Aura exhaled heavily as the door slammed shut. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly nervous. This was not the first time she had been alone with Dax, but something felt different. Perhaps, it was this maddening, magnetic pull towards him. How God was allowing this to happen was beyond her comprehension. She gave herself another mental lashing for enjoying her attraction to him. "So, when do we go to your surprise?" Aura asked, breaking the silence. Although she couldn't be with Dax, she wanted to make some memories while she could. She had missed his presence the last few days.

"About that. If you aren't up to it, we don't have to do it." Dax said, walking over to the chair next to the sofa. Rhys still had the fireplace going even though it is warm in the springtime here. "I don't know what you went through, but I can see you in pain just sitting here."

Aura shook her head. "The only way to recover is to pace myself. So, if your surprise is cliff diving then, no we can't go." She smiled at him. "But if it's getting some to eat or just walking around the village, then it should be fine."

Dax admired Aura's enthusiasm. She would not let her wounds stop her from what she wanted to do. He had planned an evening picnic and stargazing, so it wouldn't be a lot of physical activity anyway. "Tell me what happened to you first then I will decide if you get the surprise."

"What?" She giggled. "Why plan a surprise and then risk it not happening?"

"Because I want you to recover." He said, bluntly.

"Oh? Then, why make the plan in the first place?" Aura questioned, confidently. She wanted to know why Dax was making a plan in the first place.

Dax remembered his promise to himself. He was going to find out if Aura was feeling this irritating attraction toward him too. His surprise picnic was the first step to getting an answer. He wasn't ready to tell her that yet. "Thank you for the herbal solution you made. A few patients were able to take it and improve tremendously. The medics would be delighted if you continued your work."

"Is there food involved with this surprise of yours?" Aura asked with a hungry look in her eyes.

"If there is one thing I know about you, it's that you love food. So, yes. There's food involved." Dax chuckled.

"Finally, you are loosening up! You got so serious when you saw me, and I was afraid you might be stuck like that. So, I repeat ``when are we going?" Aura laughed.

"Tonight. We will go tonight." Dax gave in. Aura was persistent that they needed to go do this. There was still time until this evening came, so Dax decided to get some answers. "What happened six days ago? I know what Jalen said, but I want to hear it from you."

Six hours later…

Aura was pacing around in the cottage, waiting for Dax to arrive. They had spent the day talking about the adventure that landed her in the stream only a day ago. Her story seemed to match up well with what Jalen had told him. Dax did seem impressed by her survival strategy of walking down the stream to evade the fire. He seemed to think God had blessed her to bring her back to the Village of Lilies because a grim guild is on the other side of the forest. If Aura had ended up there, she would never be seen again. A grim guild is filled with those who steal, commit treason, and worse, but the Alliance of Kingdoms that rules over Lunaris allows their existence. Unless evidence can prove a grim guild member committed a crime, the grim guild members are free to do business in Lunaris. It's a legitimate breeding ground for criminals, which is where the hunters Aura encountered most likely came from. Hunting beast shifters is not legal in any kingdom, but no one will stop it from happening if they see it because people are scared of shifters.

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A knock on Rhys' door pulls Aura out of her internal rant. Aura opened the door to find a nervously smiling Dax looking at her. He was dressed in a blue short sleeve shirt and black pants that curved just right on his ass. Aura suddenly felt her cheeks blushing, and gave herself a mental slap in the face. She could not let herself be attracted to this man whose blue eyes were bright like the Northern Sea. Aura could stare at them for hours. She abruptly smacked her cheeks to focus on the moment.

"Are you okay?" Dax asked with a worried look in his eyes.

Aura's stomach growled loudly in response. "Sorry, I am just trying to control my hunger until we eat."

Dax let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought you might be in pain." He paused taking her in. Aura's hair was neatly braided, and she wore a green blouse that made her gold eyes shine. Her black skirt barely covered her ankles, which were adorned with black ribbons laced up from her sandals. Her arms were the only visible bandages, but her smile outshined her injuries. "You look amazing."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Captain." Aura teased as they walked away from the cottage. The sun had begun to sink creating a golden light on the village. Slowly, they approached the grove of lilies on the east side of the village. There, Aura saw a picnic blanket laid out with a basket big enough for her wolf form to snuggle in. The two of them sat down on the soft brown blanket, surrounded by lilies. "So many colors!" Aura gushed, taking in the scene and the delightful smells of flowers and savory meat in the basket. She rolled off the blanket into the soft lush grass. Then, a tremendous amount of energy flowed through her, rushing to her feet she ran through the lilies, the tall grass, and around every tree. Her energy felt boundless in this place.

"Take it easy, Aura. You are still injured. Don't make it any worse." Dax called, watching the wild woman circle around the entire grove and roll through the grass.

"This is too fun to stop now." Aura giggled. She tumbled her way around the blanket. Her body darted like an arrow from corner to corner in the tall grass.

"You seem to have a case of the zoomies. Just like a wolf enjoying the warm spring morning." Dax commented. Aura's heart stopped at his words. Was he onto her? She tripped over a root right into Dax's lap. "Hello there." He chuckled.

Her stomach came to her rescue, growling fiercely. "Guess, we should eat." She laughed nervously as tried to sit up. Dax moved toward the basket, bonking his head directly into Aura's head. "We have to stop these accidental collisions." Aura laughed and groaned at her headache.

Dax locked eyes with Aura as he rubbed his new bump on his forehead. She truly was wild, and he had no desire to tame her. He only wanted to be beside her at this moment. The last rays of light surrounded them in a warm glow. Dax gently examined her bump on her head. "Are you sure you aren't hurt or sore?"

"Maybe a little. I probably took it too far with the… What did you call it?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Zoomies. That's what my folks called it when we watched the wolves come out of their dens each spring." Dax shared. "You should probably just stay there for a while, so you don't hurt yourself more. I don't want Rhys to kill me tonight."

"Sure, if you are okay with it." Aura smiled.

"Of course." He said, pulling dinner out of the basket beside them. Aura could see Dax's sculpted chest under his shirt as he stretched over her. She suddenly felt like a pervert admiring him. Her cheeks were burning red. "Here," Dax handed Aura a deliciously, hot hog wrap.

Aura chowed down before giving another thought to Dax. She was starving. The wrap was gone instantly. Dax chuckled and gave her a bowl of sweet fruit covered in a creamy sauce. She moaned from the flavors bursting in her mouth. Dax grinned at her pure reactions. The two of them moaned over the intensely flavored food. Aura looked up at the sky and saw twinkling stars overhead.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Dax said, gazing at the sky.

"Yeah." Aura's mouth went dry as drank in Dax's handsomely disheveled hair and sweet, caring gaze looking at her. She wanted to give in to her wants and taste his pink lips, again. Then, a disturbing reminder popped into her mind that Dax has slaughtered her kind before. She can't disgrace herself by falling for this charming man. Or had she already fallen for him? Is two weeks enough time to fall for someone? Internally, she shook her head. This was only a crush. A bad one, yes, but just a crush. Right?