When she didn’t say anything for a long time, Xavier moved closer to better see her face. She released a loud, rattling snore. Smiling, he backed away from her, but he did not follow her into sleep. Instead, he slipped out of his breeches and transformed, allowing his inner beast to take control. As he spread his wings and lifted into the sky for the first time in two years, he thanked the goddess of the mountain for answering his prayer and sending him the sharp-witted beauty with fire in her eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
An annoying and persistent rustle woke Avery from a lovely dream where she was somewhere warm, sipping cocoa and reading a romance novel by candlelight. She waved a hand by her ear, trying to cling to the pleasant image in her head, but the sound kept coming. The dream slipped away, replaced by the feel of hard ground and a morning chill that made her shiver.
She gave up and opened her lids.
Two large brown eyes set in a furry face stared at her, close enough their noses almost touched. Startled, she lurched and smacked the top of her head on the log.
“Ow.” She rubbed the aching spot and sat up.
The furry little man she’d met earlier in this place stared back at her, holding up one of her last two remaining protein bars.
“Oh, it’s you. Are you hungry again? You seriously need to move closer to town.”
He waved the bar excitedly as if asking her permission. She noticed then that the contents of her bag had been dumped next to the fire. She groaned, grabbed the leather satchel, and started tossing items back into it. Had he taken anything else? She tried to remember everything she’d packed. She was too tired for this.
“You made a mess. All you had to do was ask me.”
The furry man held up the bar again in response and spread his lips into a smile that seemed to house too many teeth. She couldn’t stay angry at that face. The man reminded her of a dog with his furry skin and soulful eyes.
“Oh, all right. You can have it,” she said. “I have one more in here for breakfast.”
He moved as if to bite into the bar, wrapper and all, and she held up her hands.
“No. Not like that. Here. Let me.” She reached over and tore off the wrapper, then handed it back to him.
He bit into it immediately. She continued cleaning up the mess, then pulled the drawstring tight and put the bag on over her shoulders.
Moving to rise, she balked when her eyes caught on Xavier. On the other side of the smoldering coals of the fire, he slept, using Tàirn’s saddle as a pillow. He was glorious. Now, in the light of day, he looked even bigger than the night before, all golden-bronze muscle and wavy auburn hair. No wonder she’d dreamed of romance novels. In all his bare-chested glory, he looked like he belonged on the cover of one. She swallowed so hard she could hear it.
A tug on her hand brought her back down to earth. The furry man had finished his protein bar and was trying his best to lead her away again. “Oh, I can’t go with you. I need to wait for my friend.” She waved a hand in Xavier’s general direction.
He shook his furry head, squeezed her hand tighter, and heaved her in the direction of the stream.
“Oh geez, all right already.” She sighed. “Xavier, I’m going to see what my friend has to show me,” she announced in the loudest voice she could muster so early.
Xavier grumbled and rolled onto his side.
Avery allowed the little man to lead her across a log bridge to the other side of the stream. The forest was thicker there, but he guided her along a narrow path that seemed undetectable by anyone but him. Avery was no expert, but the plant life here seemed exceptionally green and of a variety she’d never seen before. It made her feel peaceful. For the first time since coming to this strange land, her shoulder muscles loosened and the air flowed freely into her lungs.
The tranquil green forest opened abruptly to reveal a small stone cottage complete with a barn, surrounded by brightly colored flowers. She sighed at the beauty of the place.
“Is this your home?”
He gave a small, charming squeak. On stubby legs, he jogged up the three steps to the wraparound porch and opened the red wooden door. She followed and peeked inside. The place was cozy and immaculate.
“It’s very nice. Do you live here alone? Do you have a family?”
He gestured for her to enter, but she shook her head.
Pointing over her shoulder with her thumb, she said, “I should go back and get my friend.”
There was a thump behind her, and Xavier landed in the small yard in front of the cottage. He whistled, and Tàirn came running to him, the stallion whinnying and shaking his mane. The furry man ducked behind her legs and squealed.
