by Jo Vanz
Paul sobered up. “Nothing really. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”
Katie shook her head. “If you say so, but if you do not get your head out of the clouds you won’t be thinking that.”
“Sorry, I will do my best to concentrate. Which seems to be quite the tedious task. You are just so cute.” Paul stood and walked over to Katie, pulling her in for a quick kiss.
“Seriously? Do you have to do all this mushy shit right now?” Mark asked with a look of disbelief on his face. “I swear if I ever act like this when I find my mate, just go ahead and shoot me.”
“I’m seriously debating doing just that right now,” Paul growled in Mark’s direction.
“Anything would be better than watching the two of you suck face,” Mark said with a grin that softened Paul’s anger toward him.
With a sigh, Paul stepped away from Katie, “I find that when I don’t have the answers, the best place to start looking would be in our history books. I have quite the collection in the library.”
Katie’s brows perked up at that. “We have a library?” she asked, excitement lacing her every word. The way her face lit up, Paul would almost bet on the fact that Katie would soon be collecting books.
Though in truth, no one would know for sure until Katie herself felt the pull. Felt the need to have something so badly that she would die if she did not have it. Then at that point in time, Paul would scour the Earth and give her whatever it was she wanted.
***
Three hours later, Paul sat on the sofa in his library. Katie was sitting on the other end with her feet propped up in his lap, and Mark sat in a chair across from them. Piles of books sat all around them. They had each shared their own ideas of what had happened during the reading, but that only got them so far. They had decided that the best place to look was in books. Books of the dragons’ past.
Paul thought Katie looked lovely surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books. She seemed to glow with every page she turned. Any and all stress she was carrying seemed to wash away a little at the time.
Amusement filled Paul as he watched her read. She would smirk one moment and then the next, her brows would furrow. Even her toes curled and uncurled as she read. Her breath would hitch. A tear would slide down her soft cheeks.
She was learning that the past of the dragons was not a kind one. They had their fill of devastation and happiness. So when she finished one book, Paul would gladly hand her another.
Really it served two purposes. They could find the answers they needed and Katie could learn more about their kind. Every now and then she would close a book and ask a few questions. Or Paul would look over and watch her as she scanned each page. She seemed so interested. Like she would never get enough.
“Wait!” Katie shouted as she slammed another book closed and hopped off the sofa before running over to one of the bookcases that lined the far wall. She stood there staring at them for a moment before pointing up at one that was two shelves above her head. “I need that one.”
Paul didn’t waste a second, he sprung from the couch to go fetch the book. He was learning that Katie didn’t ask for much help so when she did, he was happy to assist. Even if it meant just grabbing a book for her.
The one she was pointing to was a black leather-bound beauty with gold embossed lettering. The Flight of the Phoenix. He grabbed it off the shelf and held it just out of her reach. “I believe you owe me payment now,” he said with a smile and a wink.
Katie gave a slight giggle before rising up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. Then before he could say or do anything else, she snatched the book out of his hand and ran back to the sofa.
Paul watched her for a moment before returning to his seat. He glanced over at Mark as he plopped down onto the soft padding. He was trying to hide the fact that he was laughing behind the book. Paul quickly grabbed the pillow sitting next to him and chunked it at him, which just caused him to laugh even harder.
“So what did you find?” Paul turned to look at Katie and smiled when she held up a finger telling him to wait a moment as she flipped through the pages. She was careful not to rip them as she swiftly turned page after page. A look of pure concentration laid over her face. Paul again found himself admiring her.
“Found it!” Katie exclaimed as her eyes darted back and forth, taking in the words laid out on the thick paper.
“Seriously, woman, tell us what you found!” Mark barked as he sat up on the edge of his seat and watched Katie.
“Do either of you know a Phoenix?” Katie asked without looking up from the pages.
“I know of one,” Mark answered.
That confused Paul for a moment. When had Mark met a Phoenix? Then it hit him. There was a guy that Mark had teamed up with a time or two when Paul had been busy with another case. Paul had always wondered what the man was, but now he knew.
“Can you call him?” Katie asked
“Depends, what do you need from him? He isn’t the type to just drop in for someone to meet a mystical such as himself.” Mark pulled his phone out of his pocket but just held it until Katie answered him.
“I haven’t found anything about how prophecy books came about, but I did find out that a Phoenix is the only one that can destroy one. So they should know something about it. Maybe he can answer a few questions.” Katie closed the book and looked up at Mark. He seemed to be deep in thought before he looked over at Paul.
“Listen, this dude is a little rough around the edges. So if he does show up then you best be on your guard.” Paul nodded. He would always be on guard when it involved his female, but this was the best option. Plus, two males and one female should be able to keep one lone Phoenix in check.
Mark started scrolling through his phone before pressing a button and then raising it to his ear. After a few moments, he spoke, “Hey, we need to meet.” A quick pause. Paul held his breath, they needed to know what this man knew. “All right, that will work. See you then.”
Mark hung up the phone and looked at them. “He is a little busy today, but he said he would meet up with us tomorrow.”
