"I am not a witch!" Saraya cried in distress but none paid her any mind. I looked back to the portal and saw the shimmer was no more. I looked down at my hand thinking of the best way to get her out of there. My heart thudded faster than normal and when she screamed again, my head snapped up and I shapeshifted immediately. I howled loudly, causing the crowd to stop chanting and turn in my direction. The grounds grew deathly quiet and then a woman screamed and then another. A loud boom sounded and I felt something hit my chest, my skin blistered and immediately regenerated. I charged forward, swatting humans out of my way to create a pathway through the crowd until I got to her. Snipping the thick rope holding her to the stake with my sharp nails, I ignored the heat of the fire, scorching my skin and pulled her off the burning pile, yanked her into my arms, and dashed away into an alleyway, not looking back. If I was in doubt that she was my Saraya the feel of her body nestled in my

After we both cleaned up in the river, I realised she must still be unsure of me because she seemed embarrassed by what we shared and turned her back to me when we bathed. We stayed by the river for a while longer before my pegasus took us back to the cabin. The state of it seemed to get to her but she didn't say a word. I went straight for the charm necklace and wore it. I felt her watching me and looked in her direction but she quickly looked away. I smiled to myself. "You can go upstairs, I will tidy this place up," I said. She simply nodded. Folding her arms against her chest, she did as I asked. I spent the next hours fixing the front porch, not resting until I was done. Then I strolled to the nearest stream to wash up before returning to the cabin to make food for her. When I climbed up she was lying on the bed with her back to me. Her breathing was irregular so I knew she was pretending to be asleep. "I made roasted beef with vegetables just the way you like it," I said.

Regardless of my lack of recollections of our time together, and our incessant quarrelling since we reunited, I could somewhat tell how much Dane cares for me. it was in the way he looks at me even when he is angry with me it was still there in the depth of his eyes. So then I knew if the food was left untouched, he would be back. I refused to eat the food he asked the maids to bring up to the room and turned them back as soon as they brought it. Yes, I was hungry, but would have preferred very much if he had stayed to eat with me. Hoping I was right in my deduction, I stood by the window and waited. Soon enough, I heard his angry huff and I could hear him coming up the stairs. My heart skipped a beat and thudded rapidly as the door was pushed open. I felt his presence to my very core. It was surreal. I closed my eyes and inhaled his manly scent. And for some reason tears filled my eyes. I could only imagine how intense whatever we might have shared must have been and I wished to rem

I felt a tad bad when Dane made the kitchen maids bring back our food. They set the bowls and plates on the side corner of the room on a Persian rug surrounded by low-height bean bags. The setting reminded me of the Arabian princes' camping set-up in movies. It was cosy, exotic, and beautiful. Dane had gone inside the bathroom to clean up and came back wearing coffee brown striped baggie shorts. I found I loved the colour of him. It was shades darker than his tan skin and seemed to blend quite well with his exotic features. He left his long hair loose and it fell in straight waves down his broad shoulders and to his waist. I swallowed when our eyes met. "Eat," he said simply with a gentle tug at the corners of his lips. "I was waiting for you," I replied. My voice sounded low and sultry. He reached out his left hand in my direction and I rose from the bed to take his hand. My skin tingled as he enclosed my hand in his and interlaced our fingers. I could have sworn he shivered

Just like Dane said Bertulf didn’t leave, standing by our room window, I could see a cloud of smoke somewhere in the woods and immediately suspected it must be him. His tortured eyes replayed in my head and I felt sorry for him. Imagining what he must be going through, banished and cast out of his own kingdom, forced to leave the woman he loved behind and left with no allies. And all that pain was afflicted on him by someone he considered as family. I suppose that must hurt as well. I can not recall any family in my past lives but I could just imagine his plight. If anyone were to try and force me to leave Dane or my children behind, I doubted I would simply accept it too. Wondering what he must have eaten out there in the cold, I turned away from the window, went to get a hooded cloak to wear over my long dress and headed out, hoping not to run into Dane. I doubt he would agree that I venture out on my own to speak with Bertulf. Dane had excused himself after sharing breakfast