“I’m here,” Xavier said, his amber-colored wings stretching wide before tucking against his back.
“You’re scaring him. Stay where you are.”
“Ask him to invite me inside as well, Avery.”
“He seems afraid of you.” Avery rubbed the little man’s back as if he were a child and he shivered. He must be terrified. “Maybe it would be better if you went back to the camp. I’ll meet you there in just a minute.”
Xavier chuckled and pointed an upturned hand in her direction. “He’s a brownie, Avery. A fairy. Am I wrong to assume ye’ve fed him?”
“I gave him a couple of protein bars.” She shrugged.
“Whit now?”
“You know, like PowerBars… Never mind. I fed him.”
“Aye. Then he’s offerin’ this place ta ye. He’ll serve ye now, long as ye feed him.”
“Huh?” Avery looked down at the small furry man and for the first time saw him for what he was—not human. She took a step back and bumped into the doorjamb. “Excuse me, Mr., mmm, Brownie, could you please invite my friend in as well?”
His furry head bobbed, and he motioned for Xavier to enter. Avery backed into the cabin to make room for Xavier as his body filled the door.
“A stroke of luck,” Xavier said. “Da ye have any more? It would be best if I fed him from ma own hand as well. Otherwise he may resent me stayin’ here with ye.”
Avery huffed. “One, but I planned to eat it for breakfast.”
“Trust me. Ye’ll have yer breakfast. Da ye mind?”
For a moment Avery hesitated; then she removed her bag and reluctantly handed her last bar over to Xavier. He stared at it for a beat, then tore off the wrapper, chuckling as if he found the process amusing, then handed the goods to the brownie, who ate it hastily.
“Xavier, are brownies dangerous?”
“Not to the ones who feed ’em.” He winked at her and wandered deeper into the cottage.
A fireplace at the center of the room sat unused. Xavier tested the flue with his hand and then, using a few logs from a bin on the hearth, lit a fire with his breath. She’d never seen any of the other dragon siblings spit fire like that. It was strange and enchanting. She touched her fingers to her lips and wondered at the temperature of Xavier’s mouth.
A soft mew came from behind her, and Avery turned to find the little man had finished his bar. He licked his furry fingers and gave Xavier a small bow.
“I hope that was enough. I’m all out.” Avery rubbed her stomach, suddenly very hungry.
“We’ll need breakfast and tea,” Xavier ordered the brownie. “And some clothes, whatever ye can find.”
To Avery’s surprise, the brownie bowed low again and then disappeared into thin air. “Holy God in heaven!” Avery looked left, then right, then hooked her head out the door. “Did you see that? He just disappeared.”
Xavier laughed a low, rumbling sound that made Avery feel warm inside. “I told ye he’s fairy.”
“Yes, but you said the fairies had mind control and could make plants grow. Not disappear into thin air!”
“Oh aye, brownies can. Very powerful buggers. But he won’t stick around if we donna feed him, so we best get to it.” Xavier headed for the door.
“Get to what?”
“We need to steal a cow so we ha
ve cream to feed the wee brownie each morning. We’ll also need to provide him a bed, but I see the last one to live here has already done so.” He pointed to a small wooden box with a mess of blankets.
“He sleeps there?”
“As long as ye feed him,” Xavier said slowly, as if she was a bit dense.
“Right.” Avery pressed a finger into her chin. “Where do we get a cow?”
“Come along, lass, I’ll show ye.”
The woman was comely. Very comely. As he moved toward the door, Xavier found himself suddenly concerned about his appearance. He was filthy, after all, still dressed in the rags he’d worn in the dungeon and without access to a bath, a comb, or a blade. Where was Glenna with his things?
“Now that I think about it, ye should stay here while I filch the cow,” he said. If she waited in the cottage, he could bathe in the stream before he saw her again.
“Nonsense. I’ll help you. I’m a very good thief. I used to lift candy bars from the grocery store regularly as a teen. Besides, you need backup in case Lachlan is out hunting for you.”
