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Whatever the circumstances, Char couldn’t complain about waking up with Iris. There was no puffiness from crying to mar the peaceful expression on her face, and with her body soft against his, their arms wrapped around each other—it wasn’t a bad way to start the day.
He ran his fingers through her thick brown hair, and she stirred, her cheek shifting on his chest. He smiled and continued stroking her tresses, in no rush to get out of bed. When she opened her eyes and gave him that shy smile, everything was perfect. Everything was right.
At least for now.
“Good morning, Char.”
“Good morning, Iris.” He leaned in and kissed her. “This is my favorite way to wake up.”
“I can’t say I mind it too much, either.”
“How are you feeling?”
Her smile faltered. “Um… I’m okay. But, um… Do we really have to talk about that right now?”
Pink dusted her cheeks, and she bit her lip. Char’s heart thumped a loud beat. He knew he should have been thinking about what happened last night and how it affected her, but when she brought a tentative hand up to his face and brushed his hair back, his heart thumped again and took off running. Her dark brown eyes dropped to his lips, then peeked up at him through long brown lashes. She licked her lips.
That did it.
He kissed those wet, inviting lips once, twice, three times, and she kissed him back, pressing in harder, drawing it out longer, until he could hardly stand it. His hand wandered to her hip, then slid up to her waist, and then he applied gentle pressure to put her on her back. She neither flinched nor resisted. He felt her lips part and slipped his tongue between them, and she rested her hand on his bicep, holding on and tightening her grip as her tongue tangled with his. A soft moan escaped her.
He knew he needed to stop. His desire was mounting with every second, and even though she was responding, he wasn’t sure she knew what she was doing to him. And this wasn’t the right time, anyway. She was vulnerable. She trusted him. He couldn’t take advantage of that.
But when she moaned again, when her hand came up to his cheek and slid down his neck to his chest, it took everything in him to pull back.
“Ah, Iris,” he gasped, breathless. “I don’t need breakfast when I’ve got you.”
Her eyes widened, and the rosy glow on her cheeks deepened. “Oh, I…”
Just as he thought. She’d only wanted him to kiss her, and he was already planning a morning-after menu.
He dropped a peck on her nose. “I think that’s enough.”
Then he rolled off of her and climbed out of bed. She sat up and brushed her hair back, and he glimpsed a thin line on the back of her neck.
He saw Micah dragging her by the amulet again, and he turned away and went into the bathroom, suddenly nauseous.
Last night happened. The scene Micah had shown him happened. It had been torture for him to watch it, but Iris had experienced it.
He wanted that amulet gone, and he wanted Micah dead. That man should never have put his hands on her. Should never have dared to hurt her.
His jaw remained clenched throughout his morning routine.
But when he stepped out of the bathroom and saw Iris standing there in a simple white nightgown, waiting for him, his blood cooled. He smiled and stepped toward her, taking her chin in one hand and brushing her hair back from her face with the other.
“What is it?”
“Char…” She bit her lip again, and then she said, “Thank you. For just being you.”
She stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss, and then she darted into the bathroom while he floated toward the kitchen. He didn’t even care if Rath teased him. Iris was worth it. She was worth every bruise and every hour of lost sleep.
He couldn't wait until this was all done and over.
But when he saw Rath and Kelnor sitting around the kitchen table, deep in a serious conversation, he came crashing back to earth.
Kelnor’s red eyes flicked up to Char. “Sounds like you had a rough night.”
Char nodded and took a seat. The handful of fairies not assisting Iris dished up a plate of food for him. “Rath didn’t see all of it.”
“Do me a favor and don’t tell me about it,” Rath said.
“Wasn’t about to.”
“How did that happen?” Kelnor asked.
Char hesitated. “I don’t know. Iris didn’t want to talk about it, and to tell the truth, I’m not sure she even knows. But she seems fine this morning, at least.”
“Good. I can go over this once.”
She wasn’t long in arriving with her fairy entourage. Char hadn’t thought about it when she dashed away from him after that kiss, but she was moving better today. Still a little stiff, but much improved. He got up to pull out a seat for her as she exchanged the standard greetings with everybody, and the fairies set to work getting her breakfast and brewing her a cup of tea.
