Licked by the Flame Read Free Page B

tighter against himself. The Sizing Dust would be wearing off soon for her, so he’d just let her rest. As usual, she’d given herself fully; she’d loved him with all of her heart, every ounce of her passion. He soaked it up with abandon, leaving them both drained and exhausted. He would hold on to this moment as long as he could until—
    A sound outside their bedroom jolted him. He jerked up, and his wings spread quickly to cover Raea and protect her as she slept. Someone was here! He could feel the presence, hear the light footsteps as they moved about the cabin. His senses went on high alert and he pushed back the covers, sliding into the pair of human shorts that he’d found in the closet and had been using during their stay here.
    Raea stirred. “What is it?” she asked.
    “Someone’s here.”
    She was clearly startled, so he tried to be as calm as possible.
    “It’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” he assured her, moving toward the door. “Wait here.”
    She nodded, and he could see her body begin to shrink as fear canceled the effects of the Sizing Dust and she returned to her normal size. In a few moments she’d be small enough to fit in a man’s hand, tiny and vulnerable to danger. Kyne would keep her safe no matter what. Whoever was out there, he sure as hell wouldn’t let them anywhere near Raea.
    He pulled the door open and peered into the main living area. He could clearly make out a figure—a man. Who was he and how had he found them inside their magical refuge? Obviously he was not trying to be stealthy, standing there in the open, his large, human form silhouetted before the window. Kyne’s eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming in and recognition swept over him before the man even spoke.
    “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
    “What the hell are you doing here, Baylor?” Kyne demanded, pulling the door shut behind him as he stalked toward his father.
    “I came to check on you. Obviously you took my advice to lie low for a while.”
    Baylor had been the one to direct them here, but Kyne wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a thank-you. The fact that Baylor had saved him from capture on this one single occasion did not even come close to making up for all the years Kyne had been abandoned and left to fend for himself and his heartbroken mother, struggling to hide his heritage and the shameful truth of his half-fairy, half-human existence. He owed Baylor no thank-yous, that was for certain.
    On the other hand, the human owed him some answers.
    “What is this place? How did you know about it?” Kyne questioned.
    “I built it, of course,” Baylor replied. “I didn’t realize when I sent you here that you’d be making such excellent use of it, though. Who’s the girl?”
    “I’m alone here.”
    “No, you’re not. You wouldn’t still be here if you were alone. Is she a fairy? She must be. She was hiding with you in the forest, wasn’t she? That’s why you didn’t stick around to beat the hell out of me the way you obviously want to. The council is after her, too.”
    “The council knows nothing of her yet, and neither do you. I didn’t beat the hell out of you because, frankly, you’re just not worth the effort. You are going to give me some answers, though. What have you gotten us involved in? Hybrid equipment? When did the Fairy Council start working with humans?”
    “There’s much more here than you know about, Kyne.”
    “And that’s why you’re going to tell me. Start by explaining this cabin.”
    “It’s a cabin, protected by magic that only a certain formulation of Fairy Dust and a couple key human ingredients can penetrate.”
    More human and magical hybridization. Kyne didn’t like that one bit. “Why?”
    “We needed a safe place, somewhere beyond magic or human detection.”
    “ We? You mean my mother. She lied to me, you know. All these years, she told me she had no idea where you were. But I found the photo; I know she’s been here with you.