Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) (17 page)

“So where are you taking me?” she asked, desperate to change the subject. Titus lifted his arm and pointed to a ring of trees in the
distance. The branches seemed to be reaching for each other, closing the area between them in a cocoon of lush green leaves.

“See
that copse of trees over there?”

Selena nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Wanna race?”

Titus snorted. “You don’t stand a chance.”

Selena folded her arms over her chest.
“Oh really?
Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?
Or your snout.
If you think it’ll give you the edge, you can morph into your wolf form. I bet you still couldn’t beat me.”

Titus’ eyes flashed and glowed as he smiled back at her. “You’re on!”

In the blink of an eye, the boy Titus was gone and his wolf form stood before her. Instead of that
frightful
red, his eyes now
glowed
the same hypnotic blue as they did in his human form. They were familiar and comforting, leaving Selena with no doubt that he’d been set free from the evil queen’s hold.

Titus bent to gather his fallen clothes in his mouth and turned toward the circle of trees, waiting for Selena to start the race. She dropped her borrowed sandals onto the grass and gathered the hem of her skirt in her hands.

“Ready
—
” she said with a sideways glance at Titus, “
—
set, go!”

They were off like a shot of lightning, neck and neck as they sprinted across the open green field. Selena felt the rushing of wind on her bare arms and face
; she
closed her eyes, breathin
g deeply as her feet sa
nk into plush grass. Every few steps, her speed allowed her to
leave the
ground and Selena savored the sensation as if she were flying. After a while it became less about beating Titus and more about the thrill of running in the open, unashamed and unafraid that someone might see her. Here, everyone was as strange as she was. So much so that being strange was actually normal. It was a feeling that Selena had never experienced.

With a final burst of speed, Selena reached the shaded glen just a few seconds before Titus, who was panting heavily when he came to a stop beside her. Selena smiled smugly at him and received a yipping bark and playful snap at the hem of her dress in return. She ran her fingers over the wolf’s beautiful fur and dropped to her knees, pressing her face against the soft pelt.

“You get an A for effort,” she said jokingly
,
before tugging his ear teasingly. His hot, rough tongue lapped at her cheek and Selena pushed him away with a chuckle. He took his pants into his mouth and disappeared into the trees at a run. A minute later, his human figure appeared on the edge of the trees, wearing the pants and running a hand through his dark hair.

“I am not ashamed to admit when I’ve been beaten,” he said with a grin as he bent to retrieve his shirt and vest. Selena was salivating like a dog looking at a juicy steak as she studied Titus’ lean and lithe form. The broad chest and shoulders tapered in to a narrow waist, showcasing the ripples along his abs perfectly. His pants were snug and low-fitting, giving Selena the perfect view of his cute butt just before the bottom of his shirt met the waistband. Selena bit her lower lip and tried to find something
else to look at. She was grateful when he had his clothes back on and was leading her toward the trees.

“What is this place?” she asked as she allowed Titus to take her hand once more and lead her between the thick
circle
of trees. She’d never seen trees growing so close together, as if they were protecting something within their little circle.

“It i
s one of the many homes of the P
ixies,” Titus said softly as they cleared the trees. What Selena found on the other side stole the air from her lungs. Though the foliage of the trees blocked out the light of the moon, a soft, golden glow illuminated the space. The tiny lights were coming from inside the petals of hundreds of tulips, which dotted the ground around them in shades of pink, purple
,
and white. As Titus led her closer, Selena realized that the glowing lights insid
e of the flowers were the same P
ixies that had been dancing at the
Fae
ball. More of them dotted the trees above them, creating the same effect as roped Christmas lights. They twinkled above, creating a glowing cocoon separate from the rest of the world. In the midst of the glowing field of flowers stood a still pond on which even more of the glowing creatures played, skidding across the water and creating glowing rings that rippled out around them.

“Oh,” Selena gasped, unable to say anything else while surrounded by so much beauty.

Titus smiled and directed her toward one of the trees
. “This is the main reason I brought you here,” he said as he reached up toward the branches. He came back down with two pieces of strange-looking fruit.
They were a deep, rich red and large enough that Selena had to hold hers with both hands. It looked like a very large, firm tomato.

“There is a lot of good food in that banquet hall,” Titus said. “But you’ll never taste anything like the fruit from a clutzia tree.”

Selena watched as Titus sunk his teeth into the fruit’s skin, groaning with pleasure as the ruby red juice spilled over his fingers. He chewed and nodded fervently, his eyes wide.

“It’s heavenly, taste it.”

Selena shrugged and brought the fruit to her lips. She had already been attacked by a
Werewolf
, rescued by two old German fairytale writers, been on board a flying ship,
rode in a flying chariot, met
Fae
ries and
Elves
, and been attacked by Minotaurs. This was easy.

The sweet juice of the clutzia filled her mouth, like the perfect blend of pomegranate, blueberry, and pineapple juice. There was something else there that Selena couldn’t describe, but it was almost like a touch of honey. The sweetness danced on her tongue and the meat of the fruit provided a
feeling of
fullness that Selena did not expect.

“I’m full from just that one
piece of
fruit!” she exclaimed once she was finished.

Titus nodded. “That is one of the best things about clutzia,” he said. “Even one bite could bring a starving man back from death. It is found only in Goldun.”