Char still didn’t know where they’d found that.
“Long story short, we’ll attempt negotiations with the humans, but we can’t wait to see where that goes,” Kelnor said. “We’re overdue for our next attack, and we don’t want that mage getting suspicious, so we’re flying out later this morning. Iris, you’re coming with us. We’ll get as close as we can to the capital, you three will disappear in the battle, and the rest is up to you.”
Rath clapped his hands. “Told you, Char. Camping! And Char and Iris already know how to do it human-style. This’ll be a breeze.”
“Hold on.” There were a lot of words Char could think of to describe this plan. ‘Breeze’ wasn’t one of them. “Micah will notice a dragon carrying a person. He might even expect it.”
“Rork and Nost are coming, too,” Kelnor replied. “They’ll stay up above the clouds and out of sight, and when you make your exit, they’ll take your place. One of them will carry a human-sized bundle to match. And Iris.” He fixed her with a stern glare. “You absolutely cannot use any magic during the battle. No matter what happens. Understand?”
Her nervous eyes flicked to Char.
“That won’t work,” he said, shaking his head. “She has to use the amulet to keep her from freezing during flight, and he’ll just ignore the rest of us and target her.”
Kelnor frowned. “Got a better idea?”
“Rork and Nost should go in as us right away. Rath and I will stay up high, and we’ll use the battle as cover to get as close as we can to the capital before we touch down.”
Kelnor mulled it over. “Yeah, that should work. We’ll need to get you some supplies. And the fairies…” His red eyes followed the little golden orbs, flitting around Iris.
She sighed. “I’ll take care of them.”
“We should have everything we need here,” Char added.
“Good.” Kelnor stood with finality. “Two hours.”
“Yes, sir,” the brothers said in unison.
Rath leaped to his feet before Kelnor had even walked out the door. “Okay. Camping. So, what do we need if we’re doing this human-style?”
“Pretty much the same as what you’re used to, except we need to bring food. No hunting on the wing,” Char told him. “But the fairies can pack for us. You should go get Mother. She’ll want to say goodbye to Iris.”
Rath sighed. “How much alone time do you need?” he muttered, smacking Char’s shoulder on his way to the door. “Hey, Kelnor, wait up! Sir,” he added as an afterthought.
Char rolled his eyes and rubbed his shoulder. It was still a little sore. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked Iris.
She nodded. “I’ll manage. Is it alright if the fairies stay here?”
They froze in midair.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you come with us. You might give us away.”
They mobbed her in an obvious plea for reconsideration. Char suppressed a smile. Iris was struggling to do the same.
“I don’t want to risk you getting close to Micah," she told them. "You’ll be safer here, and you can keep up the place while we’re gone.”
They surged at Char. He laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Yes, I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
“You can help us pack,” Iris offered. “We’ll need blankets, an extra change of clothes, and food.”
A tornado of fairies whizzed to the cabinets, stripping them bare in a matter of seconds and piling their contents on the counter. Iris put her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter.
“We have to be able to carry it,” Char reminded them. “Two light packs. That’s it.”
“Two?”
Char turned back to Iris and nodded. “Rath and I can carry everything. What concerns me more is hiding your magic usage from Micah.”
“I’ve been doing that for a while.” She picked the amulet up and studied it, but Char was more focused on her hand than the amulet.
“What happened to the bandage?”
“Oh. That." She dropped the amulet and held her hand out to him, palm up. "I guess I healed it last night.”
He took her hand in his, tracing the lines of her palm with his fingers. Not even a scar. So why did she have a scar on her neck? The more he learned about her, the more he realized he didn’t know.
He looked up at her, into the mysterious depths of her dark brown eyes. “You’re stronger than he is, Iris.”
She pulled her hand free and looked away. “Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn’t really matter.”
“But it might. Without the amulet or the magic he’s stolen, you’re both still mages. I want him to deal with him myself after it’s all stripped away, but what if I can’t?”
