Chapter Six
August took to the sky, his wings sending leaves and small sticks swirling in the air around us.
I wasn’t sure how he’d found me, but I was beyond thankful he’d shown up when he had. Less than five minutes ago, I’d thought he was going to kiss me, and now he’d left without giving me a chance to say goodbye.
He had to be the most confusing man on Earth. I was new to dealing with the opposite sex, but I was finding them very unpredictable. Maybe it was wiser to continue only having female friends in Cucalas.
“Do you want to go after him?” the man still holding me to him asked.
My cheeks burned as I realized my legs were still wrapped around his waist, and his palms were flattened against my bare butt.
Oh, and we were both completely naked.
“No… I, uh…” I stammered, struggling to string together a coherent sentence. “I’m not usually like this.”
I loosened my legs and slid to the ground, ducking my head. What were you supposed to say when you met your mate for the first time? The man let me go, but caught my chin and lifted my face so he could see my eyes.
“So you’re saying I’ve stirred something in you?” His grin was cocky, but his eyes held a vulnerability, a need to have me confirm I was drawn to him.
I was sure Earth women would know how to handle a situation like this. Perhaps they even have a manual for interactions between partners. I should have talked to Ryls about this.
I went with blunt honesty.
“Yes, you do. I think you’re my mate, but I am new to the mate bond, so maybe I’m mistaken?” I held my breath, waiting for his reaction.
If he denied the bond, it would be the second mate this week to decide we weren’t meant to be.
But his response was the opposite of August’s reaction to meeting me.
“You feel it too!” His arms circled my waist, and he spun me in a circle. “I didn’t think I had a mate, and had given up hope. Then a few weeks ago, I sensed your presence. It gave me a reason to live.”
I smiled up at him. “That’s when I came through the veil to this world.”
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I knew your beauty was out of this world, but I didn’t think it would literally be from outside this world.”
The desire to explore his body and feel his hands on mine stole my breath. If the rustle of his feathers hadn’t caught my attention, I don’t know where things would have gone. Pushing out of his embrace, I moved to inspect the wings that hung limp behind him.
“What did they do to you?” I whispered, gently tracing the edges of one midnight feather.
“Until recently, there were several research facilities that ran experiments on various paranormal species. From what I gather, those were all either destroyed or dismantled by a team of paranormals.” He winced as I gently inspected one of the long, thin gash marks on his side.
Not ready to have that conversation, I murmured softly, “I’ve heard.”
“A few of the more enterprising staff members escaped, taking their favorite research subjects with them. One of those captives was me.”
I circled back to stand in front of him.
“I wish I’d known so I could have found you sooner.” Reaching up, I brushed my fingers across his jaw. “And I wish I could kill them again. More painfully this time.”
He barked a surprised laugh. “You are an unexpected delight. For such an elegant woman, you are terrifying.”
I shrugged. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. Sometimes crap hit the fan in Cucalas and I had to sort it out. I couldn’t be the nice queen all the time.
“What happened to your wings?” I prodded.
His eyes glowed with a mix of fury and pain. “They broke them. It makes it harder to escape if I can’t fly. Thanks to the injections, my magic stays just out of reach and between that and the lack of food, my body can’t heal itself at shifter speeds.”
My stomach pitched violently, and for a moment, I considered reaching out to Hades to see if I could stop by for a visit after this mission was complete, just so I could kill the men again.
Even though my magic reserves were low, I knew I could heal him without harming myself. The thought of him being in pain for another minute longer was more than I could handle.
“Sit down and let me take care of them.” I motioned for him to sit on the ground.
He caught my hand and pressed his lips to the palm. “You’ve done enough. I’ll heal. Right now, I just want to soak in the fact that you’re real and here in front of me.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “There will be plenty of time for us to get to know each other later. Right now, you’re going to sit and let me take care of you.”
“Bossy little thing, huh?” he teased, but obediently sat on the moss covered ground, his wings splayed out on either side of him. “What’s your name? I’m Jazriel.”
His name caused butterflies to flutter in my stomach. My mate’s name was Jazriel.
“I’m Iolani.” Kneeling behind him, I ran my hands up his back until I found the junction of his wings and his shoulder blades.
I took a deep breath and called my magic, sending it pouring into him. He gasped as the heat of my magic traveled along the length of every muscle, bone, and tendon in his body, stitching them back together with a bond that would be almost impossible to break.
Many times after a bone was broken, it was more susceptible to future breaks, but that wouldn’t be the case for him. The minutes ticked by as I worked to repair the damage to not only his wings, but also his ribs, arm and ankle.
These injuries were healed, but they weren’t old enough for him to have gotten them as a child. Had they purposely tried to maim him?
There would be time to learn more about what he’d gone through later. Assuming he was willing to stay with me even after learning what my future—and the future of anyone who bonded themself to me—held.
Turning my attention to his skin, I called my magic to my fingertips and traced them along every wound and bruise. I should have focused on the deep, open wounds, instead of burning through most of my energy reserves to heal superficial injuries, but I couldn’t stop. Not until I’d done everything I could to ease the physical pain of what my mate had endured.
When I finished, I was exhausted, and my eyelids seemed to be made of lead.
