Page 44 of Unfinished

“R’kash, hello. Are you done for the day?” she asked

“At least until the evening. I’ve been banished from the temple. My priests have declared I need to woo my mate.”

Those tingles stopped dancing and started lighting fireworks.

“That sounds perfect.”

“Good.” His leg pressed against hers, and she exhaled slowly through her nose, trying to regain some measure of calm.

“How did you find us?” she asked.

“I asked Faseeth about your plans before I started the offering ritual at the sacred pool. Did you receive your communication device?”

Sienna pinched the fabric of her shirt to draw his attention to the little black button-sized device attached there. “Yep. Faseeth and I tested it out, and Veesha tried it, too.”

R’kash had pulled his daughter onto his knee and touched thev’tushliblossoms behind her ear with a perplexed half-smile. “Good. Veesha loses as many of the devices as we give her, so I’m glad to hear she has hers today,” he said, looking directly at the little girl. She grinned sunnily in response. “What are these,k’vasha?” he asked as he tapped the flowers again.

“V’tushlifrom the lady,” she said, darting a glance at Sienna.

“Do you have another, Lady Sienna?” he asked, his voice dipping deeper, the tone going smoky and smooth.

“Here, high priest.” Faseeth dropped a similar short spray of flowers into R’kash’s hand. “Will you be taking Veesha with you, or should I take her back to the temple for additional lessons?”

“You may go, Faseeth. Jumping practice wouldn’t be very fun without Veesha, would it?” he added with a grin for the little girl. “I’ll walk them back to the temple and we’ll be out with the glider for the rest of the afternoon.”

Faseeth bowed his head to R’kash before he caught Sienna’s eye. “What should I do with these?” he asked, raising the stack ofv’tushlistems in his arms.

Sienna looked at the massive armful and smiled. “You don’t do things by halves, do you? Maybe the kitchen? The stems will need to be put in water.”

Faseeth’s brow pinched as he looked down at them. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have cut so many.”

“No, it’s perfect. It’s going to be great,” she reassured him, thinking of all the ways she could use the flowers for Veesha’s party. “Thank you for a lovely morning, Faseeth,” she added with a wave.

The tutor bent his head again and then took off for the temple. When Sienna looked back at R’kash, he slipped the flower stem in his hand behind her ear.

“Left side,” she said, surprised at the shakiness in her voice. She tried again. “You need to put it behind my left ear.”

His feathers rustled as he frowned, but he plucked the flower free, transferring it to his opposite hand, and placed it behind her other ear. “Better?”

Sienna nodded.

“Why? What does it mean?” he asked.

“It means I’m taken, that I’ve already found my mate.”

The look on R’kash’s face made it worth taking the plunge and saying the words aloud. His red gold eyes smoldered as his dark feathers flared open around his face.

“K’lallsa,” he said again, setting his lips against her forehead. She heard him inhale, nose buried in her hair, and it made her lips lift as her eyes closed. It just didn’t seem real. She’d never gotten this kind of happy ending before, and not for lack of trying. It was almost too perfect. “You smell so good,” he half growled into her ear as he cupped her cheek, sliding his long fingers into her hair as he lowered his face to her neck.

It didn’t matter that they were kneeling in a field. Her body still thrilled to his touch, to the tantalizing tease of his words.

“R’kash—Veesha’s with us!” she whispered.

The sudden absence of his lips against her neck left her skin cold.

“Forgive me. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all morning, but you’re right. We’ll have the evening again soon, won’t we?”

Sienna brushed off her pants as she got up. R’kash set Veesha on her feet and followed suit.

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