“I thought that might be the case, little angel,” he murmured. “Flying between realms is a learned skill, one your body will become accustomed to with time.”
Ajax shadowing me to the Midnight Fae Realm hadn’t made me feel this way,I wanted to tell him.
Instead, I just closed my eyes in an effort to fight the dizzying spell threatening my vision. One stunning Melek face was enough. I didn’t need to see double or triple versions of it.
“Here.” His voice was soft, his breath a kiss against my temple. “I’ll help.”
A soothing wave of power caressed my skin, sending a tingle down my spine. The decadent scent that was all Melek washed over me, drowning me in a sea of blissful solace.
I suddenly felt tired.
Just like before… when I became a cloud…
Part of me knew better than to embrace it, butohhh… just a few seconds… won’t hurt… right?
Melek had told me mere minutes ago that he would need to touch me for his teleportation magic to work. I’d expected him to grab my hand.
But no.
He’d swooped me up into a bridal carry, eliciting my protest. However, now I couldn’t remember why I’d cared.
This felt nice. Safe.Warm.
The fabric of my black pants swished together as my high-heeled leather boots dangled in the air. My position also plumped up my breasts in the tight corset-like top, mostly because my arms were wrapped around Melek’s neck.
Why did I care about the outfit?I wondered, frowning.Why am I upset at all?
I peeked at Melek, searching for some hint as to why I’d bothered protesting.There’s something,I thought.Some reason I don’t want to be held like this…
Melek’s dimples appeared as he smiled at me, his amusement palpable.
Does he have to be this beautiful?I wondered.
“To answer your earlier question, little angel, no, I didn’t need to carry you. But I wasn’t sure how you would react to my ethereal abilities.” He brushed his lips against my temple, the brief kiss shooting sparks to all my nerve endings. “Plus, I couldn’t let you touch the floor of this wing until you were wearing the necklace.”
When I opened both eyes again, I saw him staring expectantly down at me with those multicolored irises of his.
He was… hypnotic. Different from Az’s Phoenix, but just as alluring.
When I realized he was expecting me to do something, I blinked at him.
“I’m holding the necklace with my left hand, if you care to retrieve it,” he said, then his dimples returned. “Unless you’d like me to carry you for the duration of your tour. I would not be opposed.”
“And what happens if I touch the floor without your necklace?” I countered as I squirmed to pull away from him. I needed space. Air.Distance. “Is the palace made of lava or some—”
My words cut off when I adjusted enough to see beyond Melek’s mesmerizing face.
“Oh…”Holy… shit…
My guess hadn’t been that far off. The walls were made of fire, burning with black and red swirls of smoke and flames that billowed in vertical sheets, leaving the blood-red floor unmarked.
Although, I didn’t feel any heat from them. Maybe because Melek was protecting me.
The ground was made up of some sort of glimmering stone that reflected the energy radiating from the walls. That could also be why I wasn’t feeling the warmth of the fire.
I studied the texture before glancing around some more.
We’re not alone,I realized.
