Naturally, the next morning when Kyra was rudely awoken by Adelina banging on the door again, she was remarkably less than pleased. She somehow managed to resist the urge to throw her circlet—which was resting on the nightstand this time—like a knife at the door just to see if she could get it to go through the wood and hit the blonde. As she was reaching for it—only to contemplate the impulse, she defended internally—Zane snagged her wrist in his surprisingly warm hand.

"Whatever you're thinking about doing to her, don't," he said sternly, but not cruelly. "She is still one of my best guards even if she doesn't particularly like you."

"There has to be a better way for her to come get us than this," Kyra argued.

"I will speak to her when we return from the Keep, then," he compromised. Those ruby eye pleading to hers not to cause problems with his former lover.

Yes, Kyra had figured out that little fact. Despite the fact that Avians were extremely emotionally constipated. The eagle was rather observant. In the little time she'd been around Zane and Adelina, she'd noticed the way they interacted. After that it was no big feat to piece together the information.

"Thank you," Kyra said finally.

The persistent knocking resumed, except twice the volume it'd been before. "Zane! You and the bird are going to be late if you don't leave within the hour!"

Kyra saw the flash of anger that crossed Zane's face at the way Adelina addressed her. She thought she also saw his pupils change into the slits of his other form, but she couldn't be sure since he looked away quickly. The thought that he was scared of how she would react if she saw his half-form crossed her mind.

Just before he opened the door to presumably discipline the guard—and therefore making Kyra have to close her eyes to keep her secret—Zane inhaled through his mouth. This time the eagle was sure when she noticed the fangs hiding there when he inhaled. From then, she could only listen to him speak sternly to Adelina.

Kyra heard the other woman gasp when she saw her king's half-form. Little did the eagle know, but Zane rarely had his animal form drawn out by his emotions. Seeing him in such a state was a little more than just surprising.

"Adelina, you will take care of how you address Kyra and myself. Informality and rudeness on your part will no longer be tolerated. When we return from Kyra's homeland, your brother will take your place as Captain of my guard, and you will no longer be the one to retrieve either Kyra or myself from here. Go ready the horses; we will be there shortly," he dismissed before closing the door. A sigh escaped the cobra once Adelina's footsteps faded away.

Kyra carefully climbed out of the bed to approach her mate. "Zane?" she asked quietly, reaching forward to touch his shoulder.

He let out a tiny hiss of surprise when she made contact, his fangs bared to her of their own accord. It only took an instant for him to relax once he realized who it was. The snake-like features retreated quickly back into human ones.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Zane murmured.

"Shouldn't I be saying that?" Kyra teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm the one that startled you, after all."

"I meant startling you with my fangs," he clarified. "I don't want you to think I'd ever hurt you."

Kyra trailed her hand down his arm to reach his hand so she could squeeze it reassuringly. "Zane, it is what you are, and I know you won't hurt me. You've had plenty of chances already. Your snake features are a little weird to me, yes, but no more so than my Avian ones are to you."

"It's just that mine are a bit more violent than yours are. If I were to reflexively bite you if you startled me when I'm like that, it would most likely kill you."

"I know that, Zane. Don't forget that eagles naturally hunt snakes. Grabbing that man by the throat yesterday was instinct in addition to training. I could've easily accidentally killed if I wasn't trained. It's not just you. Stop worrying so much."

There was a pause before he nodded. "Okay, I get it; I'm thinking too much. You were going to see me like that eventually. We are mated, after all."

"Exactly, now get dressed." Kyra hesitated, wanting to say something but her Avian brain-mouth filter stopped her.

"You promised . . ." Zane reminded her gently of her decision to rid herself of the Avian reserve.

Kyra nodded. "As great as you look without your shirt, I'm afraid it would cause quite a stir at the Keep."

He looked shocked momentarily until he broke down into laughter. "Always speak your mind," he pleaded through the giggles. "Don't hide your real personality because it's been years since someone made me laugh like this."

A grin crept onto Kyra's face. Impulsively, as soon as he regained partial control of himself, she leaned forward and kissed him. Zane was obviously surprised by her boldness, but he quickly returned the gesture instead of just standing there. The kiss they shared was one of those that wasn't heated at all and it was awkward because they kept having to part because they were simply smiling too much, but at the same time it was absolutely perfect.

When they finally parted to actually end the kiss, Zane rested his forehead against hers. Kyra noticed that they each had a hand in the other's hair to pull them closer, but his was brushing her feathers and he didn't even notice. Her response to that realization was to place a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"You might have to watch out, Kyra," he warned her without opening his eyes.

Kyra took the opportunity to study his features closely while responding, "Why is that?"

"I might be getting rather fond of you," he warned.

"That's a good thing, because I don't just kiss guys I don't like," she replied.

It truly was amazing just how much this man had managed to make her open up even though they'd only known each other for a matter of days. She knew deep down how easy it would be for her to fall for him completely if she hadn't been made tentative by her heritage.

Their mouths were drifting closer together if they were magnetized. It wasn't until their lips were just barely touching that Zane halted, looking tense with the effort.

"We need to get dressed and go," he managed to say. "Your family will be waiting."

It was Kyra that actually forced to leave his embrace. "You're right."

No more words were spoken as the couple. They had to stay as far apart as they could so they didn't end up in the other's arms again.

Author's note: To make up for my lack of posting so long, have another chapter this quick that's a little longer than usual. As usual, tell me whatcha think. Love you guys!

~Shade