and faced it again. In that instant, she realized that the alien’s head was continuing to the ground while the rest of its body collapsed.
Plumes of black ash rose from the fallen creature, transforming into white mist as the magic sword did its work. Nali’s heart pounded as she searched for Asahi. She laughed in relief when she saw him clinging to a branch.
“We did it!” she breathed, lifting a shaky hand to her cheek.
“I hope he remembered to retrieve my dagger,” Mr. Gryphon commented, fluttering next to her ear.
Nali absently nodded, her rapt gaze never leaving Asahi’s face. He was staring down at the ground. The branch he was clinging to was drooping dangerously. She quickly flew to him.
“Would you like a lift?” she teased.
He looked at her and smiled. “That would be nice. I appear to have developed a distressing habit of getting stuck in trees since I arrived—or at least since I met you,” he confessed.
“Thank you for sending Mr. Gryphon to help me,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and lifting him off the branch.
He held onto her and kissed her lips softly. She parted them and returned his kiss with a passion born from the fear of losing him and her love. A persistent and irritating noise next to her ear brought her back to the present.
“Can you two do that later? I’d like to find my dagger,” Mr. Gryphon growled.
Asahi sighed. “I dropped it along with the sword when the serpent evaporated underneath me,” he admitted.
“You dropped it! ‘Go save the Empress. I’ll protect the dagger’ you said,” Mr. Gryphon complained. “I’ll be having nightmares for the next century of being inside that monster’s nose. No offense, Empress,” he quickly tacked on. “Of course your life was worth it.”
“None taken, my dear, brave Golden Dagger,” Nali replied with a smile.
She fought to keep from laughing when the tiny lion puffed out his chest, fluttered his wings, shook out his mane, and snapped his tail with delight at her compliment. Asahi’s exasperated groan made her joyous laughter burst forth. Her relief and joy was too much to be contained.
“Mr. Gryphon, can you go search for your dagger?” Nali asked sweetly. “We’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“I save the day, he loses my dagger, and he’s the one getting kissed,” Mr. Gryphon grumbled as he disappeared through the branches below.
Nali ignored the lion’s grumbling. Her attention was all on Asahi. She tilted her head, leaned in, and kissed him again.
“Do you have a license to fly and kiss?” he seductively murmured when she paused a breath away from his lips.
“I’m the Empress of the Monsters. Trust me when I say I can do a lot more,” she breathed.
Their lips met again with fervent relief. They molded their bodies together as she softly landed. The second their feet touched the ground, she pulled away and began placing tiny kisses along his jaw.
“I… was… so afraid,” she confessed, peppering his lips with brief kisses between her words.
He captured her face between his hands. “How do you think I felt when I saw you disappear into that snake’s mouth?” he retorted.
He covered her lips with his again. She tasted his fear in that kiss. Their tongues tangled and their breathing grew heavy. She ran her hands across his back, trying to pull him closer.
“Hey, love birds, you need to see this!” Mr. Gryphon shouted.
Nali groaned when Asahi reluctantly pulled away. She rested her forehead against his and pulled deep, calming breaths into her lungs. A giggle escaped her when she saw the expression on Asahi’s face.
“I hope he found his dagger because I’m ready to shove him back in his sheath,” he stated.
“I know what you mean,” Nali laughed.
“Nali! Asahi! You really need to come here,” Mr. Gryphon insisted.
Asahi shook his head and looked at her with amusement. “We better go, or he’ll never shut up,” he said.
“If it helps, I know about this amazing little cottage nearby,” she said with a suggestive gleam in her eyes as she turned away.
“I look forward to visiting it—with you,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Chapter 29
Asahi held a branch aside so Nali could pass through. Mr. Gryphon’s tone was becoming more animated with each passing minute. On a positive note, the lion didn’t sound upset.
As long as it isn’t more of the alien, he thought.
He tried to ignore the nagging feeling in his gut when he remembered his vision of the flaming entity. He must have