Sienna expected some resistance, some mockery --maybe even being dragged off to the windows for a forceful awakening of bravery. But instead, Elias swept her off her feet in one smooth move. "Gael, Miro, grab the kids we are leaving. Sienna is afraid of heights."

She put her arms around his neck, holding on tightly as he strode powerfully to the elevator. The rest of their group followed naturally. Ali and Eli kept looking at her, worry lining their small faces. "I am fine," she whispered.

"You are pale." Linera observed. Her voice was rattled with anxiety. Humans were much weaker than beast men. A few hours in the snow, and they were infected with colds and fevers. Too many hours in the sun and their skin changed color or formed lesions and small wounds.

If they walked for too long, their feet chuffed or bones broke. So, having a human partner meant worrying about almost everything. Even the air! "We should go to a hospital." She suggested.

Sienna forced a laugh. "I am not sick aunt, just really, really afraid of glass floors that are thousands of feet up in the air." She was also feeling woozy from the elevator ride. Another thing I have in common with the lions, she thought.

Elias carried her to a lounge, where everyone proceeded to fuss over her. After drinking some water, eating candy offered by Ali and bringing down her heartbeat, Sienna was ready for the tour to continue.

"Are you sure?" Elias asked, skeptical about her physical condition.

She nodded firmly. "It’s my first trip to the capital. I am not going to spend it locked in a hotel room."

Something flashed in Elias’s eyes. Something she couldn’t explain. But he nodded. "Okay. We are going to the Market of Thousand Colors next."

She raised her brows. "I do not think there are a thousand colors in existence. But I am looking forward to being proven wrong."

Everyone laughed.

The tour continued on. They wandered through the market which did not have a thousand colors, like she thought. But, it was really colorful. It was an open market, behind a wall that enclosed off the entire space which was the size of a small town.This was the biggest market in the kingdom.

It was such a big market that small cars with open sides and roofs had to be used for transportation. Some could carry two people, others four, six, or eight.

The maximum was fourteen. The stalls in the market burst with fabrics, spices, trinkets, food, furs, mechanical parts and everything that could be sold in the kingdom. The kids darted from booth to booth, their laughter weaving in sync. Sienna tried on very colorful and very feathery cloaks, twirling dramatically.

Elias’s eyes darkened. "No wonder you are descended from bird beast men. You don’t have the beast gene but you can’t help yourself. Everything you like has feathers."

Linera gave her a thumbs up. "A falcon is a falcon."

"Mama, I want feathers too." Ali shouted eagerly.

Elias snorted. "Stick to fur."

And yet, he did not stop Sienna from buying the cubs cloaks with feathers or clothes that were too colorful. He indulged her, closing a hand around hers whenever a stranger complimented her. His behavior was possessive, sending a shiver down her spine.

By afternoon, the market had been abandoned for the Great River Gardens, where boats drifted lazily and blossoms floated on the water. The cubs chased butterflies and dragonflies, their giggles echoing across the banks. Sienna sat beside Elias beneath a willow, playing with his ears.

He leaned closer, his breath cool against her cheek. "Sienna," he murmured, "Playing with my ears like this, are you testing me?"

Her heart thudded, her lips parted and she smiled slyly. "You beast men and your ears and your tails. Everything is a signal for ’come and bed me’ with you people. I am touching your ears because they are soft and cute."

The ears twitched. His phone rung, for what Sienna knew was the eleventh time. "Is your mother calling again?"

He sighed.

She rolled her eyes. "She has sent me like ten messages since morning asking me when we are returning and accusing me of taking my children to another city without her permission. Oh...and I am being accused of coming here to seduce you with my shameless chubby charms."

His lips twitched. "Sounds like the mother I know."

Sienna rolled one of his ears gently. "She is going about this all wrong. If I were her, and Eli brought home a woman I didn’t like, I would not fight it. I would accept her on the surface, acting nice and warm. But beneath the surface, I would scheme like an evil queen and get that bitch out of my house."

He turned his head, looking at her with open interest. She was either the most open woman he had ever met or the most uncaring one. What normal woman in the world wanted her husband to know that she was this...scheming? After all, this scheming could be used against him as well.

"It’s the forbidden fruit theory." Sienna concluded.

He gazed at her curiously. "Forbidden fruit!" He had never known a forbidden fruit. Poisonous, yes. But not forbidden.

She lowered her voice to whisper, "Forbidden fruit is something that everyone tells you to stay away from strictly. But the more you are told not to want it, the more you want it. Think about it, would you desire me as you do if your mother did not harp constantly about how I am such a bad match."

His tongue passed over his bottom lip as he pondered on her idea. Did his mother have any influence on his desire for his wife? The longer he thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. He was a grown man that could control his feelings and the reactions of his body.

His blood boiled when he kissed her. His manhood stood firm when they rolled around in bed. Not even his parents could dictate that aspect of him.

"You are wrong." He said softly. But before he could say more, Timothy and Miro joined them while Gael screamed to the children that he had brought ice cream.

The little bubble formed by the couple under the willow tree burst.