Did he care about her this much?
No, I could not think about it. I had one single goal to focus on that day and it was to see Ansgar. Anything else would have to be postponed until I was once again in his arms and found him safe and sound.
So I kept quiet and did not comment on his snarky response, sending a few more emails and scheduling the pick-up for the car. Minutes later, we were underground, trying to find a spot far away and as dark as possible. When he finally found one to his liking, Rhylan parked and took the key out of the ignition, shifting his glazy adamant eyes on me.
“There’s no point in taking luggage, you’ll receive suitable clothes when you get there,” he said while unstrapping his seat belt and clicking the button to do the same to mine.
“Okay,” I nodded and shifted in my seat, fully turning to him.
“Leave your phone in the glove compartment, there's no use for it where we’re going,” Rhylan commanded.
“It worked fine in Evigt,” I protested. I planned to take my phone and grab as many photos and videos as possible, hoping to show the royal family and help them discover a bit more about the territory. No one had been invited there, they all said, so they had absolutely no idea what to expect or what to advise me.
“Where we’re going sprout, it will burst in flames and burn your sweet little thighs,” he moved his eyes quickly towards where the phone sat in my jean pocket then reverted them back to me.
I huffed and went to settings, pressed the factory reset option and shoved the phone in the glove compartment, as he’d asked. The last thing I needed was someone finding the phone and accessing my socials or bank accounts.
“Happy now?” I made a face that caused Rhylan to allow a shade of his usual smirk to pop out.
“Come on top of me.”
“What?” I asked with wide eyes, unable to believe the nerve on this guy. He had just been brooding about my friend and now he wanted me to move on top of him. Was he crazy?
“We need to be close to appear and we agreed not to leave the car. If I only take you by the hand, your particles may not transport as well. Do you want to risk it?” he looked at me as if to say that it would be idiotic to even consider it.
“Urgh,” I could not hold my frustration in and snarled at Rhylan, just as I moved from my seat and tried to get my legs on either side of his hips, ending up straddling him.
Another smirk, this time a complete and satisfied one illuminated his face while his hands grabbed me and pulled me even tighter. I was physically sitting on Rhylan, our breaths connected, faces inches away.
“Hold on, princess,” he whispered and placed his head on my shoulder and a hand over my head, to protect me from injury.
I did as instructed and held him as tightly as I could, closing my eyes and allowing his body to transport mine.
“You can open now,” Rhylan said as the hand he had placed over my head started moving up and down, in a soft caress.
Struck by a sudden wave of heat, I shifted in Rhylan’s arms, realising welanded in the sand, right in front of a wide entrance to a cave.
I disentangled my limbs from his and jolted away from his touch, yet as soon as I did my skin urged to seek the broken contact again. I waved away the silly thoughts and pushed myself farther back, allowing the fireling to rise and shake off the sand from his jacket and pants.
“Where are we?” I asked looking around to see people gathering their belongings after a hot beach day.
“Goa,” he replied. “India,” as he continued to recover his impeccable stance by brushing every grain of sand away.
“Oh my god,” I looked around like a drunkard, moving from side to side and spinning in circles, unable to grasp what had just happened. That in less than a minute, he moved us from a parking spot in New York onto a beach in India.
“I’ve never even been to India,” I said, struggling to keep the panic inside. “I don't have a passport, what if the police—”
“Anwen,” Rhylan’s fingers danced across my face in a soothing motion, forcing my eyes to meet his stare. “We will not stay here long. No one will find you. You are safe.” He uttered slowly, trying to make my brain listen.
It worked. Trapped inside Rhylan’s gaze and slowing my breathing, I calmed myself enough to stop shaking. Only then, did the faerie release me, but not before placing his lips on my forehead and trailing behind a small kiss. My entire body swirled with electricity at the contact. What had he done?
“Is Coke your poison?” he asked before I had time to move away or even protest.
“What?” I asked incredulously, unsure what he meant.
“We are not progressing until your sugar levels spike higher than a six-year-old’s on Halloween. A Halloween with the good kind of candy,” he smiled sweetly and I could not contain a choking laugh.
“Are you going to magic a can of coke for me with your shifting powers?” I questioned, half hoping that it would be the case.
