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Her hands fall to the table with a thump, and when she looks up at me, I know she’s already tried it and failed. I’ve watched her for long enough that I can read the emotions on her face, even when she isn’t such an open book like she is now.
“There was. But trying that is ‘out of the question.’” Her words take on a mocking tone that I’m all too used to her using for Lyle, and she screws up her face so that it looks like she just bit into a lemon.
I can’t help but chuckle.
I’ve missed the more carefree Serena; it’s good to know with so much going on, she’s still herself, even if this is weighing heavily on her right now.
Serena laughs, and some of the tension drains out of her.
“Is that what Lyle and Garrett were arguing about yesterday?” I ask, unsure. They fight about one thing or another so often that keeping track is hard. The only thing I can almost always count on is that it has something to do with Serena.
“Yes. I swear those two could fight over just about anything. They’re almost more exhausting than all of this,” she says, gesturing to the stacks and stacks of books that litter the table we’re sitting at. “When we were younger, the easiest way for me to take his form was in the sky. He would shift and grab me in his claws before flying me up high into the clouds, where he would drop me.” She watches me closely as she explains, and I get the feeling she’s waiting for me to protest as well.
I can’t lie. The urge is there. The idea of him dropping her has my heart racing, and my beast stirs at the thought of her in danger.
The difference is, unlike Lyle, I trust Garrett. He might not have started as my favorite person, but I can’t deny he’s grown on me. The only thing I want is for Serena to be happy and safe, both of which Garrett is able to accomplish. He spent years looking for her, unwilling to give up on his mate, and that says a lot about him.
I remain quiet, and she continues. “Something about feeling the rush of wind high up in the clouds made it easy. It’s almost as if I was a wyvern myself. My shadows knew what I needed and just did it. I didn’t have to try.”
Her words take on an airy quality, and I see the longing in her eyes, the need to have that feeling back.
“Ugh. That sounded a lot less stupid before, but now I can kind of see why Lyle might have freaked out,” she grumbles, dropping her head to the table with a groan of annoyance.
She’s wrong; it doesn’t sound stupid at all.
In fact, it gives me an idea.
“It’s not stupid, Little Rabbit,” I tell her, pushing back from the table. The chair scrapes the ground, making her turn to look at me as I hold out my hand to her. “Come on, I’ve got an idea.”
My heart skips a beat when she doesn’t hesitate to take my hand. I pull her to her feet and out of the library with me.
This realm has taken some time to adjust to, but we’ve been here long enough now that it’s almost normal.
Almost, but not quite. Some things are still a bit strange. The lack of technology was a huge difference, but they also lack everyday things that we’re used to, like running water, electricity, and cars. Most of it is easily worked around with shifters and more magic. Cars aren’t necessary when you can transform into an animal who can take you wherever you need to be, and probably in half the time when you cut out the traffic and the laws that come with them. Candles and fires can be lit anywhere by anyone. Water can be pulled from fountains, rivers, and streams and heated for cooking or bathing. So, while it might not be the same, this realm isn’t lacking.
It was strange at first, but I have to admit the bathhouse is growing on me.
“Where are we going?” Serena says, sounding slightly out of breath as she runs to keep pace beside me. It’s so easy to forget how much smaller she is than us because her personality is so damn big.
I slow for a moment, crouching down before I yank her toward me. Just as I intended, she stumbles forward, catching herself on my back. Dropping her hand, I quickly reach behind me and grip her thigh, hoisting her up onto my back, piggyback style.
I stand, bouncing her up higher, and her laughter dances down the halls, echoing around us, bringing a smile to my lips.
By the gods, I love that sound. We often gave her piggyback rides like this when we were younger, before she trained with us. She’s always been smaller, but back then, she was really small and not just short. She constantly fell behind, and it became a fun way to keep her with us. It even caused a few fights about whose turn it was to carry her. Whenever that happened, I always won. She said she picked me because I was the biggest, and she loved seeing the world from my height. I didn’t care why I won so long as I got to carry her.
“B, seriously, what are we doing?” she asks again, attempting to sound stern, but I can hear her smile.
“Patience, Rabbit.”
She growls but doesn’t argue as she wraps her arms around my neck and rests her chin on my shoulder. I take that as a sign to move and start back toward the bathhouse.
When the queen first showed us around, I thought the name was just that, but it turns out the bathhouse really is its own little area. It’s not exactly a house, but also not a part of the castle.
“The bathhouses?” Serena asks the second we exit the far end of the castle. It’s not as if there’s much else out here for us to be headed to, but still, I ignore her, earning an adorable huff of annoyance.
There are three hot springs—one for men, one for women, and one for the royal family. The queen, not too subtly, gave us permission to use the royal family one if we should need “alone time,” as she called it, and while this might not be what she was hinting at, I’ll take it. Each spring is in the ground, down a few stone steps that open into caverns. The rocks around the edges have been crafted to work as a dock of sorts, and the ground is carved up into stairs and different levels for sitting and even swimming, should one choose. It’s yet another way the elements help this realm thrive without the advancements of technology. It’s fascinating, really.
The temperature change from outside to inside the bathhouse is drastic. Whereas it’s warm outside, there’s still a breeze that chills you should you spend too long out in the open. It’s perfect for training in. The breeze does a fantastic job of keeping us cool, but the nights can get pretty cold. The temperature inside is at least double that, though, and the warm water creates a sauna-like feeling that leaves the air thick and warm, just the way I like it.
