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The next thing I knew, we were flying over the city of Creelin, just high enough to skirt the tree line. Luc somehow managed to balance himself without the use of his arms and one of his wings, which wrapped around me like a security blanket. The cool night air whipped around us, slipping under my clothes and stinging my skin. I tucked my face into his neck, too disoriented by watching the city fly by beneath us.

I wasn’t sure why I was so surprised that Luc could fly. Other species could, why not him? It wasn’t like I’d thought that demons were like chickens, where their wings were just for show. Maybe I should have been more surprised that he could handle the weight of two people while doing so. If we hadn’t been so far off the ground, I might have been more astonished. As it was, my amazement was confined to a tiny spark of desire flickering low in my belly. Our legs wound together, Luc’s encapsulating mine.

If I dared sneak a peek at where we were, the resulting wave of nausea swiftly reminded me of my tendency to get motion sick, and I returned to hugging Luc like my life depended on it.

I was choosing to ignore the fact that my life did depend on it.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed before Luc slowed his dizzying speed. I was too caught up in the smell of him—fresh like soap from his shower, with a hint of a spice that I couldn’t quite place. Cinnamon, maybe? Chili powder?

Whatever it was, it was fucking intoxicating. I lost myself in the scent until the frigid air around us stopped stinging my skin, and I felt Luc lower us to the ground.

Once my feet met a steady surface, Luc wrapped both arms around me, carding his fingers through my hair. “You stay like that as long as you need to,” he murmured into the wild strands. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

I swallowed against a wave of nausea, my stomach protesting any slight movement for an alarming amount of time. Finally, my body settled and though my hands still shook, I withdrew from my hiding spot in Luc’s neck. The sound of rushing water caught my attention and when I found the source, my jaw dropped. Multiple waterfalls surrounded us, sparkling water crashing into glimmering pools below. We must have been in Stokerbram park, a place I’d only heard stories about. In the middle of the waterfalls sat an honest-to-god picnic. A checkered blanket sprawled across the grass, with covered dishes sitting on the surface and a bottle of something pink and bubbly.

The possibility of being drunk churned my stomach, but Luc urged me forward with his hands on my hips. “Carter helped me figure out your favorites. There’s japchae, French Frights, Grendel-Cheese and ice scream sandwiches.” He followed my nervous attention to the bottle and continued. “And non-alcoholic rosé—just for fun.”

My shoulders sagged with relief, the breath whooshing from my lungs at the sheer intimacy of the gesture. My stomach flipped from that menacing churning to something more lighter, fluttery.

Oh shit; that’s what people meant by butterflies.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble” I said, a little more breathless than I’d intended to.

“I did,” Luc responded, gesturing for me to sit. “Because something told me you needed a little wining and dining after the way we started out.” He paused, reaching for the pink sparkly drink. “Well, sober wining. I didn’t think you’d be much up for drinking.”

“I am never drinking again,” I told him. “How’d you get Carter to keep it a secret?”

“Threatened him with a tennis ball and one of the werewolves from Alpha Claw.”

I snickered, accepting a plastic cup of the drink.

Poor Carter.

Luc poured a cup for himself and for a moment, the only sounds to be heard were the gentle crashing of the waterfalls. I found myself wondering if they were warm enough to swim in during the summertime.

The only thing to catch my attention was when Luc spoke. “I was born in Massachusetts. I’ve got two sisters, both older. I wasn’t born this way.” He gestured to his wings, laid his tail across his thigh. “I was transformed by the wave. I don’t even remember it.”

“So your parents named a human baby Lucifer?”

He laughed, a dimple popping in his right cheek that I hadn’t noticed before. “Yeah, they’re a bit uh… quirky.”

Sipping at the bubbly drink, I listened to Luc talk about himself, then ask about me. In between, he fed me bites of the eclectic selection of food in front of us. My head began to feel light, my stomach fluttery. More than once, I eyed the bottle he poured from to make sure it wasn’t alcohol.

It wasn’t. I was simply… happy.

“I can’t believe you figured out all of my favorite foods,” I said once he unwrapped some ice scream sandwiches from a foil pouch, designed to keep them cold. “I can’t believe Carter noticed.”

“Has no one ever offered you your favorites?”

I shook my head. “My parents always got my favorites confused with my siblings’. Especially my sister. I went unnoticed most of the time.”

Halfway through my sandwich, I felt eyes on me and looked up to see Luc watching me, the ghost of a smile on his face and his vibrant eyes shining through the night. He sat with his legs drawn up, arms loosely resting on his knees like he was the poster child for all things casual.

Well, maybe the paranormal child. His tail wound across the blanket next to him, his wings draped behind him like two blankets. “Not anymore,” he whispered, drawing my eyes back to him. “I learned your coffee order after a day; did you really think I didn’t notice that you inhale French Frights like your life depends on it?”

My cheeks warmed; that light fluttering in my belly, making me set my ice cream aside before I could finish it.

“Uh-oh,” Luke said, watching as I shuffled my position. “What’d I do wrong?”