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“I can share what I know about phoenix,” Lune announced into the peaceful, warm night. “If it’ll help you open up to me.”

Narsus’s beaked mask turned to him again, but only briefly, before he looked back up into the sky.

Lune wondered what was racing through his Intended’s mind right now, but he could guess.

Because he was starting to feel the perspiration seep through Narsus’s thick gloves.

Lune was happy that Narsus seemed reluctant to let go of his hand.

But he knew the nerves must be pretty bad on Narsus’s end.

Especially when the gloves were yanked off and absently flapped dry.

Narsus tucked his bare hands into the safety of his armpits. “I’m seriously interested to hear your stories.”

Lune tried to contain himself, because that had been a shaky, but very eager response. “Even though Cal tried to get me to accept my watery heritage, I was raised phoenix.”

There was a muffled snort inside the mask. “And exactly why would he do that?”

Lune shrugged. “He never really said. But I wonder about that, now that you’re in my life. Most nights, Cal would transform into his flame-self. He’d tell me phoenix stories through his telepathy. Always cautioning that these stories were for me only.”

“Why?”

The question was urgent. The tone was nearly rasping.

Lune rested his chin on his knees. “Because he was putting the trust—and life of an entire people in me. Because he believed in me that much. Right now, I’m thinking he believed in us, that much.

To help you believe in me. Those personal scents.

They’re your lifelines. Your ability to remember who you are from life to life.

It anchors you. Your sanity. Without them, you’re vulnerable to harm from others. ”

“Yesss.” The response Lune got was strangled. A hiss of grief. Maybe relief.

“Do you have a lifeline?” Lune asked quietly.

“No. I’m undead.”

Lune didn’t want to push in that direction. For the breathing grew distressed, ragged. “Do you have a true flame form?”

“All phoenix have a true elemental form. It takes experience and practice.”

“May I see it?”

Another lengthy pause and silence had Lune worrying. Narsus shifted around in the sand, seemingly uncomfortable, then asked, “My elemental form?”

“Yes. Or is it another secret?”

“Not technically a secret, no.”

“Then is it something personal and intimate? Only for the eyes of family?”

“No, not technically,” Narsus repeated. “It’s just that I’m a poison phoenix…” His voice trailed off .

“And you’re afraid the poisons would be at their strongest through the fumes?”

“Maybe…I…don’t know. It’s been decades since I achieved that particular form. It’s been unnecessary.”

“How could you being you be unnecessary?” Lune turned to him. “Nar? Don’t you want to stretch your wings and soak up that freedom?”

Narsus’s posture went rigid. “Are you being sincere, or are you just wanting to see me naked again in my human form?”

Lune stretched his grin as far as it would go. “Both.”

There was a brief silence before Narsus replied. “I can assure you the process is near instantaneous for the experienced.”

“And you’re experienced?”

“You won’t catch sight of any exposed flesh, if that’s what you were hoping.”

“Still waiting,” Lune singsonged.

With a chuckle, Narsus stood up, brushing the sand off his trousers. Stepping back several paces, and highlighted only by the moonlight, he dropped his cloak.

“Slower,” Lune teased.

Narsus reached up for his mask. The hard leather casing hit the sand with a small thud. That’s when Narsus froze. Staring at it, watching the shadows of his flame caressing the pristine leather.

“Nar?” Lune asked. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Narsus met his gaze, and Lune witnessed the cascade of mixed emotions that lived there. “I’m surprised at how easy that was. Discarding it in your presence.” He gestured to the mask.

Lune held his breath and said nothing. Not wanting to fracture the flow of his Intended’s emotions and actions. There was a lot of thought rushing through those green eyes in these quick seconds. With the next blink, Lune knew decisions had been made.

Narsus’s boots hit the sand. Maybe Lune should have said something. Because now Narsus was making a torturous game of it. With each button undone on those trousers, Lune was entranced, enjoying the private show.

The transformation was swift, swirling first into a cloud of dark smoke, then flashing into existence with a pop of writhing flames.

Shimmering. Undulating. Glowing in several shades of green from lights to darks.

Narsus looked similar to his corporeal phoenix form, only this one was brilliant, transparent.

