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She tore the hem off her shirt and wrapped it around my leg. After tying a knot, she examined all of me. “No other injuries?”
“My right wing is sore, but I don’t believe it was torn.”
Straightening, she twirled her finger in the air. “Let me look.” When I turned, she huffed. “I don’t see any tears or wounds, which means we’re lucky.”
I was having a hard time equating luck with anything that had happened so far.
She frowned. “Maybe . . .”
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Nodding, I indicated she should speak. We’d get this out and discuss it, then we could set it aside.
“I understand not wanting to trust your wings for flight, not when we have so much to lose,” she said.
That was not what I’d expected. The knot building between my shoulders eased. “Thank you.”
“But have you considered coasting?”
“Summer . . .”
“It’s only a thought. Say no if you don’t want to try.”
How could I say I didn’t wish to try? “Is there anything you aren’t willing to try?”
“Where are you going with this?”
“You say it took you many seasons to get up the nerve to escape the commune.”
“It did, and I guess I see where you’re going here.” She raked her long hair off her face. The wind caught it, whipping it behind her in a red-gold wave. It was lovely. She was lovely. “Let me think.” Her front teeth jutted out to bite down on her lower lip. “All right. Confession time. It took me eight years to try to escape. I should’ve left when I was seventeen, though anyone under eighteen isn’t considered an adult in my part of Earth, and it would’ve been hard for me to get a job or support myself. But when I turned eighteen, that was the right time.”
“Why didn’t you do it?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“I am afraid.”
She hugged me. “It takes a lot of strength to try to break through the bonds that others put around you. For me, it was my fear of drawing the leader’s attention. I’m small for an Earth woman, and my breasts aren’t very big. I pretended I was young for a very long time, and I imagine I got away with it because no one bothered to keep records. Kids ran free, doing what they wanted as long as they remained inside the compound. I’m not attractive—”
“You are gorgeous.”
She flashed me a smile. “Thanks, but not to those in the commune. My nose is too big—”
I kissed it, and her smile widened.
“I already mentioned my boobs,” she said.
Leaning forward, I kissed the bit of flesh exposed by her shirt above her luscious breasts.
“My ass is too big,” she added.
“Bend over, and I will kiss that too.”
Color filled her face.
“Why are you embarrassed?” I asked.
“Because no one has paid much attention to me in a very long time. I’m not used to drawing the eye, and frankly, for most of my life, it was wise to avoid notice. No one individual has cared . . .” Her brows drew together. “That’s not completely true. I had friends. One helped me escape. But the thing is, I have physical flaws, but they didn’t hold me back. My internal flaw did. I’ve been scared about a lot of things for most of my life.”
“I have had fears too. Of Vunne. My brothers being taken from me. So many times, I worried others would reject me because of the enhancements Vunne made. And I fear now that we will not survive this Game.”
“So much to worry about, though they’re all valid.”
“However, you are right. I do fear my wings will fail me when I need them most. Is this due solely to my mind or because there are true structural defects? I do not know.” I sucked in a deep breath and released it. “But I realize one thing.”
“What’s that?”
She stared up at me with complete confidence. I felt the same for her, which told me each person dealt with their own problems while others might feel they are nothing. This was a startling concept.
I nodded curtly. “I know that I will regret it if I don’t try.”
