Page 68 of The Searching Songbird

“What in the world...”

And then something even stranger happened. The flames... parted. They split apart, creating a wide path toward the study door, and standing just inside it was a man.

Fia's eyes widened, and her heart began to race as she watched the man stroll toward them, as casual as could be. He was breath-taking. There was no other word for it. Tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw, he was a remarkable example of man at his finest. He wore a finely tailored black suit that fit him to perfection, but it wasn't his person or his clothes that caught and held her attention, impressive though they were. It was his eyes. Silvery-blue, they pierced her soul with their gaze, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek as she realized she had been enslaved once again, although it was her own damn heart that was to blame this time.

“Who are you?”

The question was hers, but for some reason it came from the baron, who lay before the stranger as he entered the ring. The stranger glanced down at him, a look of disdain marring his otherwise perfect features. Without answering, he placed his foot on the baron's neck and pressed down. The baron's eyes bulged and his body jerked beneath the stranger's foot, but the man merely looked bored as he watched the baron struggle.

“My apologies,” the stranger murmured, grinding his heel into the baron's throat as the last of the fight seeped out of him and his eyes rolled up in his head. “I do hate to use violence in front of a woman, but the situation seemed to call for it, in this case. I hope I haven't upset you?”

“Not at all,” Fia breathed, feeling her cheeks flush under the stranger's gaze. Blushing? She was blushing? She hadn't even realized she was capable of blushing.

He smiled. “Good.” Taking a step toward her, he clasped his hands behind his back as he considered her. “You really are the strongest of them all, you know,” he said after a moment.

“The strongest of whom?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why, the Shendri, of course.”

“The what?”

“The Shendri.” He held his hand out, and she stared at the beautifully long fingers for a moment before realizing he was waiting for her to stand. Grasping his hand, she scrambled to her feet. Her flush deepened as she realized the uniform she wore was in tatters from the beating the baron had administered to her earlier that night. Crossing her arms over her chest, she awkwardly tried to cover herself up, but the stranger reached out a gentle hand to still her movements.

“You don't ever have to hide from me, Fia.” He knows my name? “There is nothing about you that I would find offense with.”

“But... you don't even know me,” she managed to squeak out, then flinched out of habit. Never contradict. They don't like it when you contradict them.

His face softened. “Oh, but I do,” he said as his eyes fell to her exposed side and the black marks that she'd been cursed with at birth. “And I know what's hidden inside you.” He lifted his hand as if to place it on her head but stopped just before he touched her. “May I?”

She nodded.

Placing his hand on her head, he closed his eyes, and she mourned the loss of those silvery-blues while, at the same time, reveled in the feel of his touch.

“He's awake, has been for months now, but you've locked yourself in a protective shell that even he can't penetrate. He's been calling for you, Fia. He needs you to set him free.”

“I don't understand... who needs me?”

The stranger opened his eyes. “Your dragon, Artemis.”

“My what?!” She shook her head. Her dragon? Was he serious? And he claimed this so-called dragon was inside her? That wasn't even physically possible. He was crazy. And yet... there was something about the idea that just felt right.

“Your dragon,” he repeated, as if it should be obvious.

“I have a... a... dragon... living inside me?”

“That's right.” He waved an arm around the room. “And if the strength of this fire is any indication, he's a rather magnificent one at that.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don't understand any of this,” she whispered.

Warm hands settled on her shoulders, and she tensed beneath their weight. When they didn't move, she began to relax, and she forced herself to open her eyes. His were full of understanding as they met hers. “It's okay, Fia. Everything is going to be okay. We have each other now. I can take care of you, and you, well...” He grinned, his entire face lighting up. “You can take care of everything else.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “What do you say, Fia? Shall we set you free?”

Freedom.

Her lips curved up at the thought.

That did sound good.

Chapter Thirty-five