Page 107 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

“I know. But they’re gone now. I released the dragon spirits inside them and the stones dissolved.”

“You’ve been a busy girl.”

“You have no idea.”

“So where are these spirits now?”

I shrugged and pointed to the sky. “Flown the coop.”

He didn’t try to hide his disappointment. “Will your dragon allow me to ride her?”

“I guess we’ll see.” I laughed and stepped onto Kivi’s foot. She lifted me to her shoulders and then put her foot down in front of Orion. “I think that’s a yes.”

He wobbled just a little, but he kept his balance as she lifted him. I was already seated and secure when he reached for me, then jumped on behind me. He made no sound as the saddle slipped under his butt and clamped around his thighs. But once we were aloft, he breathed the word, “Perfection,” next to my ear.

A shiver ran through me and he laughed. His hands, wrapped around my midsection, took on a different feel, and I panicked. I couldn’t welcome his physical attention and I couldn’t pretend otherwise. So I gently took one of his hands and moved it to a ridged handhold. He found the other one on his own.

“Apologies,” he said near my ear. But this time, his voice was loud, not seductive in the least.

Obviously, he couldn’t know how relieved I was. In the last month, I’d been faced with simple and profound kindness in the person of Jamie Godstone and the other extreme from Timo Ahonen. At the moment, Orion was beating out Timo for most evil, though he was currently pretending to be reasonable. I was a big fan of reasonable.

I’d seen Orion’s vicious cruelty unleashed on the streets—and backyards--of Muirsglen, and I’d watched Everly bleed and Urban suffer because of him. That’s what I kept in mind at all times. But I was grateful for his current civility where I was concerned, even though I knew it grew from pure self-interest.

We flew south along the Italian coast with Kivi skimming her toes in the Adriatic Sea and dodging boat masts with little lights at the top. She gave an excellent impression of a rollercoaster, and even she took some pleasure in drawing out a few shouts of wonder from our dangerous guest. But I was careful to keep the ride brief, to leave him wanting more.

We stood on the seawall at Rimini and he watched, transfixed, as Kivi shook the sea salt from her wings and body.

I would prefer a good roll in the sand, she said.

I laughed and Orion sobered instantly. “What is it?”

I told him what she’d said, and he relaxed. He must have worried she was laughing at him. Apparently, the man really didn’t like to be mocked.

“Listen,” I said. “I’m going to leave you now. But I’m going to propose something. You’ve admitted that you want revenge and you want justice. At the moment, you’re guaranteed neither. I am willing…to offer youoneif you’re willing to walk away from the other.”

He smirked. “You can guarantee me justice if I’ll walk away from revenge.”

“I can. If you leave this world and forget about us, I’ll get you back to Hestia, where you can find Rowena and have your justice.”

He bit his lip and walked a slow, leisurely circle around me. “You’re forgetting—I also want the other two Naming Powers.” His smile might have stopped anyone else’s heart, but it had nothing to do with the power of Beauty and everything to do with a millennium of honing his charm. “I do love the idea of a complete set.”

“I’ll tell you what. You make the deal. I take you to Hestia. And when we get there, when you’ve proven your part of the bargain, I’ll give you one of them.”

He froze. “You can deliver one of the two?”

“I can. Those powers have no place in this world, let alone the mortal realm.” I dusted my hands together. “That’s it. That’s my offer. You sleep on it, or whatever. I’ll meet you back at the meadow tomorrow to…discuss it. But remember this—my offer won’t last forever.” I nodded toward Kivi and he turned to see her fading fast.

“Wait! How is it you can enter Fairy on your own?”

“After I realized I was Fae, it wasn’t difficult to figure out.”

He nodded, accepting my answer. “And just how, Miss Todd, can you prove you can fulfill your part of the bargain?”

“Because my dragon and I have been to Hestia. Only we can find the way.”

“Hestia.” He barely breathed the word. “You have no proof.”

I shrugged. “Did your parents ever tell you about a mountain with a dragon carved into the top? I guess maybe it was after their time.”

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