25. Chapter 25
Serephina hovered over Izzy’s human form that lay on the chaise and undressed Izzy’s body down to bra and panties.
“Excuse me! What are you doing?” Izzy asked, arms crossed.
Izzy had made it a habit to stay close to her body when in the library. Serephina had threatened to write something on Izzy’s forehead on more than one occasion to make her take a break. It seemed like the woman ate six times a day, and she expected Izzy to do the same.
“Daxton wanted you in hiking gear, so I’m dressing you.” Serephina struggled to slip a green tank top over Izzy’s arms.
A jolt shot through Izzy straight to her curling lips. She calmed her expression. “What entitled you to not consult me before you stripped me?”
“This is quicker than just arguing with you.”
Izzy attempted to still her shaking fingers. She would not be excited at the prospect of spending time with Daxton. “Do you know what is on his agenda?”
“He didn’t say, but I’m sure you can guess.” Serephina sounded exasperated as she dressed a tan button-up blouse over the tank top.
That man was obviously up to no good.
Serephina eyed a pair of cargo pants, and Izzy bit the inside of her lip. Body buzzing with longing, she couldn’t resist the urge to return. Connecting spirit to human flesh, she opened her eyes and stuck her hand out to Serephina.
“Hand them over,” Izzy said.
Serephina startled back a step but gave Izzy the pants. “You must want to go, huh?”
“Hardly.” She pulled the pants on, and they fit snugly around her waist. “This is a faster way to get rid of you.”
Serephina huffed. Izzy lay on the chaise and concentrated back on her spirit. The bands of energy connecting her spirit to her body strained and radiated heat when she tried to pull away. Not this again. Her chest tightened. Why is this so hard?
Separating from her body had been nothing more than a thought, but after the intimacy between her and Daxton, it felt like pulling her feet from mud. A blue aura bolstered her once yellow energy strands in her Spirit Cavity—the link to Daxton.
She yanked free and rose from her body in spirit form. Her spirit ached, limbs heavy in an unfamiliar way. The spirit connection strained against her mind, tugging at her to return.
“Seriously? You left your body already?” Serephina stepped out of her way.
Izzy plopped onto a nearby chair, wedged her finger into the book, and spread it wide.
Serephina sighed. “I know you act like your friend almost being murdered isn’t a big deal, but it is. Please, just try to enjoy yourself.”
Izzy waved in acknowledgment, eyes on her book as Serephina’s footsteps faded. She wanted to stay away from Daxton for a while longer until she could process her inability to shut off her emotions around him. She cursed and forced herself to continue reading.
Not long after, Daxton’s presence filled her mind, and his spicy capsaicin-like scent wrapped around her. She turned to watch him stride into the Archives.
Dark denim hugged the musculature of his legs. The straps of his backpack stretched the shirt taut over his broad chest. A damp sweat spot in the center of the gray T-shirt clung to the mounds of his pecs. A dangerously sexy combination.
Her heart jumped as her perusal reached his intense expression.
His bronze eyes tracked over to her unconscious body lying on the chaise. His lips quirked. If he thinks that just because I’m dressed, I’m going with him—he’s going to be gravely disappointed. As he strode closer to her unconscious form, his warmth drew her spirit, but she held her ground.
“Do you have an update on Simon and the Archfiends?” she asked, keeping her voice even.
“Simon is safe with Raz. The other Rogues are gathering information on Agent Yuller to see if we can track the Archfiends down that way. I was working with Jamal this morning to hunt down their trail.”
He bent down and brushed a strand of hair from her human body’s face.
A shiver raked down her frame, and her human body moved. Thoughts of her research on his blood flew from her mind. He was distracting her again. “Thank you for the update. You can leave now.”
“I thought you could use a break,” he said, glancing back at her.
“And if I need one, I’ll take one.”
His eyes gleamed. “Is that beautiful blush of yours for me?”
She touched her cheeks. They were warm. How am I blushing?
“Any number of emotions can cause adrenaline to flush the cheeks,” she said.
“I won’t deny there is attraction here, but I know the role phenylethylamine plays as it triggers a release of dopamine and norepinephrine, stimulating infatuation.
Simple deduction: my body is betraying me because of chemical reactions I cannot control. ”
“Your body is betraying you?” His few strides brought him so close that, with a twitch of her finger, she could’ve touched his arm.
Warmth radiated all the way to her ears. Her breath hitched, and his gaze locked hers into place. His dragon seemed to swim in the shifting molten bronze of his eyes.
“Doesn’t it feel good?” he asked. “Make you invigorated? Get your head out of the molecules, Izzy. Come have fun with me. Or would you rather feel nothing at all?”
