Under the moon, we cry out together. I feel as if tonight was as sacred as any ceremony; in the forest we are one.
Afterward, we lay together on a nest of fallen leaves, breathing in the air and the scent of each other. “Was that too much?” she asks.
“Never,” I say, brushing the tip of her beak just as her feathers give way to soft human flesh. One day, I hope she will know she has the freedom to be too much, too little, too loud, too quiet. As long as she is here—as long as she is mine.
“You are perfect, my flame,” I say, meeting her chestnut brown eyes. I need her to understand just how much I mean it.
“I love you.” She laughs. The feathers on her arms have yet to retract fully into her skin, and she fiddles with them like the loose wool of a sweater.
“Believe me, Heather,” I say in earnest. “Or I will chase you through our forest until you do.”
“That was my job tonight, remember? Though, you didn’t runthatfar.”
“How could I?” I ask, letting the feeling of being this wanted wash over me. For days, we have been fighting to get back to each other, and now she is finally here.
“I’m so ridiculously in love with you. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” I say, relishing the feeling of her warmth against my skin. “And I love yo—” A yawn escapes my lips.
“As much as I totally love the idea of sleeping under the stars,” she begins before trailing off. “Maybe let’s move this to the bedroom—beauty rest and all.”
“You couldn’t possibly be more beautiful,” I whisper, letting my claws trail down her jawline.
“Aw, babe—you abbreviated a word,” she squeals, hugging my neck.
“I suppose the time spent together has changed us both,” I say, trailing my fingers over the edges of her wings. “Is it going to be like this forever?”
“The unpredictable moments of peril or the bliss of our skin on each other’s skin?”
“Both, I guess.”
“It may be. I cannot predict the challenges we will face in our long lives—but I can say we will be facing them together.”
“Then that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”
If all of this has taught me anything, it is that I do not wish for our lives to just be next to each other, I want to be fully entangled.
“You’re my best friend, I hope you know that.” She nuzzles into my shoulder. “I love our lives together. I love all the people in there, but you are my favorite most of all. You’re my person.”
“I am so glad you fell out of that tree,” I say, remembering the way she looked when I first saw her in these woods. Despitenot wanting to be discovered, she awakened something in me. I could never have guessed how our relationship would grow.
“And I’m so glad you fell into my heart.” She tugs me close until our bodies are flush, and I am tempted to doze right here under the stars. “Forever, Moth.”
“Forever, my flame,” I say. It is a promise I will keep in all lifetimes.
23.
Heather
The sun shines in streaks through our windows, casting a golden hue on Moth as he sleeps. Beyond him, leaves of red and orange press against the window. After sleeping alone in that tower, this is the perfect picture to wake up to.Moth.He’s so much more than beautiful, and in the still of this moment, all I can do is admire the face of my future husband.
The soft touch of his gold-flecked skin, the way his dark brow relaxes as he sleeps, his freaking adorable antennae bobbling with dreams I hope are as sweet as the wedding cake he’s going to eat his body weight in later.
“Good morning,” Moth mumbles, his eyes still closed, a ghost of a smile on his lips as if he can feel me looking at him.
“Good morning,” I reply, planting a kiss on his lips. “Sleep well?”
“Mmm.” He nods, wrapping his arms around me. “How could I not after the night we had together?”
