.
Nyree backed up, and the explosion of pain took him out at the knees.
She frowned as she rushed to his side. “You know what this reminds me of?”
“No.” Tāwera panted out the reply.
“I once saw a woman with an extreme case of moonlust. She refused to masturbate for relief, and because of her religious convictions, she would not have sex before marriage. Flying wasn’t possible for her, and she suffered in the same way as you.”
“But I flew,” Tāwera said. “It was painful, so much so that it was difficult to remember to move my wings. Shifting should counteract the moonlust.”
Nyree grasped his arm, and the warmth emanating from her body eased most of the agony. She helped him pull his T-shirt into position and continued with the physical contact while he laced up his shoes. “Perhaps the curse has interrupted how moonlust affects you?”
Tāwera scowled. “You think Rāwiri’s curse is clinging to me?”
“It’s a theory. Come on. Let’s go home.” She clasped hands with him. “I’m starving. We can eat an energy bar while we walk.”
They scrambled down the hill, retaining physical contact the entire way. Once they reached flat ground, Nyree pulled the energy bars from her pocket and handed one to Tāwera.
“I’m going to release your hand. Maybe you haven’t eaten enough.”
Tāwera didn’t think this was the case. He opened his mouth to refute her suggestion and thought better of it.
Nyree was right. They should try every variation and rule out each possibility one by one.
He accepted the bar she handed him and bit down.
It was chewy and full of fruit. Sweetness burst across his tongue.
“The food is much sweeter than I am used to,” he said.
“Sugar is a problem in the modern world. On average, people are taller and bigger than our ancestors. You fit in with your height and breadth.”
“I was larger than most of the warriors, but I thought my taniwha heritage was responsible for my size.”
“A possibility,” Nyree agreed. “Has eating helped?”
“I’m about the same.” He released her hand and walked at her side rather than touching her.
The pain level shot upward, and he grimaced. It wasn’t as sharp as before, but gradually, it would overwhelm him again. He groped for her hand, the relief instantaneous.
“Interesting,” Nyree said.
Yes, it was fascinating, and he could think of one more thing they hadn’t tried this evening. He turned to her and spotted the knowledge in her expressive eyes.
“Sex,” he said.