Page 22 of Taken By Fury
“Well, you need to if you ever hope to perform any yourself.”
She set her mug down on the table he had conjured up last night. “I don’t even know where to begin. Should I not feel something in here?” She tapped the middle of her chest and then felt like an idiot as he stared at her breasts. Her nipples pebbled under his gaze, and she was quick to turn back and face the fire.Smart move, Sheila! Smart move.
“Since I have never been human, I cannot say.”
“No, I suppose you can’t. Sorry, it was a dumb question.”
He approached the table and waved his hand over it. A silver-domed tray appeared, but the aroma of bacon was a clear indicator of what was hidden beneath. Two more passes of his hand and more hidden treasures appeared, along with two glasses of orange juice, plates, napkins, and utensils.
“I hope you like traditional breakfast.”
Her stomach rumbled in response as she moved for the table. “I love bacon and eggs!” She took a seat while he pulled off the lids to reveal eggs, bacon and Danishes. They both filled their plates then dove in, eating in silence until every last crumb was gone. The best thing about camping with a demon was no cleanup. He literally snapped his fingers, and the mess was gone, the fire out, and camp was as tidy as her own apartment used to be.
“We can test your magic on our hike.” He lifted her much smaller pack that she assumed held water and other provisions needed for a day hike and helped her slip it on.
“Okay.” The thought both excited her and made her want to vomit from panic. She was human in her mind. It was what she grew up believing. Hell, until a few years ago, she didn’t even know other advanced life existed right next to them.
Zander headed off, and she followed behind him into the brush. She was only a few steps in when she realized he was using magic to make a path for them. It was as if the trees took a step back to welcome a long-lost prince into their fold. There was no hacking at vegetation in order to get through like she remembered as a child when traveling with her father on an expedition in the jungle. This same one, as a matter of fact, and, who knew, it might have been close to where she was now. Everything looked the same, and it had been so very long ago. She missed that time in her life. Things were much easier back then, and she was so much more innocent.
The songs of the rainforest filled the tree tops. Monkeys swung from the canopy, and she nearly tripped from craning her neck to look upward.
“I suggest you keep your eyes on where you are going. There is no danger up there, but down here you might run into something that wants to eat you.”
“I thought you could protect us?” She realized not a single mosquito had bitten her, which was awesome. Come to think of it, as a child, she never experienced any issues with biting bugs like her parents had. “Do we have a natural repellent to insect bites?”
“We do.” He stopped suddenly, and she nearly ran into him. “Come here beside me,” he whispered and waved her up next to him.
She quietly slipped in beside him and noticed in a small clearing a jaguar lay sunning itself. The cat was stunning and frightening but seemed to not know they were there.
“We must be downwind,” she whispered.
“Not at all,” he replied, this time in his normal voice, but the cat didn’t even look their way. “We are not a threat to her.” He stepped into the clearing and that was when the cat glanced his way.
Sheila held her breath as the cat––never even twitching––kept her gaze on Zander.
“Hello, beautiful girl.” He then dropped to his haunches, and she nearly had a stroke as the cat stood and strolled toward him.
“Dear god,” she whispered, biting her lip.
The jaguar halted in front of him, and, to her utter shock, the cat shoved its head into his outstretched hand. Zander scratched above the jaguar’s eyes like one would a house cat and all she could do was stand there in stunned silence.
“Come closer and I bet she allows you to touch her as well.” His words were soft and low. “Consider it a test of your magic.”
Awesome. Sheila was terrified but intrigued and found her legs moving her toward demon and cat. Once there, she swallowed the bitter taste of fear and dropped next to Zander, then held out her hand. She wanted to stop the tremor, but it was impossible. Her hand shook as she lightly touched the cat’s shoulder. The fur under her fingers was silky and soft, unlike anything she had ever felt. The cat turned its copper gaze on her, and Sheila’s breath caught in her chest.
“She won’t eat you.” Zander grinned, and she wasn’t sure if that was a smile of happiness or one of evil intent.
“She is stunning. Like, how is this even possible?”
“Because she is aanasta vel,that means ‘beautiful soul’ in our language.” Just then, the big cat flopped down and rolled onto her back. “She likes you. Rub her belly.”
With no more encouragement needed, she ran her hand over the black spotted white fur. “I can’t believe I am doing this, but you still haven’t explained how this is possible.” She smiled so hard her face hurt, but she didn’t care. This was a special moment in her life. Not only was she stroking one of nature’s majestic creatures, she was learning. “You truly are aanasta vel.”
“It is possible because we are the four elements. We are wind, fire, water and earth, which means we are one with nature.”
She stopped stroking, and the cat leapt to her enormous paws and strolled away. “I don’t understand what that means.”
“That is because you were not raised as a Valarian. Your mind is stuck in mortal thinking and until you can unstick it, you will never understand or know the true beauty of your race.”
