She grins with genuine warmth, her eyes crinkling in the corners. I like looking into her eyes that can shift from the color of water over river stones to the deep grey of an approaching storm. So much of who she is lives within their depths.
“Then go grab a sweater and put on your boots. You’ll need them,” I instruct, staying out on the balcony.
Callie does a kind of mock salute, then heads over to her closet, retrieving her favorite red sweater and her old black boots.
When she’s finished, she walks back over, and bouncing on her toes, asks, “Now what?”
“Now, put your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist,” I direct, my heartbeat pulsing so hard I can feel it in my fingertips, and I hope I’m not crossing any lines. She did this earlier with Connor, but she was upset then… and I’m not Connor.
“Oh, um, okay,” she replies, her eyes widening, and a blush stains her cheeks. “Do I get to find out why, or does that ruin the surprise?”
I lean down and whisper in her ear, “I’m going to take you flying.”
“Oh my god!” she squeals, immediately wrapping her arms around my neck.
Chuckling, I grab the back of her thighs and help her up so she can put her legs around my waist. I’ve never done something like this before, but she’s so light, I’m not too worried about carrying her.
Like she can read my mind, she warns, “You better not drop me. I like the idea of flying. Falling not so much.”
“I’m not going to drop you,” I assure, holding her tight against me to emphasize my promise.
While she adjusts herself to make sure she has a good grip, her fingers brush against where my wings meet my back, and a tingling shiver runs down my spine. I like the feeling of her hands stroking my feathers, but I worry not in the way I should. I know I’d never let any of the guys touch them so casually.
Focus.
Taking a fortifying breath, with my lips right next to her ear, I ask, “Ready?”
“Wait.”
She reaches into the back pocket of her jeans, pulls out her phone, then in an awkward twist, puts it in my back pocket. My stomach tightens as her hand grazes the waistband of my jeans.
“No way my phone would survive flying with girl pockets,” she snickers, her breath warm against my neck. “Now I’m ready.”
“Glad I could help with that,” I comment, stepping up onto one of the metal chairs, then to the metal table, bracing one foot on the balcony railing. Then, I tease, “You don’t get airsick, right?”
“Don’t think so, but I’ve never flown nephilim. Just in case, sorry in advance,” she answers, laughter evident in her husky voice.
Her good humor bolsters me. It feels like all of our interactions have been so serious and complicated, whereas this is fun. I can be fun.
Bending at the knees, I leap out, Callie squealing and giggling as I make my way up to open skies. For any that may be able to see us through the dense forest below, we’re no more than a speck of grey in the dark. A lone bird looking for a place to settle for the night.
“This is amazing!” she cries over the roar of the wind.
“Just wait,” I yell back with a grin.
After several strong flaps of my wings, I shoot straight up in the air, then arching my back, I drop us into a slow backward loop.
“Holy shit!” she squeaks, as we barrel toward the tree line below, before finishing the turn and once again soar right side up.
For a while, I switch from easy, sedate gliding on the winds, then when Callie looks recovered, to spinning, diving, and free falls in the air. She whoops and gasps with each new move I show off, not once displaying any fear. Since the moment I met her, I’ve wanted to earn her trust, and in this moment, as we play among the clouds, I feel like I truly have it. I tighten my already firm grip around her, ensuring she knows she’ll always be safe in my arms.
Despite the cool night, sweat from exertion collects on my skin. I realize we should probably land soon, but I didn’t have any destination in mind when we started. Looking out, a breathy laugh escapes my lips, because we’re within an easy glide to a cliff face that looks down onto the town below. The place I go to when I want to be alone to think.
I once again arch my back, but this time it’s to shift us vertical so that I can soften our descent and land on my feet. My breathing is labored, each breath ruffling her hair that is now a wind-blown halo around her head, and there’s a dull ache in my shoulder blades. It’s been a very long time since I’ve flown this long, and this… creatively.
“Wow,” she whispers in awe. “That was… I don’t know how to describe it. There’s nothing like it.” She pulls back far enough to look into my eyes, hers twinkling with excitement. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
With one arm under her to make sure she doesn’t slip, I use the other to tuck some of her hair behind her ear and smile. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
