Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

H er feeling of safety did not last long. The snow finally stopped falling, but as it did, the temperature dropped and the cave grew even colder.

The little dragon, who she decided to call Draco, didn't seem affected by the falling temperature. He continued to curl up in her lap, giving an occasional pained squawk when he tried to move his injured wing.

Now that the snow had stopped, the sky had brightened. She briefly considered trying to climb back up to her original position, but the sun was low on the horizon and she couldn't face the icy trek.

She started to shiver again, despite the blanket, until a sleepy lethargy finally swept over her. Her eyelids drooped heavily, even though she knew she shouldn't fall asleep. But she was no longer as cold and she couldn't bring herself to move.

As the sun began to set, a faint gold glow illuminated the opening of the cave. Like a portal to heaven , she thought sleepily. And as if her thoughts had conjured him up, an angel appeared at the entrance.

His big body glowed pure white, even the long hair whipping around his shoulders the same color. She watched him move towards her—so tall his head brushed the roof of the small crevice. His wings were drawn in, but she could see the last rays of sunlight tinting the edges, turning them from white to gold. Some distant part of her thought she should be afraid, especially when he reached for her and she saw silvery claws gleaming on his odd-shaped hands, but the fear that had haunted her for the past few months had disappeared.

"Angel," she whispered.

He lifted her into his arms, muttering something she didn't understand when Draco, still nestled in her arms, squawked a protest. She tried to tighten her grip on her little dragon.

"He deserves to go to heaven too." Her voice sounded odd, distant and dreamy.

The angel said something else. He sounded gruff, but his hands were gentle as he tucked her against him. His skin was warm and soft, like fine suede beneath her cheek, and she rubbed her face against his big chest.

Who knew angels were so muscular , she thought. He smelled amazing, clean and… pure, and she smiled as he carried her out of the cave. He leapt out into the open air, and for a dizzying moment she felt weightless. Then his big wings flapped, and they were soaring into the setting sun. She smiled and closed her eyes.

Myk-El swore silently as he felt the strange female's body go limp. At least he could still feel the slight flutter of her pulse against his skin, but he had seen men die in battle with the same distant look in their eyes. Despite the kestava cloth covering her, her delicate skin was icy cold.

The injured winged creature for whom he had been searching squawked softly, as if urging him to hurry. He shook his head even as he sped towards his temporary shelter. Only a few days ago, he had renewed his vow to avoid all entanglements, and here he was with both an injured female and an injured avian who needed his assistance. But then again, a few days ago, he had been in his familiar aerie on Letenja…

He had returned to his isolated home from a rare trip to town. Usually, he had the few things he needed delivered, but today was the first day of Onovat, the season of renewal, and he had been tempted by the thought of fresh sladje. The treat was only available for a limited time, and he had decided to go after it himself.

It had been a mistake. He had forgotten how much he hated the whispers and the sideways glances of the villagers. He hated the pitying looks even more than the suspicious ones. But as he breathed in the peaceful solitude of his home and laboratory, the door alarm sounded. Had he forgotten something?

Without bothering to check the door camera, he threw open the door impatiently. Lil-et, his brother's mate, posed on the threshold. Her perfect features were as beautiful as ever, her body sleek beneath her thin gown, but his desire for her had ended many years ago.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Now is that any way to greet an old friend?" she murmured, her hand reaching for his arm.

He stepped back before she could touch him, but not quickly enough to prevent the scent of her heavy, seductive perfume washing over him. "We were never friends."

A flash of irritation crossed her beautiful face, quickly hidden.

"It's been a long time, Myk-El."

Fifteen years.

Fifteen years since he'd returned from military service, wounded in body and spirit, and found her stomach swelling with the fruit of his brother's seed.

"Why are you here?" he repeated, his wings snapping in irritation.

"I want to heal this rift between us."

He studied her. In addition to the expensive silks that draped her body, her face was carefully made up, the edge of her wings highlighted in gold, but her current polished perfection bore little resemblance to the young female he had thought to make his life mate.

"Why? I don't believe that Mef-Ts sent you."

"No." Her polished claws tapped in a quick display of nerves. "Couldn't we go inside? To… talk?"

Once again, she reached for him, and he evaded her touch.

"No. Now tell me why you're really here, Lil-et."

"I think Mef-Ts has found another female," she burst out.

He couldn't prevent the smile twisting his lips, and she flinched.

"Why have you always blamed me? He seduced me !"

"Did he? Or were you seduced by the fact that he had persuaded my father to leave him everything?"

That had been the second blow that awaited him on his return. Not just that his brother had behaved so deviously, but that his father had died believing the lies Mef-Ts told him. Lies that he had spread throughout their small village.

"I… I was young."

And she was no longer young, despite her beauty. Perhaps that was why she had come to him, thinking him an easy target. The wealth he had acquired through his inventions had no doubt increased his value in her eyes, especially now that his wings had finally healed.

"It no longer matters," he said truthfully. Long years of discipline and control had eliminated the pain and the anger. " You no longer matter to me, Lil-et."

He stepped inside and closed the door without the slightest regret. Never again will I be so foolish , he vowed, as he turned to the familiar comfort of his work. By the time he reached his laboratory, she was already forgotten.

The next morning, he had found himself… elsewhere. Even before his eyes opened, he knew he was no longer on Letenja. The scent of the air, the feel of the cold breeze blowing across his body—both of them were unfamiliar. Opening his eyes a fraction, not enough to reveal his alert state to any unknown enemy, he searched for any clues as to his location.

All he could see were rocks and an endless expanse of unfamiliar sky. No one appeared in his field of vision, and even though he strained his ears, he could hear nothing. He opened his eyes the rest of the way and sat up.