Selena licked the addictive juice from her fingertips. “Now my hands are sticky.”

“Well, that’s what the pond is for.”

He led her over to the
water, where the P
ixies seemed to ripple out over the water in an effort to make room for them. Many of them watched curiously as Selena and Titus knelt at the water’s edge. Selena dipped her hands into the water, surprised at its coolness. She watched as Titus cupped his hands together and came up fill
ed
to the brim with water.

“It’s the best water you’ll ever drink,” he promised as he held his hands out to her. Selena glanced down at his glistening fingertips, squeezed tightly together to keep even a drop from escaping. Her pulse thumped against her throat as she leaned forward to accept his offering, grateful for the coldness of the sweet water as it rushed down her hot throat.
It
was
the best water she
’d ever tasted,
pure and
clear
with just a hint of sweetness. Selena wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as Titus finished off the water and wiped his own hands on his
pant legs. He stretched his long limbs
out and leaned back onto his el
bows, gazing up at the dancing P
ixies above their heads. Selena joined him,
gazing up at the
tiny dots
blanketing them like golden stars
.

“Tell me about Mollac,” Selena asked
,
laying back to rest her head against the grass. “Do you miss it?”

Titus sighed, his chest heaving as he closed his eyes. “There is a harsh sort of beauty about a place covered in ice and snow,” he said softly. “
It’s like living inside of a diamond; everything is so pure and wrapped in shades of white and pale blue. There are soft hills and jagged mountain peaks, forests full of trees that appea
r dead
,
but are brimming with lif
e inside.”

“What about your family?”

“There are my parents and then there is my pack. We live together and hunt together. We were happy before
…
”

Selena reached across the space between them and touched his hand. “We will help them, Titus. I promised you that I wouldn’t leave until I helped you rescue your family and I meant it.”

Titus turned onto his side to face her. “You should go,” he said. “If you’re not going to
remain in Fallada
, then tomorrow you should have Jake and Wil take you back to your world.”

Selena turned on her side as well, panic ripping through her at the thought that Titus would want her to leave.

“What do
you mean? I thought you wanted me to be here.
”

“I want you to stay!” Titus said with a low growl rumbling at the base of his chest. He reached out and grasped Selena’s shoulder tightly. “I want you to stay and take your place in Damu. I want you to meet your parents and your people. I want for you to be here when this war ends so that I can take you home to Mollac and introduce you to
my family and
the wolves in my pack. More than anything I want
…
”

He trailed off, dropping his eyes from hers with a heavy sigh. Selena searched his face for any sign of what was coming next, her heart already soaring from what he’d said.

“What, Titus? What do you want?”

Titus shook his head and pulled his lips into a tight frown. “I know you don’t know much about
Werewolves
, but there is one thing you should be aware of, especially if you intend to stay here even for a short time.
Werewolves
are pack-oriented. We find a sense of belonging by being surrounded by those who we consider our extended family. But
when it comes to love, it’s not really that simple.
Werewolves
can have only one mate, and it can’t just be anybody. I can’t just choose a woman and ask her to marry me. The pull of a
Werewolf
male to his mate is a powerful one, and when he finds her
he just
…
knows. He feels it in his gut and it’s li
ke being kicked in the stomach.”

Selena shivered under Titus’ intense gaze. “What are you trying to tell me, Titus?
I mean, I’m not even a
Werewolf
.
”

“
You don’t have to be. I’
m telling you that I feel that pull toward you. I have since the first time I saw you running across that field in your world. I didn’t want to believe that it could be you
…
a girl who’s not a
Were
and a princess to boot, but I can’t fight it anymore. And it won’t get any better. The long
er
you are here, the worse it will be until I’m miserable with knowing that you’re leaving and never coming back. So you see, you have to leave. I’m grateful that you want to
help me find my family, but if you’re not going to stay permanently then you shouldn’t stay at all. I don’t think my heart could take it.”

Selena forced herself to swallow past the lump in her throat. She gently stroked the thin strands of dark hair that had fallen over his brow, her fingertips grazing his forehead gently.

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “Everyone is watching me, wanting me to be their savior. I just don’t know if I can do it. I’ve wanted to know about my family and my past my whole life and no
w that I know where I come from,
I just don’t think I can live up to what everyone expects from me. I’m just a girl, a seventeen year old girl.”

Titus’ hand came up to grip her wrist. He held it tightly before bringing it to his mouth. His lips grazed the back of her hand gently, leaving tiny shivers that ran up her arm.

“You, Selena, are more than just a girl.”

Before she knew it, he was hovering over her, his arms trapping her between them as he leaned down toward her. Selena felt a flush of embarrassment as she realized that this was to be her first kiss. She felt like such a loser for almost reaching her eighteenth birthday before a boy had been interested enough to kiss her. Then, as Titus’ full lips closed over hers, and the scent of tulips wafted up around her, Selena realized that no stolen peck behind a school locker could have ever compared to this. No clumsy, wet smooch with an overeager teenage boy with busy hands could come close to Titus’ lips, firm yet supple and the solid weight of his chest against hers and his arms on either side. Not even the bright stars over Texas could compete with the soft glow of pixie dust as it rained down over them.