Everything about the woman was intriguing. Skin like freshly poured cream, hair the color of a raven’s wings. She’d smelled of wild orchids. He’d been entranced by the way the water lapped her sides like a thousand azure tongues as she skimmed across the surface of the pool. How he’d longed to feel what the water had. What must it be like to surround her, to caress her like a wave?
And so over the following weeks, he visited her at her pool time and time again, always careful to wait until her sisters had gone on their way. He wanted her all to himself. Although the reason was still unclear to him, he found her absolutely fascinating.
“Have you come again to guard me, Tavyss?” she’d call to him in the tree.
“It is my duty,” he’d respond before dropping down to her side and talking to her for a few precious moments. She was incredibly intelligent and well-read for having spent her life inside the garden, and they would often discuss the legends of the gods or gossip about the garden nymphs.
“You’ve never told me, Tavyss, do you have family here?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m alone. I have been for some time.”
Her lips flattened in poorly disguised pity. “I don’t know what I’d do without my sisters.”
With a shrug, he added, “I have a family, but I left them when Hera offered me this position. In truth, I needed somewhere to go, and it was a convenient escape.”
“Surely you must have friends among the nymphs,” she stated. “Even I have nymphs I speak to regularly. The creatures love to help with daily activities.”
“There is one who cleans my cottage, but he has very little to say. His name is Relkin. I think he might be afraid of me.”
A ghost of a smile teased beneath her sideways glance. “Just because you turn into a scaled beast with teeth as long as I am tall? The nerve.”
“I would never eat a nymph.”
She narrowed her eyes, a thought occurring to her. “What do you eat?”
“Sheep. A perk of being the guardian is I’m allowed to hunt the golden sheep.”
Her eyebrows shot into her hairline. “It’syouwho takes the sheep? I’ve wondered since I was a little girl.”
“They’re what I eat.”
“I thought it was forbidden.”
“Not for me.” He winked at her and took a seat on the branch.
She studied him with her pale blue eyes. What went on inside her lovely head? Medea was an enigma, brave to trust him as she did but also vulnerable. Without claws or sharp teeth, she was utterly defenseless. And didn’t that make him surprisingly desperate to protect her?
“Can I ask you something about the sheep?” Her eyes narrowed on his wings.
He nodded.
“Do they taste the same as regular sheep?”
A dimple appeared in his right cheek with his half smile. “There’s a metallic aftertaste.” He laughed then until his stomach hurt. Sobering, he handed her a book from his personal library. “I brought you a gift.”
“The Saddle of Arythmetes?” she read off the cover.
Thank the Mountain she could read his language.
“It’s a difficult read, to be sure, but one I think you’ll find fascinating.”
She turned the leather volume in her hands. “Oh? What’s it about?”
“This book was written by one of the very first Paragonian philosophers, a famous teacher and dragon shifter named Plintolemy. The story is about a hero named Arythmetes who discovers after a series of challenges in the five kingdoms that each of the communities plays a vital role in sustaining his world. Fairies, elves, dragons, witches, and even vampires are important contributors and only a peaceful coexistence will lead to ultimate prosperity.”
She cradled the book in her hands, her blue eyes twinkling with her excitement. “Thank you, Tavyss. I feel like since I’ve met you, you’ve opened a door for me. Ironic, considering you guard the gate.”
He perused her face, his gaze settling on her mouth. “I feel the same way.”
