Celine sighs. “I’m sorry that you’re hurting. I’m sorry that you lost someone who mattered to you. I’m fucking?—”
“Sorry,” I whisper. “Thanks for that.”
Tears well up in my eyes, and I brush them away angrily.
Celine takes one halting step forward, then another. She stops in front of me, and her body warms mine. We’re as close to physically touching as possible, so why do we still feel a million miles apart?
“Y-you’re here?” My question comes out pathetically jumbled,and I briefly consider tossing myself off the mountain and leaving Callum to carry on the family legacy alone.
Celine’s arms wrap around me, followed by her wings. I sag against her, burying my face in her neck. Her hold is strong and determined. Cocooned by her wings, I’m protected from everything.
“You don’t have to be okay, Ciprian,” she whispers. “Not now. Not with me.”
The words shred what’s left of my composure.
Tears race down my cheeks, each one falling faster than the last. I breathe through my nose desperately. Even the air smells like Celine, and I want more of it.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come to the funeral,” she says. “I was a little late; it’s been a long time since I flew that far and?—”
“You flew here?” I pull back until I can see her face. “Is that safe?”
Celine groans. “Do you all have a secret group chat where you coordinate your reactions in advance?”
I roll my eyes. “Excuse us for being concerned that you flew from Nevada to Colorado. I didn’t know you were a human jet; I’ve never even seen you lift off.”
The corner of Celine’s mouth tilts into a crooked smile. Her appearance makes perfect sense now. Gods, she flew hundreds of miles, and the only signs are a few pieces of dangling hair and some windburn. She’s magnificent.
“You didn’t answer my texts,” she whispers, ducking her chin. It’s the second nervous gesture I’ve seen from her since she got here.
It throws me off balance.
“I didn’t know how,” I admit.
She stands up straighter, drops her wings from around me, and takes a step back. “That’s okay, I figured that. I only wanted to—fuck!” She groans, and I realize that Celine—the most self-assured person I’ve ever met and the only one without swollen, leaky eyes or a stuffy nose—is embarrassed.
It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen... and I have nightmare powers. Speechless and kind of fascinated, I watch her unravel.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she sputters. “I didn’t like the idea that you were going through something horrible alone. I’ve been there, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, so I flew out here to make sure you had someone in your corner. I thought I would figure out what to say to you on the way, but I couldn’t—still can’t—find the right words.”
She points wildly at the compound, wings trembling. “First, the big castle-prison loomed in the distance, and then I saw all of you grouped around the grave, and I panicked. I don’t belong here, Ciprian. And I don’t even know if you want me here, but I couldn’t leave without making sure you were?—”
I cup her face and kiss her.
Her being here... Messy, vulnerable, and out of control: it means everything.
Our kiss tastes like summer and wind, with the faint chemical edge of her sunscreen mixing with the salt of my tears. Celine sighs into my mouth, her lips relaxing as my tongue slips in to tangle with hers.
Her hands wander up my neck and into my hair until her nails graze my scalp. Goosebumps explode along my arms and lower back. The wind blows, and her downy feathers flutter against my skin. I lose myself in the moment and hope I never find my way out.
When Celine pulls back, I have to stop myself from clinging to her.
She runs the tip of her tongue over her lower lip and clears her throat. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were okay, which I’ve done, I guess. Umm, I’ve got a long flight back. I should probably get going.”
My eyes flick to the backpack on the ground a few feet away. “Aren’t you tired?”
“I’ll be fine.” She smiles, but I don’t miss the wince when she rolls her shoulders.
“Please stay,” I say. “Luca will kick my ass if I let you fly sleepy.”
