when she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her wet face to his throat. She still cried, but the hysteria had gone.
'So scared,' she mumbled against him and Daron tightened his hold, gently stroking her hair.
'My love, I will never let that happen. You are everything to me.'
The words came out fiercer than he expected. He cleared his throat gruffly.
He held her for a long while as she calmed down. Nesha curled up close by, the griffon's presence helping to soothe her too.
Eventually she pulled away and sat up, trying to wipe her face. Daron cupped her face and softly kissed over the tracks the tears had left.
'I promise Pixie, I'll never, ever let anything happen to you.'
But you can't. The sense of resignation was hard, but that was the truth, and it settled heavy in her heart. The practical side of her mind acknowledged that while he was physically stronger than her, her gift would always top that. It would be her job to defend him and everyone else. Failure wasn't an option.
But you have your friends in this too, her rational voice pointed out. The four of you can do this. And you will. You must. There will be no peace until it's done.
'Okay now?' Daron stroked her face again and Sian nodded, reaching to squeeze the hand that cupped her face.
'I will be. Once she's dead.'
A brief expression of sorrow showed on his face, and he nodded in resignation.
'Yes.' He gave her another hug, whispering gruffly in her ear, 'I love you.'
Funny how those three little words made her feel so much better. Sian kissed his cheek.
'Love you too.'
Once they were in the air, Daron and Nesha pestered her for more Earth images. Laughing, Sian complied.
I know what they'll like, she thought and took a few second to focus on it, then began relaying it to Nesha.
Daron waited in anticipation for the images, but it was a sound first. A deep, loud, "boom" that seemed to vibrate through his mind. There was a long pause and then another, "boom". Words appeared but he didn't recognize the language and bent to Sian's ear.
'What does that say?'
'Jurassic Park.'
That didn't mean anything to him so he waited, and a picture began to develop. There were tall trees with long leaves, and it was a dark, rainy night and all the while, music played in the background. Something shifted in the tops of the trees, and Daron gasped at the image. A huge metallic box pushed through the trees.
Sian could feel Nesha's surprise. It was funny how something like a crane holding a container could excite them so much.
Wait until I show them the dinosaurs, she thought and focused on the next scene, trying to detail the velociraptor and its screeches as it attacked a worker. Daron jumped in his seat, and she had to smother a giggle.
'How do you fly and watch at the same time?'
She'd meant to ask Nesha that question ages ago.
The griffon sounded a little distracted as he replied.
'I fly on instinct. It's only if we come across something unusual that I'll need to stop watching, and focus on flying.'
A griffon on autopilot. The concept made her giggle and momentarily drop the images.
'Sian!'
'Sian.'
'Sorry,' she refocused on the movie, keeping the images flowing to Nesha and relaxed back against Daron, smiling as he tucked himself around her. Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine they were on Earth, sitting in her old lounge and watching the movie on T.V.
About halfway through the movie, an odd sound touched her mind. It was so fleeting that she shrugged it off, refocusing on the scene and the tyrannosaurus.
Daron couldn't help tensing up as the characters fled the huge monster. He'd seen a creature similar to it on an island in the Delos Sea, though not with the silly little forearms this T-Rex had. Its roar was fantastic.
The scene changed abruptly and he watched the blond woman, Ellie, sprint down a track while the man with the hat watched. The music in the background changed tempo and he knew an exciting part was coming.
In his arms, Sian jumped. The images vanished.
'Pixie,' he protested.
'Shut-up!'
That stopped him short. She'd never spoken like that to him before. Feeling a bit put out, he waited as she tipped her head from side to side as though listening.
'What'd you do?' Nesha demanded.
'Nothing, I swear.'
They were quiet while waiting for Sian to explain.
'Sian?'
With a jolt Sian realized that the sound, the voice she kept hearing, came from