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“What are you waiting for?” I call, a playful lilt to my voice despite his lack of expression. The man quirks a brow at me, before a giddy grin curls his lips and he lets out a whoop, taking off at a run into the field with me. I stare, eyes wide, as he moves through the grass, a trail of butterflies appearing in his wake. He’s surprisingly light on his feet, and effortless as he comes to a stop in front of me, that same giddy expression still on his face. Letting out another laugh, he throws his hands above his head and wiggles his fingers. Suddenly the thrumming beat of a fast-paced fae hymn winds through the space and my limbs tingle with the urge to dance. I’ve never been the best dancer, but I’m also not one to resist the urge to move to a good beat.
“Well, what areyouwaiting for?” he asks, holding out a hand to me. My eyebrows furrow slightly, but I grab his hand and he gives my arm a gentle tug before he goes back to his crazy antics, dragging me after him. At first I’m a little hesitant, as he lets me go to do a clumsy spin that somehow stays on beat then darts back in, urging me to do the same. I do, finally letting myself go and a burst of laughter escapes me, his happy energy infectious as I let him go so I can run through the grass too. I spread my arms wide so I can trail my fingertips through the silky grass and do a circle around the place where Foster has stopped to watch me. I then pause to admire my handy work as a literal cloud of butterflies rises from the grass to float around us, body still swaying to the music's beat. Several land on me, their little legs tickling my cheeks and I hold still so they don’t fly away, a huge smile on my face.
After a few seconds I turn my head slowly and find Foster in a similar position as me, butterflies clinging to his arms and a couple in his hair as the song winds down before coming to an end. I can’t help but laugh at his wide brown eyes, and the butterflies pour off of me at the movement, taking flight once again. Foster narrows his eyes in a mock glare, and I raise an eyebrow before turning around and making my way through the rest of the field.
He follows me, hands shoved casually in his pockets as he balances on one of the tree's massive roots. I keep my surprise at his ability to not fall off as he scales it with ease, even as the root gains height until the top of it is far above my head. “So where are we going?” he asks.
Studying the wildlife and base of the tree as we bypass the steps to the treehouse, I shrug. “I’m not really sure. I wasn’t lying when I said there isn’t a plan, I’m just going to wander around and explore.”
Foster nods, brown eyes flitting to me for a moment before he looks around and pauses. “Uh, Nessa there is something over here,” he says, eyes fixed on something to the left that’s hidden by the tall root he’s standing on.
My eyes light up and exhilaration sends my limbs tingling. I’ve always liked treasure hunts and this has a similar feel. I speed up, searching for a way around the root only to find none. Figuring out what I’m looking for, Foster shifts his foot placement so he can see the base of the roots from his elevated position to try and find a door. While he does that I circle back to the low part of the root that he first climbed onto and find that it’s next to a much taller root that seems almost out of place where it is, like someone has grown it themselves with magic.
Following it, I realise with frustration that it continues to curve around until it hits the tree trunk where it first grew from. “Well that’s helpful,” I mutter under my breath, the sarcasm thick in my tone.
Glancing down at my claws, I resolve to climb over it, very aware of Foster's eyes on me as I try to dig my claws into the root. The key word being try. They slip right off, refusing to sink into the root. My eyebrows furrow because never have I had this issue, usually they easily pierce through anything and everything. After my seventh or eighth attempt over various places, a frustrated huff falls from my lips. I also attempt to open a portal into the room, but seeing as I haven’tseenthe space, it’s pretty much impossible to do because I don’t know where to put the portal.Dammit.
Before I have the chance to lose my shit in a very uncool way, Foster clears his throat. “You know, I have no problem flying you in, if you want?”
My shoulders tense as I consider it, factoring in how he was kind enough not to mention me getting pissed off. I cock my head as I look up at him, and quirk a brow. “Are you sure you’ll be able to carry me?”
He grins. “Guess we’ll have to find out.” With that, a pair of massive black feathered wings sprout from his back. They glisten with an almost blue-ish sheen in the lighting from the bioluminescent plants as he stretches them out, before jumping off the root to glide down to me. He lands with barely a sound and I narrow my eyes at him.
“So, how are we going to do this?” I ask, already guessing the answer. He can’t exactly give me a piggyback ride can he?
