It was dangerously close to the house, but Gaja didn’t want to risk his savior getting dragged back into it if the didn’t make their escape quickly. His feet barely touched the grass before those brilliant feathers sprouted and Gaja’s very body began changing. Would he burst out if skin as a giant bird of fire? No, not with Cian in tow. Though he now had full control of his fire, Gaja wanted to draw less attention to them, not more.

They were still moving through the garden when he shifted into a bird far larger than even an albatross. Large enough to easily carry off a grown man. Or, in this case, a slim banshee. Only once they ascended above the clouds did Gaja spark and catch fire — all in an attempt to keep the cold from their altitude and the rushing wind from making Cian colder than he was naturally.