Page 37 of Corvus and the Broken God

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Fifty years ago.”

Oh. So, she was like him.

“But she left me two hundred years ago.”

Oh.

Without warning, he surged out of the pool, walking steadily toward the edge. I could sense more than see him in the darkness, but I kept my face toward the heavens. Unsure what he wanted, I stayed seated, but then he turned, still in the water.

Fly with me?

Yes.

I waded out into the deeper portion of the pool, admiring his wings as they draped down his muscular back. Unlike my feathered crow wings, his were all dark membrane, like a bat’s. They were long and folded neatly against his back, slender bones lined up like a fan. When he turned to face me, he was completely naked, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes on his face.

I’m going to show you how to grow wings like mine. Pay close attention to how it feels. You should be able to do it on your own next time.

He stepped over to me. Giant hands reached around me and touched the top of my spine. He was so much larger, he had to lean down. He was so close I could feel his body heat, and his unclothed state was distracting. But it finally sunk in. He didn’t expect me to turn into a crow. I was going to get my own wings.

Pay attention, Corvus.

I exhaled, my eyes on his wide jaw, smooth, with not even the hint of stubble. His hands moved out and down, finally settling on my back, fingers resting just under the top of my shoulder blades. He adjusted my bra straps out a little and then unlatched them completely, causing my heart to race. I caught the fabric in time to hold it over my breasts. My face heated, and I closed my eyes.

Here. He pressed down, demonstrating where I’d need to pull the wings from next time, distracting me from my discomfort. Warm energy kindled deep in my bones and then moved outward, engaging the surrounding muscles. New muscles grew underneath, ones that wrapped around the front of my chest, like the flight muscles of birds. He moved his hands off my skin, and my fledgling wings emerged, growing steadily outward from my back. His hands moved past my sides. The sensation was completely different from transforming into a crow, but I did my best to memorize the feeling. Because I wanted the ability to grow my own wings whenever I felt like it. I didn’t have to be a crow again.

He chuckled and then stepped away. My body was novel again, and I flexed my new appendages. While I had had wings before, I never had them while keeping my arms. This was a whole new experience, although the wing structure and muscles felt similar, since he had replicated another body part and integrated it with my human one. These were like his bat wings, covered in a velvety, light membrane instead of feathers. I wondered how much different it would be to control my flight. I extended them to their fullest, brushing a tree with my right wing. The skin was sensitive, and it withdrew involuntarily from the sharp bite of the pine needles.

Camazotz pulled me a few steps to the side, and I tried again. This time, I was able to extend them fully. I didn’t wait for further instructions, flapping them sharply. Because of their size and the strength of the new muscles he created, I almost lifted off the ground.

I looked up at his face, bursting with excitement. He was actually smiling, transforming his normally stern face into one of mischief.

“Ready?” he asked.

Bending my knees, I jumped up into the air, dropping my bra to the ground. I hoped the timing would be the same as for my crow body. The first few flaps were desperate, but then I got some traction and lifted into the air. I glanced down to see him behind me, giant wings working the air with little effort. I would get there. Because this was something I was going to practice. A lot.

We cleared the tree line, and I got a good glimpse of the size of the courtyard, surrounded on all sides by the inner walls of his huge house. My Monster flew past me, causing me to look up instead of down. He blended so well with the night that I could only make out his outline. I focused on his wings and imitated his motions, keeping up even with my smaller reach. He was teaching me, showing me what to do with my new wings as the wind changed.

We kept climbing higher and higher, my lungs gasping for oxygen. Then he pulled his wings in tight, twisted his body, and fell from the sky. I didn’t hesitate, copying his movements the best I could. I followed his dive toward the valley next to his home, my stomach dropping in exhilaration. I had never been on a roller coaster as a child, but this had to be better, an intense rush of adrenaline like I had never felt. Not even as a crow.

I kept my eyes on him, matching his movements as he extended his wings fully and caught a strong thermal, floating straight up. The diving was thrilling, but this sense of total weightlessness was divine. I heard myself laughing as if from a distance.

“What do you think, Corvus?” His cry came from above.

“This is wonderful!”

He didn’t say anything else, but I could practically taste his satisfaction. I laughed louder. Let him be satisfied. He had done well.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Test

I don’t know how long we played in the sky—hours, minutes, days? But this time I didn’t tire before him, or maybe Camazotz sensed when I was ready to rest. We circled down to the house, finally landing in the courtyard by the pool.

I pulled my wings in, testing how it felt to carry them when I wasn’t flying. It took a few tries before I could fold them to lie neatly against my back like he did. The tips rested lightly on the ground. I could’ve been rid of them by simply transforming back to my other human form, but I wasn’t ready to part with them yet.

Camazotz landed a few feet away from me. I looked up and had a good look at his naked body. Good grief, he was huge everywhere. Each muscle was perfectly proportioned and defined, the Platonic ideal of a male figure. But it was more than that. I wanted him. Badly. More than I had ever wanted another man. Embarrassed by my thoughts, I turned away, looking for my sundress, and bent over to pick it up. Only it wouldn’t fit with my wings, getting stuck over my head and the top of my left wing. I should’ve waited until he left before making a fool of myself. I yanked it off and sighed. I wouldn’t be able to sleep with them anyway; they were tender and sore from their first flight. Reluctantly, I changed my body back to its previous, non-winged form and pulled the dress over my head. When I turned, I was alone in the clearing. I hadn’t heard him leave. Too bad I had missed the smirking. I grabbed my discarded bra, crumpled it into a ball, and headed inside.