Suddenly the door opened and a gray skinned man with beastly wings flared to their fullest, entered. Bianca cowered and scrambled back as blood drained from her face. It was them—demons, the miscreation. He walked up to her and bent down. Bending over her he said, "Stay quiet, otherwise I will kill you!" He flapped his wings and pierced the wall at her back with the wing's claw.

"I— I want to go to mommy…" she said loudly.

​​

"You horrible little bastard." He slapped her right across her cheek. She fell to her side on the hard, cold floor on the blood and puke as her cheek sting. The demon left. She whimpered and became quiet. As soon as he left the cell, she vomited whatever she had eaten.

Bianca opened her eyes with a jolt and she screamed and screamed. "Make them go!"

"Bia, Bia!" Brantley held her close in his lap.

She clawed him to get out of his grip.

But he didn't leave her. He let her dig her nails in his flesh until she was quiet. He stroked her hair and pressed her face to his neck as she sobbed. Once she settled, once her shoulders started to become steady, he said, "It was just a nightmare. I think a hot bath would do wonders."

She looked at his shoulders where small bruises had formed. Feeling guilty as hell, she said, "I am sorry. I don't know what overcame me." She looked at him as if she was utterly confused. Her brain was scattered. Why was this happening with her? Nothing made sense. She was so healthy and mentally sound before marrying Brantley, then what was this thing with her nightmares. Was she going insane? If she were, then she wouldn't show it to him. For fuck's sake, they just got married!

He stroked her hair softly. "Do you want to talk to me about anything?"

She looked up at his handsome face and said, "I want to scale that mountain." She pointed at the mountain behind the glass wall.

"Lovely!" he said. Anything to distract her.

---

What seemed like it was just behind the castle, Mount Rochnan was pretty far. "You might get tired soon, if you keep up with that pace," said Brantley. They had jogged for almost half-an-hour following a dirt and stony path towards the peak of the mountain, which Brantley had said provided one of the best vistas of the world.

"Hah!" she panted. "I don't get tired. Remember? I am a Lykae?" She jogged with an increased pace and then turned towards him to jog backwards. "In fact I have been going slow only to maintain pace with a nine hundred year old dragon rider." She turned again with a chuckle and jogged ahead.

He chuckled. His gaze went to her hips that were swaying in her cut-off blue shorts. And all he wanted was to squeeze them. When he heard her snicker again, he knew she was enjoying it. In order to distract her from her nightmare experience, he was planning on doing everything that was in his power, which included flirting, kissing her like mad, talking dirty to her and of course touching, which went without saying. Because if he didn't touch her, his soul would become dark now. And once he had done all that, perhaps he would have sex with her on the peak with chilly wind blowing around them to douse the heat of their bodies. His eyes went back to her hips. Was she exaggerating her sway? And the way her hair was swishing on her back—he wanted to wrap them around his wrist and yank them while plunging from behind.

"We'll see who runs faster!" he said and jogged in order to go ahead of her, but as soon as he reached her he found herself gazing at her impossibly beautiful face. Her rosy lips and that nape, which he had clasped his hands upon, appeared sexy as hell—he was immediately hungry to take her down.

He collected his thoughts and said, "It seems sex with me is the best thing that has happened to you. You are simply glowing."

Bianca came to a stop. She raised her eyebrow at the smug ass of a man in front of her. "From what I see, it is you who has had the magical effect. I mean after all you want to possess me."

Ah! He loved her sass. Game on. "When you want me to touch you, let me know. I won't touch you for the entire day unless you desire." Fuck that. He would touch her and then make her submit to him. On the peak.

She shrugged as she jogged past him, shoving his shoulder lightly. "Nah. I don't need anyone to embrace me. I am a girl who can stay without touching anyone. I am not so needy." So untrue. She is already craving.

"You will miss it, but it's fine, you can simply ogle at me and get the fill."

Bianca's cheeks became crimson at the word 'fill'. This man and his puns. She had to change the topic. "So when was the last you saw greenery on this mountain?" She looked around at the wild yellow, blue and blood red blossoms that were gently swaying in the cool breeze. Water falling from the peak had now doubled in the size.

Brantley stayed quiet for a long time. Memories flooded him. "This place was filled with a lot of fun. The last greenery I saw was more than a thousand years back…" his voice trailed off. He looked at the nearby trees on the slope, which had sprung to life magically in the past few days.

Suddenly they heard loud rattling bugle calls from the trees. Brantley stilled as he stared at them. Bianca closed in towards him and held his arm. Without warning a large number of white cranes emerged from the lush green trees and flew in the sky. They gave out moans and hisses and honks angrily as if the two intruders had dared to enter their habitat.

Bianca's breath hitched. "Oh my God!" She placed her hand on her chest. "This is so beautiful!" she said as she looked at the white cranes settling again on their nests hidden amongst the trees on the slope.

There was a serene smile of Brantley's lips. "The migratory birds are back," he said with deep satisfaction. His gaze turned to her. It happened only because of her. She had sat down on the throne only once, and looked at the beauty she brought back.

Once they reached the base of the waterfall, he said, "Would you like to race up to the peak?"

"What if you lose?" she asked.

"What, if you lose?"

Before he said another sentence, the girl had jogged ahead of him with her Lykae speed. A whoosh of wind blew past him. "Damn it!" he gritted and rushed after her.

Soon he caught up with her and instead of going forward, he treated himself with the best view ever—her hips. He noticed a line of sweat entering her shorts and his eyes traced that to her blue bra, which contained her supple breasts that were bouncing. "Shit!" he needed to control his thoughts.

Bianca reached the peak with Brantley right behind her. Well he did give her a good start.

"I win!" she raised her hands in the air and jumped with joy.

Her cheerful demeanor made his day. He dragged her close to his chest and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, as they looked at the vista around as the cool winds blew.