“Oh, well at least that is better than nothing,” Katie said as she sat back against the sofa and brought her feet back up to sit them in Paul’s lap. He reached down and started to absently rub them.
“Do you trust him?” Paul asked Mark.
“Just about as much as I trust you. More than I trusted Sam those last few months.” This surprised Paul.
“You didn’t trust Sam? I honestly never felt like he was doing anything wrong.” Paul let out a sigh. It was hard for him to admit that he had failed to see Sam going down a dark, twisted road. He missed his brother. He had loved him. But when it came down to him or Katie, Paul was glad that Katie had survived.
“I had this feeling the last few months. It was only right before you took off that I first started to feel it, but I had chalked it up to you leaving. I now know that wasn’t the case.” Mark stood and started to pace the floor. “I miss him, but it feels wrong to after what he did.”
“What he did was wrong, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was your brother. It sounds as if he was a good brother, person, and friend until he lost his mate.” Katie placed her feet back on the floor. “It’s okay to miss him and love him. He was first and foremost your family. Besides, I haven’t been in this world long but I do know that losing one’s mate can cause a lot of damage.”
Paul knew Katie was right. Knew that it was okay to miss his brother. To mourn the good person that he was. He also knew that Sam had put his mate’s life on the line. Had thought only about himself and his pain. Had tried to sentence Paul to a life without his mate. That could not be so easily forgiven. He wasn’t ready to mourn his brother, so for now he just sat there quietly. He didn’t want to influence Mark’s thoughts on the matter.
“I understand that, but then I remember that if you had died, we wouldn’t have the hope we do now.” He paused his pacing and looked at Katie. “You are
important to our race and every single one of us are in your debt.”
“No one owes me anything. I was pushed into this world and I’m just trying to get through all of this, just like each of you. I have no idea what I am doing.” Katie shook her head and glanced at her hands.
Paul knew that all of this must be really hard for Katie to cope with. Again, he wished he could just go soaring through the sky. Maybe he would be able to come up with a good idea to help her out.
Then it hit him. If he loved flying then maybe Katie would, too. Which meant that he needed to teach her as soon as possible.
Not wasting any time, Paul stood and jogged into the other room to let the security know they would be going out to their normal flying field. Then he raced back into the library.
“What the hell was that about?” Mark asked as Paul came stumbling to a stop in front of him.
“I think it’s a great time to teach Katie how to fly,” Paul said with a huge smile on his face.
“Oh, this I have to see. We driving out?” Mark asked with excitement.
“Ummm, what do you mean teach me how to fly? Doesn’t that just come naturally?” Katie stood and walked over to wrap her arms around Paul.
He loved the feeling of having her right there with him. “Love, it takes practice, just like anything else in life. I promise it won’t be too taxing.”
“Would this be a bad time to tell you I’m scared of heights?” Katie squeezed him a little tighter. Paul wanted to laugh but held it in.
Mark unfortunately let his laughter roll out of him in a fit. “Oh, this is going to be great!” he exclaimed in between bouts of laughter.
“This is going to be bad, isn’t it?” Katie asked as she burrowed her head into Paul’s chest.
Paul let out a soft sigh. “Come on, love, your mind is making it worse than it really is. We will take it slow.” He bent down and picked her up into his arms, carrying her out of the room and down to the garage.
Chapter 3
The wind whirled Katie’s hair around her face as she stepped out of the purple and white Mustang. It was a beautiful autumn evening. The sun would be setting soon, but for now a beautiful mixture of colors filled the sky around the clearing. It was the size of what Katie could only assume was maybe two football fields long, though she truly didn’t know. She had never been too interested in the damn sport. She never really understood the thrill of grown men chasing around a ball, though they did wear tight pants. That was the best part, Katie admitted to herself.
Paul and Mark walked past her, whispering about something or another. Katie just ignored their conversation for the moment and followed them out to the middle of the field. She loved how open it was. She was so use to small, closed off spaces. People running each other over just to go no where. But not out here. There was a silence that was almost unnerving.
The breeze brought a slight chill that crawled across Katie’s skin, causing her to shiver. She felt so exposed here. She didn’t know if it was because of the big open field surrounding her or the thought of being high above the trees. Another shiver. Damn, she needed to get it together. She never let herself be scared to the point of failure before, and she wouldn’t do so now.
Katie took a deep, calming breath and stepped forward to meet up with the boys. Time to pull up her big girl pants and dance with the boys.
“Are you ready?” Paul asked with a slight smile as she stopped in front of him.
Katie jerked her head in a choppy nod. “Yeah,” she sighed out.
“All right. First, I want you to transform to your dragon form. Walk around and get a feel for your new body.” Paul stepped back a couple feet and spread his arms wide. Magic swept through the air, warming Katie’s skin and putting her at ease.
She followed suit, remembering how it happened the night before. She let out a breath and concentrated on her dragon form, releasing herself from the restraints of her human form.
Hot air streamed around her like a tornado. Katie released another breath right before she felt the magic take hold. Her body grew, her arms and legs transforming into large trunks with paws and claws on the ends of them. Her neck extended, giving her a new height. Then finally came the wings and tail. They stung a little bit as they burst free from her shoulder blades, taking their rightful place. Royal purple scales covered her from head to tail.
