“And just how am I supposed to do that?” I demanded, digging my claws into the pine bark as panic rose in my chest. “He didn’t recognize you at all, Fenris, and the two of you have known each other for years. What makes you think he’s going to recognize me?”
“He probably won’t,” Fenris admitted heavily. “But if you can get the serapha charm back around his neck, that might help you break the spell.”
“Umm, so what’s the plan, exactly?” Annia asked, sounding more than a little worried. “I’m going to assume you’ve been chatting with Fenris instead of staring dumbly off into space, and it would be nice to know what we’re doing next.”
“Fenris says I should try putting the serapha charm around Iannis’s neck and see if that breaks the spell.” I tugged the chain from beneath my shirt and stared down at the charm. “I guess if I do that, it’ll remind him of our connection and hopefully get through to him. I just hope he doesn’t see me as a threat and try to kill me.”
“Just because the Chief Mage is dressing like a Coazi and under a spell doesn’t mean he isn’t the same person,” Annia pointed out. “From what you’ve told me, the Chief Mage isn’t a shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy. If you can get him alone for long enough, you might just be able to reason with him.”
“I sure hope so, because it looks like I’m about to get my shot,” I said as Iannis walked out of a hut with a small bundle beneath his arm. I watched as he headed in the direction of the woods he’d come from earlier, and my heart rate shot up as anticipation raced through me.
“I’ll stay up here and make sure Fenris doesn’t become dinner,” Annia told me. “You go get the Chief Mage, and don’t forget to take a piece out of that ass of his for putting you through the wringer.”
“Damn right.” I cracked a smile, then grew serious again. “If you see an opportunity to get Fenris out of there, jump on it.”
“Will do.”
I sprang out of the tree, then shifted into panther form and crept around the camp, careful to stay out of sight behind the tree line and downwind of the dogs. The last thing I needed was for the Coazi to find me and stick me in a cage next to Fenris. Thankfully they’d gone back to eating and dancing around the fire, and with my inky-black fur nobody would be able to spot me beneath the cover of the pines.
Once I’d made it around to the forest on the other side of the camp, I put my nose to the ground and started sniffing out Iannis’s trail. It didn’t take me long to find it, and I trotted uphill, winding my way through the trees and taking care not to rustle the needle-laden branches. I didn’t want to alert Iannis to my presence – the last thing I needed was for him to blast me with his magic because he thought I was a wild animal that wanted him for dinner.
As Iannis’s scent grew stronger, the sound of running water greeted my ears, followed by a splash. A gap in the trees brought the stream into view, and I nearly tripped over a pinecone as I caught sight of Iannis standing waist deep in the water without a stitch of clothing on. My mouth went dry as I watched the moonlight play over the muscles of his broad back, and I traced a line down his spine with my gaze until it disappeared beneath the silver ripples of the water. A flush spread across my skin, and suddenly I was too hot for my fur.
As Iannis dunked his head beneath the water, I shifted back into human form, figuring that was probably my safest bet. I stepped out of the tree line as he resurfaced, and swallowed hard as he tilted his head back and pushed his gleaming mane of hair back from his face. Silver moonlight played across the strong planes of his handsome face, highlighting the length of his nose, the edges of his high cheekbones, the strength of his triangular jaw. His sensual lips, normally so firm, parted on a contented sigh, and it struck me that I’d never seen him so relaxed. I wondered if he was like this in the privacy of his rooms, or if living out in the wilderness had softened him.
What if he really does want to be here?
As though he sensed my gaze, Iannis’s whole body stiffened, and he turned sharply in my direction. Iridescent eyes clashed with mine, and an electric current zapped through me as he looked me up and down. Something like wary recognition flickered in his eyes, and I seized on that as hope filled me.
“Iannis.” I took a cautious step forward, moving slowly as I might with a wild animal I was trying not to startle. “It’s me, Sunaya. I’ve been looking for you.”
“Looking for me?” His dark brows pulled together in a frown as confusion filled his gaze. “I am not lost.”
“Yes, you are.” I kept my voice low but firm as I stopped close to the edge of the stream. “You were flying to Dara in a dirigible bound for the Convention, but you never made it there. People have been looking everywhere for you. Solantha has been in a panic ever since we learned you were missing.”
“Solantha,” he said slowly, testing the word out on his tongue. “My city.” A shadow passed through his eyes then, and he shook his head vehemently. “No, this is my home. I belong here with the Coazi.”
“No, you don’t!” My voice began to rise as agitation got the better of me. “These are not your people, Iannis. You have friends and colleagues who desperately need you. Not to mention that I desperately need you.”
“You do?” Iannis looked positively bewildered. “What for?”