much and my body reacts when I do.” He was very honest.
Her eyes dropped low on him. “I see that.”
She took her time to once again lift her arms, this time a little sultrily, but there was no shame in facing him with her true body, scars and all.
Air encircle me, blow me dry.
Cloths of cotton, weave and tie,
Allowing me to stay warm and dry.
She gave him a faint, triumphant grin. “I’m ready to go, although I really do like this little cave.”
“We’ll close it up and come back when we are able,” he assured.
He signaled to the cats and led the way over to the stone where the thin crack was. He slid through without hesitation. The cats followed him. It took several minutes, but his woman emerged right beside him, a large grin on her face.
“How do you feel about flying?”
9
The world looked very different when one was soaring through the air in the middle of the night. Julija found herself laughing, elated, exhilarated. I love this.
Pay attention to what you are doing, kislány hän ku meke sarnaakmet minan. Stay focused.
Was there panic in his voice? Julija thought there might be and that made her laugh all over again. The stars were brighter this far up. Everything below her seemed very small. The cats were running flat out on the rocks below, Carpathian blood calling to them. They would find Julija and Isai before dawn when Isai found a place for them all. In the meantime, she could do a few crazy tricks, like try to do somersaults in the air.
Julija. You will behave yourself. Pay attention. Do you have any idea of all the things that could go wrong?
I want to kiss you right now. She did. Kissing him sounded wonderful. Completing. That was exactly what she needed to make flying the best thing that ever was. She thought about his face. The lines etched deep. The strong jaw. Aristocratic nose. That long hair, pulled back in his braid with cords tying it every few inches. Always neat. Never ruffled. She laughed all over again. Your feathers seem a little ruffled now. Her laughter grew. That was true—and funny.
The larger owl dropped down to cover the female with one widespread wing. I think you have truly lost your mind, woman. Stop laughing.
There was no stopping, not when she was this happy. Are you crazy? This is—wonderful. Perfection. I can’t believe how flying feels. I could do this all night.
It is your first time, sívamet. There was a hint of a smile coming through the panic along with resignation. You will tire easily. Please keep your mind focused on what you are doing. If you lose the image, even for a moment, you will fall from the sky.
She knew that, and it should have scared her, but it didn’t. She’d always had the ability to give details her full attention. She was aware of everything around her. She’d had to be. Her father was very exacting of all of them, but of her in particular. Her stepmother was very cruel; knowing where she was in the house at all times had saved Julija from many beatings. She wasn’t going to think about her. Nothing was going to mar her enjoyment of flying through the air on silent wings.
Stay with me. Your owl has excellent hearing and vision. We are looking for Iulian’s trail. I was searching for him when I discovered you. I tried reaching out to him, but he didn’t answer. Neither, when the theft was first discovered, did he answer the prince, Gregori or Tariq.
I felt him up until about forty-eight hours ago. He felt . . . sad. Very sad. His sorrow weighed him down.
You said you connected with him when he was with his lifemate.
She was very tired. She must have been in her eighties or nineties and alone in a nursing home. He held her until she passed.
Isai was silent for so long she was becoming alarmed. In the body of the owl she twisted her neck, although the eyes could see his owl very clearly.
What are you thinking, Isai?
The entire time he was close to you, you could connect with him?
Yes. I felt his emotions, even though he could not. She settled into a pattern, flying close to him, allowing the larger bird to keep her nearly beneath his wing.
Was that common for you? Feeling the emotions of others?
Automatically, her owl observed everything going on below her. For the most part,