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He smirks. “Oh, you don’t want the world to know what a filthy little monster fucker you are, huh? Should have thought about that before you spread your legs, sweetheart.”
Jessie’s hands lift from me. With a speed greater than I imagined possible, she darts forward and snatches the tiny device. Then she smashes it to the pavement.
“Oh, you little bitch.” The asshole lunges for her, but I’m too fast for him. I pull Jessie against my chest with one arm and spin so she’s tucked behind me. With the other, I grab him by his neck and fling him backward. He lands on his ass in a puddle, but I don’t stop to enjoy the look on his face. I can’t stop. If I look at him again, I’ll tear him apart.
Instead, I scoop Jessie into my arms and take off. She gasps and wraps her arms around my neck, but she doesn’t scream. Perhaps she’s too scared.
As soon as I gain some height, I scan for a place to roost. Instinct drives me to take her back to my tower, where my perch calls me to return. But that’s not a suitable place for a soft little human like my pretty Jessie. So I turn away from the Grand Theater and fly instead for the nearest high-rise buildings, squinting through windows until I spot what I’m looking for. It’s cold. She buries her face in my neck to keep out of the cutting wind. I hate knowing her perfect skin is reddening as I fly.
When I find what I’m looking for, I twist in the air. At the last minute I fold my wings, tuck Jessie tightly against me, and dive through the large glass window on an apartment, feet first with an enormous crash. Shattered glass spews ahead of me into the apartment and over the floor. It’s not tough enough to penetrate my hide, but it would tear up Jessie’s delicate feet. Instead of setting Jessie down, I carry her through the living room looking for a bedroom. A high pitched wail emanating from a box by the front door makes me want to claw off my ears. I put my fist through the box and part way into the wall on the other side, which silences the noise.
Good.
I continue my search.
Two doors down a dimly lit corridor, I spot a bedroom. A large soft-looking bed is pushed against a wall where an enormous painting with jagged golden lines hangs. This is more like what my princess deserves.
The far wall is all glass with a window seat where plush cushions are artfully arranged, and a fluffy white blanket is folded over the edge. Setting down Jessie, I collect the blanket and drape it over her bare legs. She’s shivering. The night is cold and flying is always colder. I didn’t have her in the air long, but it was still too long.
Fuck!
She tucks her feet up on the end of the bed and pulls the blanket higher. “Thanks.”
I sigh. “You shouldn’t thank me.”
The little woman fixes me with a stern look. “William, you just saved me from getting beat up by that guy on the street back there.”
I hang my head. “You mean I chased you down and humiliated you. I heard what he called you.”
She scowls. “That prick had no right to say that shit.”
When I look up again, that fierce look has ignited, but this time I don’t get the impression it’s directed at me. I don’t know what to say, though. Iama monster. No question. She could do far better than to get involved with me. That’s the whole reason I chased her off my tower. I should have never got off my perch. I should have never allowed myself to put my hands on her.
Now with the trace of her luscious scent hanging around my face, I can’t seem to think about anything else.
“Say something.” Her voice sounds thin, as if her resolve might crack any moment.
I search her face, but I can’t decipher what she’s looking for. “He had no right to put his hands on you, either. To look at you. To breathe the same fucking air!”
She laughs, and something hard and gnarly in my chest crumbles a little. “That’s exactly the right thing to say.”
Moments later though, her chin wobbles and I see tears clinging to her dark lashes. I’m on my knees in front of her in a heartbeat. “Hey, don’t cry. Are you hurt? Were you cut coming through the window?” I tug at the blanket trying to search every inch of exposed skin beneath it, but her small hand over mine makes me freeze.
“Not hurt. Just glad you don’t hate me.”
I stare at her. “Me? Hateyou?” I can hardly process the thought.
She sniffs, still not letting go of my hand.
Very carefully, cautious not to startle her, I let it rest on her knee. She stays where she is and my hand is allowed to remain touching its little piece of heaven.
“I could never hate you, princess. I’m sorry for making you think that. Truly.”
“Then what happened back at the theater?”
I sigh. It’s clear I’ll have to tell her at least part of the truth. I wonder how much I can get away with leaving out. “I don’t want you to get... tied up with a beast like me,” I say finally.
She snorts, and I’m amazed again at how she goes so swiftly from crying to laughing. “What? You think you got a magic dick or something? Like I’ll get addicted?”