He grunted. “Nay. I plan to shift into ma dragon form and fly the bugger back here.”
“Won’t a dragon swooping down over a herd of cattle draw some unwanted attention?”
“I’ll make maself and the cow invisible.”
He walked out the door and jogged down the steps. She followed on his heels.
Avery frowned. “Where do you plan to find this poor cow?”
“The McGregors have a farm nearby, on the edge of the fairy hills. I donna particularly care for stealing, but I’ll reward the man handsomely once I’ve reclaimed Dunchridhe.”
“Invisible or not, don’t you think it would be to your advantage to have a second set of eyes with you? Even if the cattle can’t see you, they can hear you and smell you. If you’re not careful, you’ll send the entire herd stampeding, and within hours the entire village will be talking about it.”
He paused and gave her a sideways glance. He seemed to be having some trouble ridding himself of her, even temporarily. “I can be very quiet when I try.”
She rolled her eyes in a way that stirred his temper. “If someone sees their cow disappear, I think they might make a fuss. You don’t want to lead Lachlan right to us, do you? Take me with you—I might be able to distract anyone nearby. No one knows who I am, after all.”
Xavier grunted. “Ye have wee manners for a lass, ye ken. Can ye just stay behind this one time and let me handle this?”
“No,” she said simply, her unblinking stare a clear indicator of her stance on the subject.
“Ye have a hard head on yer shoulders.”
“Like a diamond. Save yourself some time and energy and simply take me with you.”
“Aye.” He mounted Tàirn and drew her up into the saddle. She winced when her bottom hit the leather and he suppressed a laugh. “Yer sure ye want ta go?”
“Yes,” she said firmly, although he didn’t miss the way she ground her teeth when she said it.
“Very well.” He hooked an arm around her and dragged her against him. She released an audible oomph. “If ye’re sure.”
Before she could say another word, he kicked Tàirn into motion and she was too busy concentrating on her seat to pester him further. He didn’t ride as hard as the night before, but they made it to the edge of the McGregors’ land quick enough. He didn’t miss how she rubbed her bottom gingerly when he helped her down.
“Anythin’ wrong?”
“No,” she said in a high-pitched and highly suspect tone. She raised her chin.
“There she is, fat with milk.” He gestured toward the shaggy Highland cow grazing a few meters beyond the fence.
“Okay. What’s the plan?”
He looked both ways. “No a soul around for ye to distract,” he said pointedly. “The plan is ye wait here. I’ll shift and retrieve her.”
He moved away from her and made himself invisible, then shed his breeches, tucking them into Tàirn’s saddlebag for safe keeping. He shifted into his dragon form, knowing it would be far easier to carry a cow that way, but when he turned toward his target, Avery was gone.
He cursed. The blasted woman was in the field, walking toward the heifer with a length of rope in her hands he recognized as the one he kept hooked to Tàirn’s saddle! Damn obstinate female! He spread his wings, meaning to fly over her, swoop down, and retrieve the heifer before she could reach it. Only he realized he could not. Avery was too close now. If he scared the cow, it might become agitated and trample Avery, or worse, scare the rest of the herd.
He suppressed a growl. He’d have to wait for her to draw the animal near. He watched helplessly as she fed the cow a handful of grass while slowly looping the rope around the beast’s neck. Then she coaxed her toward him. Slowly, cooing to her every step of the way, she moved the beast forward one step at a time until finally she was right in front of him.
He shifted back into his human form so he could speak, careful to maintain his invisibility. “All right, stand back and I’ll carry her over the fence.”
She blinked, turning her head toward his voice. Invisible or not, a shiver ran the length of his body as he stood before her naked. Thankfully, she obeyed, slipping the rope from the cow’s neck and taking a step aside. He spread his wings and hopped over the fence.
“Are you naked right now?” she asked, a wicked smile curving her lips.
He paused. “An inappropriate question for a proper lass!”
