The someone was Katalea herself. The vision took over her, it came up so fast that her instinct was to block it. She tried to call out, somehow get help before she fell over. Too late. All around her, dragons flew, nipped at her skin, tried to find flesh. She ran with all her might towards a cave. The cave had a suspicious glow, blue in tone, but it seemed the lesser of two evils when a fire breathing reptile was at your back. As she dove into the cave, the light intensified. For the moment, she was safe, the entrance was too small for a dragon. She could hear the roars of anger outside as her chest heaved and she tried to calm her breathing. Behind her she heard the sound of a low growl. What fresh hell was this she thought as she turned to find Kaya, her own black panther, pacing back and forth. Kaya was intently staring into a deep blue light, emanating from what appeared to be a spirit trapped in a stone. Back and forth she continued, so intense she barel
Leaving the library, they walked hand in hand to what had been her childhood bedroom. As soon as they passed through the double doors he shut them with his mind. The rest of the world could wait outside. Tonight was just for them. He whipped her around to press her back against the doors avoiding wedging the door handles into her back.“I think this is where we left off,” He took her mouth, and shocked her.“Now?” She questioned between breaths.“Oh absolutely now.” I have thought of nothing else since we were so rudely interrupted.He took his lips on a slow sensual journey down the column of her throat.“Do you have a problem with that?” He whispered as his teeth nipped at her earlobes.Everything inside her quivered, liquified.“No, no, now would be good, now would be...”His hands skimmed up to brush over her breasts.“Now would be exceptional.”Wanting more, she wrapped her legs around him. Thrilled by the crazed rhythm of her own pulse, the overwhelming pull of her own nee
The next time proved to be amazing, and the time after that only intensified the passion as they lost their inhibitions and began to explore each other’s bodies.Later, spent but sated, she found out what it was like to share a bed with a man. They took up a lot of room, his arms and legs wrapping around her like an octopus. She dozed off quickly feeling safe in his arms, only to be awoken a few hours later by the buzz of a chainsaw. She was surprised to learn that Dakari snored loud enough to wake the dead. But it sure made waking up a lot more entertaining. Katalea slipped out of bed, and slipped on her fuzzy pink robe. She tiptoed over to her little office, and giggled at the thought of waking Dakari. The man slept like a stone. She, on the other hand, had never been able to sleep well at night. She decided to send her mother an email. It had been so long since she had seen them, and she missed her family so much. She told her mother all about Dakari, and how she found h
Panic ensued. All scurried to Zinnia’s side. Dakari reached for her tiny wrist and felt for her pulse.“I don’t know what a fairy pulse is supposed to sound like, but she definitely has one.” He sighed, relieved. Already everyone was feeling like she was the glue holding the group together.Luca reached over and took the crystal from her hand. What had looked so menacing in her hands looked frail and small in his own large palm. It seemed to pulse as if it had something to say.Palm opened, he looked around at the group, “Did anyone see how this got here?”Before they could utter a word, Zinnia began to stir. As she tried to turn on her side she moaned with pain as her wing was stuck beneath her. No one knew how to help. She closed her eyes and began to glow. Her purple aura intensified as the wing visibly began to heal itself. It was like watching a movie in fast forward. Within seconds she was clearly revived. The group watched in disbelief.“When I am in wolf form, I heal
The entire group sat spellbound, not able to move or speak. Dumbfounded, they sat staring at the last of the blue ink before it, too, was gone. Luca tried to open more pages but they were stuck fast. All that was left was the eerie image of an old man with hard eyes staring out of the page. The picture gave the appearance of being able to look everyone in the eye at once. His wrinkled skin and worn attire gave Katalea the impression that their host had been around a few millennia. His eyes conveyed that this was not the first group to take up the challenge. His voice radiated distrust and weariness as it filled the room as if it played from a loudspeaker.“You must prove yourselves worthy by solving the first puzzle. Then, and only then, will more be revealed unto you, with greater rewards and greater risks. Are you up to the task? Go forth now with urgency. Much depends on your success. Time is of the essence.”Luca withdrew his hands from the glass encasement. He looked
They planned to leave the following morning. Grandfather called the hangar and had the pilots prepare. Grandmother served another feast for everyone and secretly plotted with Zinnia for a way to take her on a tour of the island. Zinnia squirmed with excitement at the prospect. After eating and relaxing, the four visitors packed what meager belongings they had into the backpacks and duffles that Katalea had shoved into a closet over the years. As Katalea handed out pink and purple backpacks, complete with enough rhinestones to blind an army, she giggled to herself. Feeling the hard plastic square sewn into a hidden pocket in one of Dalya’s bags, Katalea’s fingers searched for the little opening. She found it and removed one of the tracking devices that she had used to avoid Dalya in their high school years. With her thoughts on her prior tormentor, Katalea had slipped down the hall to visit the girl who had once caused her such anguish, and now was looked at like a si
Dakari sat in a wicker chair on the terrace and basked in the morning sun. It had been so long since he felt this relaxed he thought he might fall asleep. The scent of the pink jasmine bush climbing the balustrade wafted over him and, combined with the lull of the rippling waves below, he teetered on the brink of a well deserved nap. When his feet were knocked to the floor, he nearly jumped out of his skin. By the gods' own control, he was able to keep from shifting to his tiger form. He opened his eyes expecting to see the scaly hide of a weredragon. To his surprise, his sister Maggie stood before him. She grinned the menacing grin of a little sister and pointed her finger at him. “I’m telling Dad that you are back here at the Kundam’s and haven’t bothered to let us know. What the hell is that about?” She hissed, anger with him winning out over her happiness to see him.“No one was supposed to know we were here.” He smiled at her sheepishly, using his hand to shie
The group gathered on the ferry as the island was shrouded in a thick, concealing mist. Katalea had called the mist to swirl and entwined the heady scent of the salt water to cover the scent of her new friends. It would do no good for the curious to come investigating. The water appeared gray, reflective of the colorless sky. There would be no other passengers, and the jaunt across to the mainland promised to be rough. Katalea didn’t mind the ferry as it jostled them to and fro, it kept her mind from contemplating the scene they had encountered in Dalya’s room. Her friend had been possessed by an erratic weredragon god. If she hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes, she would have doubted anyone who tried to convince her of it. That was why she wasn’t sharing the story with the others.They had spread out to different parts of the ferry for their quick excursion. Aquina was leaning over the railing, hands outstretched, trying to play with a few of her friends as they swam