He was alone on a stretch of rocky ground. One side sloped down to a thickly wooded slope while the other reached up towards an overcast sky. His clothes had disappeared but that was of little consequence. Due to the natural protection of their feathers, clothing was a relatively recent development for the Letenjans, used more for decoration or to indicate status than for any practical purpose. His datapad, on the other hand, would be sorely missed.

But right now, he was more interested in determining his location.

Rising to his feet and shaking out his wings, he discovered that he was close to the peak of a mountain, one of a long chain that formed the backbone of an enormous valley. Far to his right, a broad river flowed out of the mountains, surrounded by dense, colorful vegetation. The jungle gradually transitioned to a wide expanse of grasslands which, in turn, ended in a range of low, rocky hills. His keen vision caught a glimpse of what looked like a pink desert beyond the hills. In the distance, he could see the ocean, dark and purple as it stretched towards the horizon.

He scanned the area again and saw no sign of habitation, no sign of any enemy. The open air called to him, and abandoning his caution, he took flight. As he soared over the valley, he noticed a block-like white building that stood isolated in the transitional area between the jungle and the grassland. No roads led towards it, and he detected no sign of life. He would have assumed that it was abandoned except for the fact that it was so pristine.

Keeping a wary eye on it, he flew further down towards the ocean, then circled towards the hills that separated the desert from the plain. From the air he could detect the straight lines that indicated the presence of intelligent thought, perhaps a small village of some kind, but it appeared to have been abandoned long ago.

The jungle held little interest for him and after a cursory inspection, he returned to the mountain where he had first awoken. Whatever—whoever—had placed him here had chosen well. The clear, cold air and the expansive view of his surroundings suited him.

As he came in for a landing, he saw a roughly woven bag on the ground next to where he had awoken. Another sign that there was an intellect behind his presence here.

Inside the bag, he found a long, sharp knife. Useful, but not entirely necessary , he thought, flexing his claws. The only other item was a sheet of flex plas covered with symbols. After his flight, it was easy enough to recognize it as a map. The location where he had awoken was marked by a pair of wings, and another set of wings was marked at a location that corresponded with the white building. There they were joined by a symbol that he interpreted to represent Letenja.

He considered the map thoughtfully. Was it a challenge? A test of some kind? The implication seemed clear enough: journey to the white building in order to return to his planet. But did he even want to return?

He thought of his abandoned studies and the upcoming conference where his latest invention would be presented, but he also considered Lil-et's appearance at his door and the drama that would undoubtedly occur if his brother chose to abandon her.

No, he was in no hurry to return.

How long had it been since he had a chance to test himself in such a primitive environment? His father had taken them into the wilderness many times when they were children, before age and infirmity sapped his strength. They were some of his last happy memories of his family. A smile crossed his face—the first genuine smile in a very long time. His analysis of the situation might have been logical, but the certainty that it was the right decision came from a different place, a place he rarely considered anymore.

The thought made him uncomfortable, and he turned to more practical matters. If he was going to remain, he needed food and shelter. He considered the valley floor again, but he had no desire to return to the lowlands. No, this mountaintop would suit him well enough.

By the time the sun went down, he had located a series of caves that would serve as a suitable aerie. Each of them had a small natural chimney opening to the sky so he would never feel completely enclosed. And not only were they spacious enough to accommodate his size, but the back cave opened into a grotto containing a hot spring.

After building a fire and catching a small animal for his meal, he settled into the warm water with a contented sigh. Even though he practiced the exercises he had learned during his military training every morning, the day had required a different type of physical exertion and the swirling warmth soothed his tired muscles.

The opening to the sky was at the far end of the grotto. He heard a loud squawk, followed by a whimpered cry and then a soft thud, as something tumbled to the ground at the bottom of the chimney. A flutter of movement caught his eye, and he abandoned the hot springs to investigate.

A small avian lay crumpled on the ground, one of its wings obviously injured. He didn't recognize the species of course, but avian bone structure tended to follow predictable patterns. Avoiding its sharp little claws and the spikes crowning the small head, he carefully gathered it up and returned to the main cave to see if he could mend the broken wing.

Over the next few days, he kept the small creature confined to one area of the cave as the wing began to mend. It was not happy about the confinement and squawked at him indignantly whenever he approached. On the third day, he returned from a hunting trip and found that it had made a hole in the barrier and flown away.

He was sure that the wing was not completely healed, and he frowned out at the snow that was already beginning to fall—the reason he had cut his trip short. The logical thing to do would be to let the little avian go, but he didn't like the thought that it was alone and still injured. With a sigh, he took to the air.

The snow didn't bother him, but it made visibility increasingly difficult even for his keen eyesight. The persistence that had carried him through his injuries and guided his studies wouldn't allow him to abandon the search. He circled the area, sure that the wounded creature could not have gone far.

The snow finally ceased to fall just before sunset, but there was still no sign of the avian. He was about to abandon his search for the day when he caught a hint of its scent, almost hidden beneath a luscious, unfamiliar aroma. He had never encountered anything quite like it. He followed the scent to a small plateau but didn't see either the avian or the source of that tantalizing new fragrance.

A closer examination revealed a small crevice, too small to be called a cave, hidden amongst the rock. He peered through the narrow opening and saw a small silvery bundle huddled against the rear wall. Pulling his wings as close against his body as he could, he stepped into the crevasse just as a face looked up at him.

Big blue eyes set in fragile, delicate features looked up at him. She—and he had no doubt at all that she was female—looked impossibly small and helpless as she crouched on the floor. He froze, expecting her to panic, perhaps even to scream. Instead, soft, full lips curved into a welcoming smile.

"Angel."