“What have you done, my flame?” he chided, gathering me into his arms and cradling me against his chest. “I would’ve healed with time, but I’m thankful to be free of the pain for the first time in many years.”
“You’re welcome,” I slurred, blinking hard in an effort to stay awake.
“Sleep. I’ll watch over you.” He whispered something in a language that was lost to the worlds many centuries ago, and it took my sluggish brain several minutes to translate it.
“Beat of my heart, breath of my lungs, keeper of my soul.”
I woketo warm sunshine on my face, and birds chirping in the trees overhead. The crackling of burning wood and the scent of frying fish caused my stomach to rumble.
Arching my back, I stretched my stiff muscles… only to freeze as my breasts brushed against warm skin. Memories of the last few hours rushed through my mind, and my eyes snapped open to find a set of glowing cerulean eyes watching me with amused interest.
“Hi?” I squeaked, surprised to find him so close.
“Good morning, flame.” His eyes glittered.
Sitting up, I finished stretching my sore muscles.
“I love that you aren’t hiding your beautiful body from me,” he purred.
“Why should I? You’re my mate. Besides, nudity isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
Propping himself up on an elbow, he nuzzled my neck. “I can tell you it will be harder to keep my hands and mouth off you, though.”
A throat cleared, and I twisted around to find August sitting beside a fire, a pan of fish frying in front of him.
I rose, wobbling for a second as a wave of dizziness washed over me. Once I was sure I could walk without stumbling, I cautiously made my way toward him as though he were a wild animal that might get spooked and dart away at any moment.
His sharp eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. Apparently, he hadn’t missed my unsteady gait. Was the man ever happy?
Stopping by his side, I swallowed my queenly dignity and bowed my head. “I didn’t get to thank you for saving me… us… last night. You found me and showed up right when I needed you.”
He scowled. “You could have been seriously injured or, worse, died. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving the lodge?”
Cocking my head to the side, I tried to unravel the confusing mystery that was this man. “You were planning to leave, so why did it matter when I left?”
“It shouldn’t matter,” August snarled, using a metal spatula to flip a golden-brown fish filet onto a tin plate. “Here. Eat. You look tired and need the energy.”
I took the plate, then glanced over my shoulder at the pegasus still reclining on the ground.
“Don’t worry about your lover boy. I’ve made enough for him. Sit and eat before you fall over,” August growled.
The man was nothing but contradictions. Caring yet unfeeling. Warm but also icy cold. Tender and callous.
Obediently, I sat down on the log next to him, secretly enjoying the huff of annoyance it earned me.
“Where did you get the cookware?” I asked between bites.
August flipped two filets onto a second heavily dented plate. “After I left here, I flew over the empty camp and spotted the riderless horses. They’d returned to it, and I couldn’t leave them to roam free while wearing their tack. I removed it and inspected the campsite.”
It was yet more proof this man made of stone had a heart somewhere deep inside.
“I gathered supplies and decided to bring them back. I knew there was no way Pretty Boy could fly with those wings, so you’d have a long journey back to the lodge by foot. Although it appears he has miraculously been healed, so I may have wasted my time by returning.”
August stood, grabbing a sack and taking it, along with the plate of fish, to Jazriel. “If I have to be in your company, you’re going to wear pants.”
Jazriel sat up and grinned. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
August returned to the log, grabbing a second pack and setting it by my feet. “You are welcome to wear clothes or not, but I thought you may be more comfortable at night wearing something since the temperatures will drop.”
I didn’t miss the way his eyes slid down my body before darting away. He could deny the mate bond, but he couldn’t deny he was still attracted to me.
“What will happen to the horses?” I asked, taking another bite of the fish.
“We’ll tell the owner of the lodge about them. I’m sure they can send someone out to look for them. There is plenty of food and water, so the horses won’t die before they can be rounded up.” August took a bite of fish from his plate.
Jazriel cleared his throat. “They’ll follow me.”
“You can speak with horses?” I’d never met a pegasus, so I didn’t know what abilities they possessed.
He shrugged. “Somewhat. It isn’t like communicating with humans and is far more simplistic. But most horses will follow a pegasus without question. It’s a hierarchy thing. Like wolves with their alpha.”
“That’s fascinating! So if we travel back to the camp, you could lead the horses to the lodge?” I asked.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. How far is it?” Jazriel asked.
I glanced at August, unsure of the distance.
“It’s just over a hundred miles.”
Jazriel stared off into the distance. “We don’t want to push them too hard, but without a rider’s weight on their back every day, they should be able to make the trip in three to four days. My captors were terrible, but they kept their horses in great condition.”
“I agree.” August nodded. “It could take a little longer if we hit inclement weather, but otherwise it shouldn’t take more than four days at most.”
“You’re staying with us?” My jaw dropped. “I assumed you were leaving.”
August stared down at me, and I thought I saw something akin to hurt in his eyes. “I’m not that cruel. Once you are safely back at the lodge, I will leave.”
My stomach twisted, reminding me how much I hated the thought of him leaving, but I wouldn’t beg him to stay. Besides, it was better for my heart if he left soon, because I was afraid I was already falling for him.
It had nothing to do with the pull of the mate bond, and everything to do with his actions. His words told me he didn’t want to be with me, but his actions were showing a level of care that told a different story.
“Hurry and eat so we can head out,” August ordered.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to my plate.