Her eyes snapped back to his. “I don’t want to be a mage at all, let alone a mage who hurts others. Let’s just focus on getting to the crystal, okay?”
He sighed and nodded, finding her hand under the table and giving it a squeeze. “Alright. A more pressing matter is getting these fairies to pack appropriately, anyway. I’m strong, but I can’t haul that around for days at a time.”
He nodded toward the growing mountain on the counter. The fairies were zipping in and out of the kitchen, adding clothes and blankets to the pile. It looked like they’d emptied Char’s and Rath’s bureaus.
“Oh, dear.” Iris giggled. “I don’t think they listened to you.”
“Apparently, they only listen to you. Better finish eating so you can deal with them before they raid the rest of the barracks.”
He didn’t ask Iris any of the multitudinous questions running through his mind while they ate breakfast. She had made it clear several times now that she didn’t want to talk about Micah or magic, and he respected that. They’d have plenty of time for conversation once their journey on foot began.
He hoped he wouldn't have to force her to tell him.
They had just finished eating when Elera burst into the kitchen. “Iris!” She pulled Iris out of her chair and into a tight embrace. “Why do you have to leave so soon?”
“The sooner I go, the sooner I can get rid of this amulet and come back here to stay,” Iris replied, returning the embrace.
Elera pushed Iris back by the shoulders, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “Then Char proposed?”
Iris blushed. “Um… not in so many words.”
Elera spun around and wrapped Char in a bear hug this time. “You keep her safe and bring her back soon, okay?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“And do an actual proposal. Every girl wants a good proposal story.”
“I’ll work on that,” he mumbled. He pried himself free from her and rubbed the back of his neck. “Where’s Rath?”
“He saw Misa and told me to go ahead of him. I’m really happy for you, Char. And you, too, Iris. I—” She stopped, her eyes landing on the fairies and their massive mess. “What on earth?”
“They’re a little upset about being left behind,” Iris explained. “I guess they want to make sure we’ll have everything we need. Could you stop in to see them while we’re gone?”
Elera frowned. “‘Stop in to see them’?”
“They’re not used to being alone. I don’t think they’ll like it.”
Elera watched the fairies, dubious. “What would I need to do with them?”
“Just talk to them. It doesn’t matter what you say; they’re not picky.”
“You would be doing us a favor, Mother,” Char interjected. “I’m afraid they’ll sneak into our packs otherwise.”
“Well, I guess I can manage talking to a few fairies,” Elera said with reluctance.
“Thank you.” Iris took her hand and pulled her over to the fairies. “Let me introduce you to them. Hey, could you stop for a minute?”
The fairies froze in midair.
“This is Elera, Char’s mother. She’ll be stopping by to keep you company while we’re gone.”
“Hello,” Elera said, her greeting hesitant.
Little golden orbs of light surrounded her, zipping around and examining her from every angle. She looked at Iris for help. Char pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Iris said. “Now, let’s work on these packs. We don’t need this much stuff.”
“I’m back!” Rath shouted, grinning from ear to ear as he entered the room. “And we’re all going to Misa’s next party when we get back.”
“Wow. You mean she didn’t slap you for ignoring her for three weeks?” Char asked.
Rath smirked. “Why would she do that when I’ve been thinking about her every day, wishing I could get away long enough to see her?”
“You’re just like your father,” Elera said, shaking her head. “One of these days, you’ll meet a girl who sees through your sweet talk, and then you’ll be in trouble.” She engulfed him in a hug. “Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Char and Rath each kissed their mother on the cheek, and she left with one last uncertain glance at the fairies. They had finished one reasonable pack, and a group of them were now putting the excess supplies away while the rest worked on the second pack. It looked to Char like they didn't need Iris anymore, so he took her by the hand and led her into the living room.
“Nothing left for us to do but wait.” He sat on the sofa and pulled her down beside him, draping his arms around her tense shoulders. “It’ll be okay, Iris. A few days, and we’ll be back here, rid of that amulet and that mage forever. Trust me.”
She took a deep breath and smiled. “I trust you."9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHY5JuNh4k6
