“My family defeated the man who hurt you,” Phoenix reassured her. “I overheard them talking about it. My Grandma was there too, of course, ‘cause she helps care for the river of symbiots. She’s the Priestess of the Hive,” Phoenix informed the residents of the Seven Kingdoms.
“The river… I saw what happened,” Asahi quietly replied. He looked at Phoenix. “But she called you to help defeat the alien?” he said.
“Yep!” Phoenix smiled at him. “My mom is human like you, but my dad is from Valdier. Stardust is a symbiot. She’s made from the same energy as Aminta. I think that’s how I got the message.”
The next question on Asahi’s lips died when the ground trembled. Nali readied her sword while Phoenix shifted into a dragon and literally disappeared before his eyes. When he heard trees cracking and splitting, his first thought was that yet another part of the alien must have found them, so he was very relieved to hear Ashure’s loud voice carrying through the trees.
“Koorgan, do you even know what the definition of stealth is? Sea Monkeys are quieter than you, and everyone knows how loud and annoying those damn things are!” Ashure complained.
“Believe me, I know. You put a whole shipload of the damn things in my bedroom on my wedding night,” Koorgan’s deep voice growled.
“What are you…?” Ashure exclaimed. “Koorgan, don’t you dare…. Orion! Damn it! Get me out of this tree!”
“It is amazing that those two have survived this long,” Xyrie observed with an amused sigh.
Phoenix’s giggle drew Asahi’s attention. She had reappeared and was looking at him with eyes shining in delight.
“They sound just like my family when we all get together,” Phoenix giggled. “I better go home now. I have a feeling that I’m going to be grounded for a long, long time.”
“I will escort you home, child,” Aminta said.
Phoenix shyly nodded. “That would be cool. Do you know Aikaterina? She—” Aminta, Phoenix, and the oversized golden Basset Hound passed through the Gateway as if they were going for a stroll in the park, and the sound of their conversation was cut off as the Gateway closed behind them.
Koorgan, Orion, and the others—excluding Ashure, who was still yelling—appeared out of the forest.
“Where is the alien?” Koorgan growled.
“It was destroyed,” Nali said with a grin.
“For good this time?” Gem inquired, solidifying next to Ross.
“For good,” Nali replied.
“What about you, Asahi? Are you… alright?” Ross asked, looking at him with a wary expression.
Asahi thought about the question for a second before he dipped his head in response. “I’m more than alright,” he asserted, wrapping his arm around Nali and pulling her close.
“Thanks to me,” Mr. Gryphon interjected. “Don’t forget that part.”
Relieved laughter burst from everyone there. “Yes. Thanks to you, Mr. Gryphon,” Asahi acknowledged.
The gryphon sniffed. “That’s ‘Golden Dagger’. I definitely need a new title after all of this,” the lion proclaimed, with a wave of his paw. “Maybe I should call myself the Magnificent Golden Dagger. That has an impressive sound to it, don’t you think?” Mr. Gryphon asked.
Nali chuckled and leaned against Asahi. “I think you’ve created a monster,” she murmured near his ear.
“The first of many, I hope,” he pledged.
Nali’s eyes flashed with desire. She reached up and tangled her fingers in the hair at his nape. He captured her upturned lips in a kiss that left no doubt he meant what he said.
He ignored the chorus of laughter and the sound of Ashure’s aggravated curses still carrying from farther back in the trees. The only thing he focused on was the beautiful, passionate woman in his arms. If he remembered correctly, she had mentioned something about an amazing little cottage nearby.
Chapter 30
Nali sighed and leaned back against Asahi as they stood on the cliff above the lake and watched the last of her gargoyle soldiers return home. She vaguely wondered if maybe she had been a little too blunt about insisting that everyone leave. Her guilt melted away when Asahi kissed her neck.
“I’m impressed,” he murmured.
She turned in his arms and slid her hands up his chest. “You don’t think I was a little too…,” she paused, trying to find the right word.
“Bossy?” he teased.
She leaned her head back and laughed. “I am the boss of them—but I was rude, wasn’t I?” she asked with a wince.
“Not rude. Impatient, but I suspect they were just as impatient to leave, spread the good news, and hold their loved ones close. I know that’s how I’m feeling at the moment,” he responded as he leaned forward and kissed her.
She slid her arms around his neck, pressed herself against his hard body, and returned his kiss. She groaned with exasperation when a dozen shadows passed overhead. Reluctantly ending the kiss, she looked up and laughed when she realized flying horses had cast the shadows. They had returned.
“It was nice of Ariness and Isha to open portals for everyone,” she commented.
Asahi chuckled. “I think everyone was grateful because it shut Ashure up,” he agreed.
“I must see if I can find his missing magic mirror. Now that he knows it can act as a portal, I’m sure the only reason he wants it back is so he can torment Koorgan,” she replied.
“Koorgan mentioned something along those lines. Apparently, Ashure has a long list of retaliations planned against Koorgan for placing him in that tree.” He laughed, then sighed and looked thoughtfully out over the Isle of the Monsters.
He looked down when she caressed his cheek. “What is it?” she asked.
He captured her hand and pressed his lips against the back of her fingers. “There was always a note of reverence in my grandfather’s voice when he spoke of your world. I heard it, but I never really understood it until now,” he said.
She tightened her grip on his hand. “Our world. You belong here, with me.”
He trailed his fingers down