It all just felt so right. When the magic dissipated, Katie stood on all four and stretched like a cat—butt in the air, front paws stretched out in front of her. God, that felt so good. So right.
A laugh from behind her caught Katie’s attention. She whipped her head around to stare at Mark. He was hunched over holding his stomach as he howled with laughter.
He raised his head to look up at Katie and quickly sobered up. “You do know you are a fierce dragon queen, and not a cute, cuddly kitten?” he belted out at her.
Katie huffed and took a step toward Mark. She stopped as a thought hit her. She turned back to look at Paul, keeping Mark in her peripheral. Then without a second thought, Katie whipped her tail around, knocking Mark on his ass.
She reared up in joy, spreading her wings with her tail whipping back and forth.
All right, love. I know he deserved it, but come now. It’s time to get use to that new body of yours. Even in her head he sounded drop dead sexy. Paul nipped at her neck, bringing her back out of her thoughts of ripping his clothes off when they got home.
All right, all right, she huffed back at him. What would you like me to do?
Let’s start with a few laps around the clearing. Then from there we will work our way through a few other exercises that will get you used to your new form. Katie wanted to growl at Paul but bit down on the impulse and did as he said.
Thirty minutes later, Katie stood in the middle of the clearing facing both Paul and Mark in their dragon forms. Mark had decided to change over to help show Katie the ropes. They had done everything from sprinting along the tree line to jumping and rolling. Katie’s body had glided through everything they had asked her to do. She had been expecting some resistance but it never came. But now, it was the moment of truth. The one thing she was dreading more than anything else. The time to fly.
All right, love, I want you to spread your wings. You will need to push off the ground softly and flap your wings in strong, even strokes. Paul rubbed his face against her neck and then stepped back.
Katie closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, holding it for a few moments before puffing it back out. She snapped her eyes open and spread her wings wide. Then being as careful as she could, she gave a slight push off the ground.
Katie felt her huge paws leave the soft earth. Her wings instinctively started to move and she hovered there for a few moments. The feeling of true freedom washed over her, making her want to climb higher. To feel like nothing could hold her down. She wanted to know what it felt like to fly through a cloud.
Her heart started to race inside of her chest at the thought of being that high up. Anxiety started to take hold, making her panic.
Her wings stopped moving, causing Katie to fall a few feet to the ground. She landed with a thump that shook the ground under her.
Get out of your own head, kitty cat, Mark whispered through her head.
Katie growled at him. She felt something building in her abdomen, making it’s way up. At first she thought she was going to hurl but when she opened her mouth, purple flames barreled out, scorching Mark before he had the chance to move.
Katie clamped her mouth shut and locked her jaw. She was mortified as she watched Mark rolling around on the ground. Paul had collapsed to the ground and was laughing through their mental connection.
Mark stopped rolling and twisting and just laid there, unmoving. Katie inched herself over to him and nudged his side with her nose. He was still breathing, which was good sign. A noise caught her attention. She swung her head around to see Paul walk toward her.
What the hell was that you spit out? he whispered
through her head as he bent down and stuck his nose down, giving a big sniff. He pulled his head back quickly. Katie was starting to get the feeling that she didn’t want to know what it was.
Paul turned and opened his mouth wide. Purple flames flew out, with what looked like a mix of acid. It was almost as if the acid itself shimmered a silvery color. The flames hit the grass and started burning a hole into the ground. Katie’s heart started to race. If it could do that to the ground, then what was it doing to Mark? She turned back to look at the dragon curled up on the ground.
Paul? What’s going to happen to him? Even in her head she sounded breathless and desperate.
He is pulling on my energy right now. He will be fine, but I think that we need to call it a night on your flying lessons. Paul sat down and stared at his twin with a look of longing.
I swear to God, if you don’t get kitty cat up in the air, I’m going to beat your ass, Mark whispered across their minds with a slight chuckle.
Katie was at Mark’s side in a heartbeat, nuzzling his side with her face. Mark! Are you okay? she blurted out as he groaned.
I’m fine, kitty cat. Now stop pushing me! I will be up in a few minutes and then you are going to get your big ass up in the air. No ifs or buts about it! Katie was happy that he was mending quickly but at the same time, she wanted to stomp Mark’s face into the ground.
Stop calling me kitty cat! Katie growled.
Not going to happen. I want you pissed off and that seems like the best way to get it done. Now move, kitty cat. Mark started to push himself up off the ground. Katie was tempted to push him back down, but Paul came over and rubbed his body against her. Her body reacted to his touch, sending shivers of pleasure through her. It was exhilarating. She wanted to feel it again so she rubbed up against him again.
Love, I wouldn’t continue exploring those sensations right now. Not unless you would like to be carrying our child. Katie froze. She wasn’t ready for kids and honestly didn’t know if she ever would be. That’s what I thought, Paul said before stepping away to stand by his brother. He gave her a slight nod and Katie’s heart started to race. She knew what he wanted her to do but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.