Airier, and his shape was streamlined, elongated.

Lune gasped at the grandeur, then erupted into defeated, amused chuckles. “You tease. I know you said it’d be a fast shift, but I wasn’t expecting that fast.”

Being able to see right through Narsus in this form should be unnerving. But it wasn’t. The phoenix crest atop Narsus’s head stretched back at least twice as long as the one on his physical phoenix body.

“Narsus.” Lune’s voice was a thready, breathy whisper. “Such raw beauty. You’ve displayed an even greater amount of trust in me. In us. Thank you. ”

A gentle ripple cascaded through Narsus’s fiery body. The glow of his green-white eyes softened. It encouraged Lune to make another request.

“Since we’ve gone this far,” Lune said in a soft, neutral tone. “Become this vulnerable with me, I want to ask for yet another level of trust.”

Lune crossed his legs and continued to sit in the sand. He was unsure if they could clearly communicate while Narsus was in this form, so Lune outstretched his hand, with the compass in it. “May I touch you?”

Narsus reared back, rising a few feet further into the air. His fear and surprise manifesting in the sudden, silent sparks of his fiery being. His wings shook, as if to emphasize the danger.

Lune strove for patience and love. “Yes, I know you’re fire. I want to prove to you we’re compatible. Trust in the compass’s magic. You must know I’m the one who handled your garments on the beach that day.”

Clouds of dark smoke puffed out of that transparent, fiery beak, followed by a low hiss and pop. It was Firespeak. It sounded the same as, yet so different from, the snaps and crackles emitting from Narsus’s fire form.

Calico and other relatives spoke the elemental language from time to time. But if you weren’t created of a flame’s essence, you’d never be able to converse in it. Or understand.

And right now, Firespeak was the only way Narsus would be able to communicate. Unless…

“You wouldn’t happen to be telepathic like Cal, would you?”

There was a toss of that fiery head, and then what looked like an exasperated stare.

So much for that idea. Lune would just have to guess his Intended’s purpose. “Narsus…honestly, your poisons did blister my skin. But I shifted. Without realizing it. I got scales, and two really fun tails. My original siren-self negated any harm. And healed me.”

Narsus’s fire feathers fluffed out and burned brighter.

“Please,” Lune begged. “I’ve been trying to get you to believe me.”

The wispy, crackling element that was Narsus descended to the beach. The granular particles beneath his mate’s clawed feet melted the sand into a smooth, flat puddle of molten glass.

Narsus huffed out caution with another dark ring of smoke. Still in his fiery bird form, he walked out of that puddle and onto the sand. It took several steps until the sand did not scorch and melt. Narsus then signaled permission by lowering his head.

Lune followed, minding where he placed his bare feet until he reached a safe zone.

Even in his phoenix fire-form, Narsus was tall and intimidating—sexily so.

The flames jumped toward Lune, licking along his fingers.

He kept the compass between them. The heat was no hotter than a warm bath. His skin did not blister or catch.

After a few seconds, Narsus calmed even more. The phoenix crest turned from chaotic, jagged edges to smooth, round contours. The flames now mimicking the calm, rolling waves caressing the beach.

“I’m going to drop the compass a notch, keeping ahold of the chain,” Lune said. “Are you willing?”

Narsus didn’t move or protest.

Lune let the compass dangle upon its chain. There was no change in the level of heat. “I want to drop it. Not have it as a barrier. Are you still willing?”

Narsus didn’t withdraw.

Filled with hope, Lune said, “Okay, dropping it now.”

The compass hit the cool, grainy earth with a soft thud.

Nothing changed. Lune was still caressing the flames that were Narsus’s wings. There was no pain, no burns or scarring. He held out his hands to show his Intended.

Narsus’s flame fluffed up some more, and there was another crackle of Firespeak. Lune knew this time it was in joy and surprise. So Lune settled down across the sand. “Be with me. Feel with me. ”

The slow, calm undulations of his Intended’s flame gave Lune his answer. At each flicker, the transparency faded into the opaque textures and patterns of real quills and feathers. From there, Narsus’s human-self re-formed. Fully clothed.