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“I would be honored to accompany Natalie to a night at your dungeon,” I tell him.
“Excellent,” Anthony says. He rubs his hands together and grins, almost evilly, and I have the feeling we may have walked into some sort of weird dragon trap. Anthony has the look like he’s just secured fresh meat for the dungeon and he’s about to corrupt us. “What type of class would you like to attend?” He asks. “We have advanced rope techniques, elements of submission, beginner…”
“Beginner would be fine,” I say firmly, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah,” Natalie swallows hard. She darts a glance at me and then looks back at Anthony. “Beginner would be good.”
“We have something next month,” he says with a smile. “I’d love to have you out again.”
I shouldn’t be excited at the prospect of coming back to the island with Natalie. We’re only just starting to get to know each other. The truth is that we’ve been apart for so many years and we’ve both changed a lot. We do need some time to get to know one another.
Still, the idea of making plans a month out doesn’t seem to bother her, and I kind of like that. Maybe things are going to be okay between the two of us, after all. I really haven’t been considering finding a mate. I suppose I’ve been too busy running from my past and trying to make up for past deeds to even consider dating seriously, but something about Natalie makes me feel like if the two of us really are mates, then everything would be okay.
“Hey,” she suddenly says, interrupting my thoughts. “Look!”
My eyes move to where she’s pointing, and I can’t believe it.
“You’ve found it,” Anthony says.
And she has.
Chapter Fifteen
Natalie
Inside the shoulder bag, Donald had packed this huge, fold-up bag he uses for gathering plants. It can fold into a tiny little square, but when you unfold it, the thing is fucking huge. It’s at least four feet high. We fill it completely with the weird little blue leaves. The process leaves us tired and exhausted and by the time we’re finished, it’s past nightfall.
“We should head back to Fablestone,” Donald says.
“Tonight?” Anthony looks at the sky. “It’s dark.”
“We’re in kind of a hurry,” I tell him. “We need to get back to my father.”
“I know you’re in a rush,” Anthony says. “And it may not be my place, but I would urge you to reconsider flying this evening. It’s not safe to travel in the darkness when you’re tired. Trouble can be lurking anywhere, and although Donald is an experienced flyer, the truth is that you’re both very tired. When was the last time either of you slept?”
I blush, and I feel Donald tense beside me. I don’t want to admit that Anthony is right. I’m exhausted and I know that Donald probably is, too.
“That’s what I thought,” he shakes his head. “Follow me,” he says. “You can stay in my home.”
“The house with the sex club in it?”
“No,” he chuckles. “I have another house. One without whips and chains.”
“What do you think?” I ask Donald, but something tells me he’s going to be more than ready to take a rest. I know he wants to help the clan as much as I do. Not knowing how they’re doing is killing me, but Anthony is right. If we try to leave now, while we’re both tired, something could happen. We could be attacked and unable to fight back due to fatigue or we could do something stupid, like flying in the wrong direction.
If there’s one thing my father drilled into my head, it’s that personal safety is important, even when you’re trying to save someone else.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he says finally, and Anthony nods. The two of them strip out of their shoes and then Donald removes his clothes. We shove everything into one of the bags and then Donald shifts first. I climb onto his back and Anthony helps to ensure the bags are comfortable and arranged well and that I’ve got a good grip on the back with the plants. Between the backpack, shoulder bag, and plant bag, my hands are completely full and I’m feeling a little overloaded, but I know that everything is going to be okay.
Everything’s going to be fine.
In the fading light, we fly to Anthony’s home. It’s huge: bigger even than the other mansions I’ve seen on the island.
“Beautiful,” I murmur, but I don’t think anyone can hear me over the flap of their wings or the rush of the wind as we land. As soon as I’m off Donald’s back, he shifts into his human form.
“Why, hello,” I look up to see a man and a woman standing on the front porch. The man has his arm slung around the woman’s shoulders.
Anthony strides up to the house, kisses the woman, and gives the man a hug.
