The air caught her.
Her wings stretched, contracting as they fluttered.
The whole ordeal lasted for the span of a few breaths, but she felt as though time had slowed as her whole focus honed in on the weightless feeling.
Luella fell gracelessly to the ground, knees giving out.
Graves landed by her side and caught her before she could fall.
"I flew!" she cried, her hands fisting in his dark shirt. "Did you see?"
Graves gripped her waist, his dark wings stretching out behind him in a mirror of her own. "I saw," he said, a rare, gentler smile on his lips.
The air thickened as Luella stared at him. His eyes dipped to her mouth. She suddenly realized how close they were.
She cleared her throat and stepped back from him.
However, he didn’t let her go so easily.
His hands tightened on her, and she fell into his chest.
"Hold on," he murmured, then the ground disappeared from beneath her feet as he took to the skies.
The bridge groaned and creaked as they both landed on it.
He took her hand, fingers stretching hers as he tugged her onward. She stared down at the faint cracks between the slats of the bridge. The ground was so far beneath them.
The swaying bridge made that funny feeling well in her belly again. It reminded her of…
When he’d held her over the sea upon the ship’s netting.
Her cheeks warmed.
The bridge split again at another tree, its towering top encircled by a post. He went left. The route remained the same until the next landing, where it ended.
The firm wood beneath her feet was welcome from the swaying bridge. She leaned against the bark. A thick rail surrounded the circular platform. Leaves rustled overhead, branches jutting out. She trailed her fingers over one, feeling the give of the leaves as her touch danced over it.
A low noise made her turn her head.
Graves unfurled a thick blanket, tucking it to cover the wood.
"Where did you get that?" she asked.
He nodded his head to a small hole carved in the tree bark. When the blanket was placed, he sat, patting the spot beside him wordlessly.
Luella tucked her legs beneath her, smoothing the wrinkles in her gown. The tips of her folded wings brushed the blanket.
Graves didn’t speak for some time, and neither did she. They both watched the leaves rustle in the evening wind; some were so close she could count the veins in them.
The tension grew too much.
"Why did y-you bring me here?" She detested the quiver in her voice.
"I don’t know. I just wanted you—near."
Their arms brushed. She felt his stare against her mouth. Her tongue poked out to wet her lower lip.
"Dangerous," he rasped, still staring at her mouth. His gloves scratched against her cheek as he touched her face, tugging her closer to him.