I swear his grin gets even bigger, but before I can complain he’s grabbing me by the bottom of my oversized shirt and tugging me closer. He pauses when our chests are brushing. “This is going to go how you want, just hold onto me and I’ll get you over there. You can choose how to hold on,” he says, face going serious for a moment before his easy smile returns again.
That gains him a point if you ask me, letting me choose. I really don’t need another grumpy Alpha man in my life. Mentally rolling my eyes at myself, I raise my hands to his shoulders, pausing before I make contact to wait for his permission, and he gives me a nod. With the go ahead, I use them as leverage to jump up and wrap my legs around his waist, then cling onto his shoulders with my hands, waiting for him to take off.
He laughs, seemingly a little startled at my move, and my eyebrows draw down.How did he think I was going to get up?I don’t want to fall and break something. That’d be a bitch to heal and another injury I don’t need. I’ve already been to the infirmary more times than I’d have liked this term. Foster seems to shake it off quickly though and his forearms wrap around my lower back, unmoving. My lower stomach clenches at our proximity, and I tell it to chill the fuck out as his sweet vanillar scent swirls around me.
Taking deep calming breaths through my nose, I wait for Foster to speak. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I reply, voice soft.
“Good, hold on tight.”
I nod, and tuck my nose into his throat, which probably isn’t the sanest idea, but for now I say fuck it. My fingers clench as his vanilla scent floods into my lungs but I control myself—just barely—as he launches us up into the sky.
Adrenaline floods through me, and I let out out a whoop as my stomach drops, wind rushing through my hair and whipping at my clothes and then we’re dropping down on top of the root and I’m leaning back a little, but I don’t drop my legs from around Fosters waist, heart racing in my chest. “Can we…?” I trail off, but Foster reads the question in my eyes and gives me a cheshire grin.
“Yes, we certainly can, but are you sure?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows.
Now it’s my turn to grin. “Holy fuck yes,” I say, chest bubbling up with excitement.
The man still holding me, gives a casual shrug and then he’s leaning back and we’re free falling. I let out a squeal of delight, the ground rushing towards us as he rolls us over, then his wings are snapping out and we’re gliding over the butterfly field smoothly. From my position I can mainly see over his shoulder, but like he can tell that I want more, his vanilla scent is suddenly rolling over me as his magic encases my body. It has no ill intent so I don’t react other than with curiosity as I try to figure out what he’s doing. Through the rushing wind, I don’t get a chance to try and ask before he’s letting go of me with one arm and using the other—with the help of his magic—to flip me so I’m now facing the ground.
I laugh, the movement making my stomach drop and a giddy feeling buzz in my chest. With the help of his magic he locks my legs to his, but leaves my arms free to do whatever I want with them and returns his other hand to where it was wrapped around my waist.
Foster flies me all around the magical world Aurora created at least a century ago, and it’s beautiful. We soar around the tree, and I reach out my hand so it brushes against the silky glowing leaves. We glide around the outskirts of the illusion barrier, flashing past the shrubs that hold glowing creatures too small to make out at this speed. I laugh, as Foster rolls us to the side, taking us dangerously close to a tall bush before righting us again. We pass over the roots and around the field once more before Foster glides down into the hidden place he found. For a moment, I’m stuck to him, his magic and arms locking me in place and then he’s slowly releasing me.
I step away and turn around, barely noticing my surroundings as I face him. I’m sure my cheeks are flushed to high hell, and that my hair looks like I’ve been through a fuckfest, but I don’t care. I launch forward and grab his hands, doing a little happy dance, cheeks hurting from how hard I’m smiling. “Thank you, thank you,somuch. That was amazing. So amazing,” I say breathlessly.
A slow smile that I’ve yet to see on Foster’s face, blooms at my words and he runs a hand through his hair, almost sheepishly. “It’s no problem, Nessa. I can take you any time. All you have to do is ask.”
I do another happy wiggle and narrow my eyes on him. “Careful, I might just hold you to that.”
He laughs and I smile before finally turning around to see what he found. I blink, at how unexpected it is. We’re in what looks to be… an office? “But, there’s no roof?” I say, stating the obvious, but so confused I can’t help it.
