Raya burrowed into the covers and relaxed, reaching out occasionally to give him a gentle pat.
He’d never seen her so unguarded.
She would never forgive him.
He tried to relax into the soft pillow while he waited for her to fall asleep. If she fell asleep, he might be able to get her wand. What he would do with it, he didn’t know—but it was the only plan he had.
Halfway through the movie, Raya sighed contentedly and switched off the bedside lamp. The glow of the television illuminated the white sheets and threw her features into relief.
After the movie, she turned off the television and rolled on her side, facing Phoenix. “I’m going to turn in, little prince. How about you?” She tickled him under his chin. “You sleepy? Do kitties dream?”
This kitty didn’t, but he had no way of telling her that.
She yawned. “Sometimes I have bad dreams. Maybe you can be my little guardian. How about that? You want to guard Mama’s dreams?”
Dreams? Maybe there was something to that. He meowed heartily for her benefit.
She settled deeper under the blankets and closed her eyes. “Mmm … goodnight, dark prince.”
Phoenix sat quietly and observed her breathing as it became slower and more even. The thought of Nathan suddenly conjuring him away gave an edge of apprehension to his attempt to wait patiently for Raya to fall completely asleep.
He crept toward her, one paw at a time, watching for any sign of wakefulness. He had to be careful not to step on her thick hair, which fanned across the pillow in frizzy waves that smelled of sweetly scented shampoo. He seized the wand in his teeth and tugged it free before backpedaling softly to his pillow.
Now what?
Phoenix set the wand on the pillow and placed a paw on it so it wouldn’t roll away. He wasn’t sure what, exactly, he had expected to happen. Maybe that he would touch the wand and be instantly transformed.
That hadn’t happened.
He concentrated on the wand. Nothing happened. He suppressed the urge to hiss in frustration, for fear it would wake Raya. What else could he try? He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t fly, he couldn’t do anything worthwhile. Unless …
Phoenix took the wand in his teeth and crept to where Raya’s hand held the covers loosely. With much maneuvering, he managed to angle the wand just right and slip it under her fingers. He curled into a ball and nestled next to her, maintaining contact with her hand and the wand.
Nathan controlled his physical form and abilities—but perhaps he’d left an unintentional loophole.
Phoenix closed his eyes.
The dream state beckoned just out of reach. It felt like pressing his nose against a glass window. He leaned into the sensation, focusing beyond the barrier to the person within.
He sought the Raya he knew— the brash and combative witch who made a formidable sparring partner—and the Raya whose capacity for love and tenderness revealed itself only to the animals she adored.
Phoenix whispered her name through the barrier that lay between them.
The glass separating him from her dreaming mind splintered and fell away.
In her dream, Raya stood before a fire.
Phoenix crept closer on silent paws.
She was weeping.
He froze. What was this?
She reached toward the fire, as if to rescue something that lay within the flames.
Without thinking, Phoenix ran forward, meowing as loudly as he could manage.
Raya hesitated. “Little prince? What are you doing—never mind.” She reached for the fire again, her tears shining in the firelight. “I have to save my books.” Her voice broke.
