Dream Five, Chapter Seventeen

(Anything in asterisks is meant to be italicized.)

Christian took a deep breath as he stood outside Barrons Books & Baubles. It was still early enough in the day that the now iconic bookstore wasn't open for business yet.

His sifting wasn't as accurate as Mac's or Ryodan's. To sift directly to someone, he needed something they had touched. He kept a few strands of Mac's hair in his wallet for whenever she requested him.

He still had the note with the little heart over the i. It never left his pocket, which made it so much harder not to sift to her. Her duality had gotten under his skin. Every time he looked at a book or a bottle or walked into his bedroom, he felt a small pang of longing. But he'd be seeing her shortly.

After giving himself a little shake, he held the note tightly in his hand and thought about her. How she had one black feathery wing and one ethereal butterfly wing and she loved them both. How she talked and cooed over the books from the White Mansion like they were beloved friends. Her dual complexion from being the daughter of War and Summer. Then he sifted and found himself on a dark beach near a small fire.

She was asleep next to it, Mac's note lying unread on the ground between her and the fire. It both hurt and overjoyed him just to see her again. He wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go but he had promised her her freedom to explore worlds. That's why he had compared Mac to the old Fae; she hadn't considered he was going to have to say goodbye again.

Death stood there and watched her chest slowly rise and fall for a minute. He could go back and tell them he couldn't find her, but Mac would only storm out and go after her herself, Barrons hot on her tail. Better he be there to wake her than those two. Besides, she'd be upset with him when she learned he was supposed to bring her back. She'd call him names again, except he kind of liked it when she got all grumpy and called him names.

He quietly knelt down next to her head and brushed some hair back from her face. "Lyryka," he said softly near her ear, "it's time to awaken, my bonny lass."

She slowly opened one eye before she groaned and rolled over, saying, "No, it's not, Death. You said I could sleep in this morning."

Despite loving the daytime—especially when it was a warm and sunny day—she hated waking up. It was when she was at her grumpiest. She seemed to go back to sleep for a minute and he had to hold back a laugh. He had just moved his head out of the way when she shot up straight and looked around.

"Behind you, love," he said as he stood.

Lyryka slowly turned around and her eyes started at his feet before they slowly moved up his legs, paused at his waist—it thoroughly amused him where her eyes hungrily stopped and that she had had to swallow before moving on—over his stomach, determinedly up his chest, and finally to his face. She sat there, looking at him with narrowed eyes for a moment as if trying to decide whether or not this was real.

Her eyes widened when she finally decided it was before a grin splashed across her perfectly split face. To his joy and relief, Lyryka bolted from her covers and he just managed to spread open his arms before she was in them. Then her lips were pressed against his and his hand automatically went to her cheek as he held her closer and tighter.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked, her hands resting on his chest. "You said I was free."

"You are, Lyryka," he assured her. "You are free to do whatever you wish. Mac sent me."

Her eyes widened and her voice lowered to a whisper as she said, a little awestruck, "The Queen of the Fae sent one of her most treasured allies to see *me*?"

He chuckled and nodded to the piece of paper still on the ground. "She also sent you a note."

"She sent *me* a note?"

Her eyes somehow managed to get wider. He was almost afraid they would pop out of her head. His arms felt so empty when she left them to go read it.

"You said I was free," she repeated once she had finished.

"And you are," he reiterated. "She's asking you to temporarily return. Asking, not commanding. It's your decision. Should you choose to return to my world, no one is going to force you to stay. As your protector, I will protect your freedom until the end."

He bowed then, knowing her life had been filled with storybooks and he would remain her chivalrous prince until the end as well. His Keltar blood demanded it. He looked back up to find her exultant.

She grinned at him and said, "Good. Let me gather my things and we can go."

"Lyryka, you donna have to return."

"It was nice of her to not command me to return," she rolled her eyes with a look that told him she clearly thought he was an idiot and he had to suppress a smile, "but she is my queen. When your queen summons you, be it command or request, you go, you silly oaf." She was silent for a moment as she packed before she added, "Duh."

He couldn't hide his smile that time.