She swallowed and took a step back from this man who turned her insides around. She’d tried to settle her thoughts all day, but he blew them away with just one look. His gaze lingered on her lips, unsettling her even more.
He stood waiting as she regained her composure.
“If I go, can I stay in this form?” she asked.
The look he cast caused her spirit to smolder. She recalled the words he’d told her on the plane—I could teach you to love your body.
“Wouldn’t you rather enjoy feeling the sun on your skin? Taste the mountain air on your tongue?”
Longing pulled at her to return to her human body. “Daxton…”
He caressed her cheek. “We don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to . But all I’m asking is to get to know you better.”
Her heart stuttered at the raw look in his eyes. Despite Fotios’s words, she wanted to learn about him too. She touched her human neck and transferred to it in a flash of light.
She woke and stood, the soreness in her spirit dissipating. Unable to meet his gaze, she waved her hands, prompting him to move.
She followed him out of the greenhouse. With her lungs full of excitement, she walked out into the hot afternoon sun. She glanced around, shielding her eyes from the glare. A few people were walking toward the barracks.
“Head to the forest to your right—behind the library,” Daxton said, guiding her with a hand on her back.
She took a deep breath, pine air filling her nostrils, then headed in that direction. “Keiran didn’t make any demands about me walking around Pentros?”
“Only that someone had to accompany you.”
When they breached the forest edge, Daxton took the lead.
Deep in the foliage, peace wrapped around her.
After being in the library for so long, the sun and fresh cool air felt energizing.
They reached a worn rock path. The bright colors of moss, ferns, and conifers dazzled in the sunny atmosphere.
Her mind worked as she gazed around, naming the trees and plants.
Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, Cornus canadensis…
The sunlight warmed her face, and she breathed clarity into her mind. “It’s such a beautiful day.”
Daxton grinned. “You wouldn’t happen to be enjoying your human body, now, would you?”
Her jaw locked as she tried to keep her smile to herself. “Don’t push it.”
His laughter sounded magical. The smell of earth and woods overloaded her senses. She wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the experience while in her spirit body. Everything would’ve been muted—a grayscale film, not full HD. Yes, she had to admit: she enjoyed being in her human body.
Daxton took the lead again. Her lethargic muscles screamed. To distract herself, she watched the powerful man in front of her. The back of his short-cropped hair glistened with a slight dampness.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.” He smirked.
His contagious happiness tempted a shy smile from her. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she allowed silence to fill the space between them.
Tree limbs rustled as the spring air brushed past them and tickled her face. Branches shifted as a squirrel leaped from one tree to another. Birds called to each other. She absorbed the ambiance with renewed pleasure.
She enjoyed the unique experience of following a predator in the woods.
Daxton moved with ease, steps nearly silent when compared to her clambering.
He anticipated logs and brushwood, moving around the barriers with ease.
He was one with his surroundings, like he was one with his dragon side.
She tripped over another root, caught herself, and sighed.
Though she wouldn’t be graceful in the forest, she longed to have a similar connection with herself.
In most of her lives, she was an oddball among her kind.
She belonged with books in a library, but they couldn’t give her the sense of companionship she needed.
Daxton had been accepting of her. Even her abrasive nature hadn’t pushed him away, and he found her mind attractive.
He never made her feel weak but seemed to want to help her become stronger.
He felt like the puzzle her pieces fit into.
Her pragmatic mind said she was making a wide stretch, but for once, she didn’t want to listen.
“You getting tired?”
She gazed up as Daxton’s distant voice called back to her. Daydreaming, she’d slowed her pace. It didn’t surprise her that she was out of breath and her ligaments ached with each bend.
“I’m enjoying the view,” she murmured.
He gave her a coy grin. Her heart skipped.
“We’re here,” he said.
Izzy’s eyes narrowed. Was he playing with her? The scenery hadn’t changed. Wait, was that rushing water? She stood on her tiptoes but couldn’t see past his tall frame. He walked closer to her.
“It’s just over the ridge.” He motioned behind him, where a slight incline lay.
With a huff, she walked past him. With legs like jelly, she worked her way up the ridge. Daxton climbed behind her. When she crested the edge, air whooshed from her lungs.
A gentle waterfall cascaded across from them.
It flowed down like silken webs over jagged metamorphic rocks.
The fifteen-foot drop poured into a large pool of water leading into a stream.
Green shrubbery and lichen ran rampant down the sides of the cliff.
Aspen trees with white bark stood tall beside the stream.
Undisturbed, they created a dense upper canopy.
A thin layer of rocks, grasses, and ferns created a breathtaking undergrowth.
“Was it worth leaving the library?” Daxton’s shoulder brushed hers. His heat radiated over her body in a gentle caress.
Her head bobbed. I never want to go back.