She snickered. “Good thing there isn’t one of those around here.”
He did a double take, watching her over the cow. Avery was full of surprises. His lips twitched into a smile.
She raised an eyebrow. “Last night when you were carrying me out of the castle, I could see you even though others couldn’t.”
“Aye.”
She giggled. “So… If I touched you right now, would I be able to, um, see you?”
“Aye.” He gave a low chuckle and called her bluff. “Would ye care to ’ave a look, lass?”
She snorted and took a step back. “No!”
“Aye, I’ll ruin ye fur all other men! Ye may go blind from the glory of it.”
That made her laugh fully, straight from her belly. “Or maybe cry out of pity.”
“He-he, it’s a good thing we have a cow between us or we might have to settle this—” He was about to say once and for all when a shot rang out and buzzed right by their heads.
Avery swore. “What was that?”
“It appears the McGregors have noticed ye after all.” He leaped over the animal, grabbed Avery around the waist with one arm and the cow with the other, and flew both over the fence just as a band of McGregors rode up, pistols drawn.
“Whaur’d she go?” one of them yelled.
“Never mind the lass! Whaur’s the cow?” another barked.
The cow chose that moment to release a deep, vibrating moo. The men rode in circles, terribly confused as the sound of their lost heifer came from the distant sky. Xavier waited until he was out of gunshot range to land and whistle for Tàirn.
“Ugh.” Avery grunted as they landed hard between the trees.
“Sorry. It’s difficult carryin’ ye both in this form.”
She smoothed her skirts and wiped sweat from her brow. “Between the gunshots and dangling from a deadly height, I think I’ve had enough excitement for the day. Please tell me breakfast is in my near future.”
“Just beyond the stream there.” Tàirn galloped to him and he removed his breeches from the saddlebag before pulling them on again. He dropped his invisibility, tied the cow to the saddle, then mounted.
Avery reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. “Weel?”
“Well what? Help me mount so we can return to the cottage and eat.”
“Was it a glory or a pity?”
Her mouth gaped. “I was too busy praying I wouldn’t fall to my death to notice!”
He reached his hand down to her
and grinned. “A question to be answered another time then.”
“In your dreams,” she said with a laugh.
He hoisted her into the saddle in front of him and pulled her firmly against his chest. He didn’t miss the soft sigh she released at the closeness or the way she smelled of clean linen and wisteria. Exquisite. To his surprise, his inner dragon whirled in approval within him.
He eased Tàirn into a slow walk and they led the cow back to the cottage.
Chapter Fourteen
She had almost gone blind from the glory of it. Avery leaned against Xavier’s broad chest and tried not to squirm in the saddle. The man had spent two years in an underground dungeon and still looked like an Adonis. A filthy Adonis who smelled like wet earth and desperately needed a bath, but still a model of the masculine form.
She pictured herself with a soapy sponge in her hand and had to close her eyes against the images her mind conjured. She was more than a little relieved when they reached the cottage and she was able to slide off the horse and put some distance between them.
“Oh!” She tipped her nose toward the door. “Do you smell that? Food!”
Just then, Glenna appeared with a bundle in her arms. “Laird Xavier, I’ve brought yer things.” She handed him the package.
“Whit took ye?” he asked kindly.
“I had to be careful. He can detect me, ye ken. Nymphs are not unfamiliar to fairies. I’ve had to hide all these years, carefully. He’s got the entire clan lookin’ for both of ye. The stable boy saw Avery. He’s avoiding the fairy hills fur now, but it’s only a matter of time.”
Xavier nodded and sighed through his nose. “Ye’ll have to go back. Spy on Lachlan. Alert us if he decides to come this way.”
Avery could tell Glenna had no desire to return to Castle Dunchridhe, but she bowed her head and disappeared. Xavier frowned, clearly hating that he had to send the oread into danger.
“Breakfast?” Avery asked, thinking a meal would do them both good.
“In a moment,” he said. “I must tend to something first.” He blinked out of sight.
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