Free Unleash the Storm by Annette Marie Page B

mischievously while Ash outwardly appeared serious but with that quiet spark of amusement in his eyes. Her heart swelled with emotion. She stopped and the two daemons halted, Lyre opening his mouth to speak. She walked up to them and threw an arm around each of their necks, pulling them forcibly into a hug.
    “Piper, what—” Lyre spluttered.
    “Nothing,” she said, releasing them after a firm, heartfelt squeeze. “Let’s go help with the set up.”
    Ash and Lyre blinked at her. Looked at each other. Looked back at her.
    She smiled at them and walked away again. Behind her, she heard Lyre’s exasperated mutter.
    “We incubi might claim to understand them,” he grumbled to Ash, “but no male can actually comprehend how a woman’s mind works.”
    “It’s safer to not even try.”
    Piper snorted and hurried to join the draconian women, leaving the guys to their philosophizing.

Chapter Six
    S atisfaction added a little extra flavor to her dinner. Piper popped another bite of fried fish into her mouth, relishing the taste after so many weeks of dried rations and bland soups. Hunting dinner herself really added to the experience of eating it, especially since her dinner had tried to take a bite of her first.
    She sat on a log with Ash on one side and Lyre on the other, both holding empty bowls, meals devoured. The rest of the group sat around the fire on logs they’d dragged out of the forest. Nestled against the steep, rocky cliff beside the waterfall, their tents waited for them. After some sleep, they would start constructing a wooden shelter. Periskios was waning again, meaning the long night was half over, but many hours of darkness still awaited them.
    Piper’s gaze idly wandered from face to face as she finished her meal. Coby, Ivria, and Shona chatted cheerfully. Denna coaxed Yana and Netia, the two youngest children, to eat the unfamiliar fish while Mahala contemplated the fire. Seiya talked quietly with Raum, Kiev sitting nearby, listening. Sivan, Jezel, and Raisa played some kind of dice game in the light of the fire.
    She hoped the draconians’ journey was almost over. Even this little valley would make a lovely home, assuming it could support them, while Raum and Ash kept searching for an ideal location. And maybe, just maybe, they would find another tribe of draconians living in these mountains. How wonderful would it be for them to join another group of their own caste and reconnect with their people and culture?
    Beside her, Ash stared tiredly into the fire, his head bobbing occasionally as he nodded off only to catch himself. She would have badgered him to just go to one of the tents and sleep but she knew his pride wouldn’t allow him to retire first. He would wait until, at the very least, the children were sent to their beds.
    On her other side, Lyre hunched over a small green gem, turning it slowly in his hands. Little sparks of magic danced around his fingers as he worked on whatever spell he was weaving. He spent most of their downtime working on spells. She suspected it was a usual pastime of his that he’d kept hidden from her before now.
    She watched him spin the stone again and asked softly, “What are you making?”
    He glanced up and flashed her a smile. “Nothing interesting.”
    She gave him a hard look. “I doubt that. Why the secrecy?”
    He pursed his lips and looked at the gem. “Not secrecy. Just …”
    “Just what?”
    “Well, I should probably be making defensive spells or something useful, which this isn’t. It’s just a bit of illusion magic that I was making as a trinket for … Seiya.”
    Piper’s eyebrows rose and Ash’s head came up, turning toward Lyre.
    He gave a little shrug. “Her spirits have been kind of low lately with how long it’s taking her wing to heal. I thought it might cheer her up.”
    “That’s sweet,” Piper said hesitantly, not entirely sure how to respond. Wasn’t a custom-spelled gift kind of … romantic? “What’s the