intimate.
Catching her reluctance, Emeric smirked and offered, “May I?”
She shrugged, but was relieved when he was the one to close the gap and lift her into his arms. He swept her up effortlessly and dived out the door before she was even fully secured. She gasped, but never felt as though he might drop her. She realized as he swam through the darkness of the forest that he flew differently than Alex did. His stride was slower, smoother.
When they got to Shay’s doorstep, Emeric didn’t go inside. Instead, he deposited her on the threshold, meanwhile suspending himself in the air outside. She turned once her feet were on solid ground, and was taken aback at the sight of him there, floating freely in the breeze as though upon a magic carpet. In this lighting, she could barely see the wings against the dark backdrop of the forest. In fact, she could barely see his face.
“Good night, Callista,” he whispered, and then he vanished almost before she could see him move, flying gracefully into the night.
Chapter Seven
Acquaintance
That night, Calli e spent her time tossing from side to side on Shay’s couch. Something about her conversation with Emeric was ringing in her ears.
Why had he mentioned Alex? What could she possibly have to hide from him, or any of them for that matter? And the way Emeric had said it, as though she should already know some secret to which he was referring, was what irritated her most of all.
By the time the morning rose in the peach-colored sky, Callie awoke bleary-eyed and cranky. Also, she realized, she smelled bad from having worn her pajamas for the past two days. She needed coffee and a shower. And a change of clothes. And when she realized that she didn’t have any of those things, her mood intensified.
She sat up and stretched her arms above her head. A movement to her left made her start. She saw Alex sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of what looked like cereal. She frowned. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she said crossly, standing up now.
He didn’t look at her, and she saw that he was reading the newspaper. The sight was likely the oddest one she’d had yet in this forest; a man with wings, sitting on a counter stool, eating cereal and reading the newspaper. But then she smelled the coffee, and she when walked over to the kitchen and saw that he’d brewed a pot, she found that she was no longer annoyed with him.
She poured herself a mug, and took a sip, savoring the bitter flavor. It had only been a day, but she felt like this was her first cup in a long time.
“I’m serious, you know. You can go, you don’t need to stay here and watch me,” she said to him now. He didn’t move other than to thumb through the pages of his paper. She sighed and approached the counter, leaning on it with her elbows as she stood across from him. “Honestly, what am I going to do? Go skydiving from the nearest tree branch?”
A soft chuckle escaped him, even though he didn’t meet her eyes. She realized that he was making fun of her, remembering yesterday morning again. “Oh, shut up,” she snapped, pushing back from the counter.
His smirk grew more pronounced.
She looked around the kitchen, hungry in spite of her anger. After checking each of the dozen cabinets in the place and finding no more than spoons and weird herbs, she sighed. “Where is the food in this damn place?” she asked no one in particular.
Alex made a movement. She turned and froze at the sight of him reaching over the counter, his arm knotted with long,
Catching her reluctance, Emeric smirked and offered, “May I?”
She shrugged, but was relieved when he was the one to close the gap and lift her into his arms. He swept her up effortlessly and dived out the door before she was even fully secured. She gasped, but never felt as though he might drop her. She realized as he swam through the darkness of the forest that he flew differently than Alex did. His stride was slower, smoother.
When they got to Shay’s doorstep, Emeric didn’t go inside. Instead, he deposited her on the threshold, meanwhile suspending himself in the air outside. She turned once her feet were on solid ground, and was taken aback at the sight of him there, floating freely in the breeze as though upon a magic carpet. In this lighting, she could barely see the wings against the dark backdrop of the forest. In fact, she could barely see his face.
“Good night, Callista,” he whispered, and then he vanished almost before she could see him move, flying gracefully into the night.
Chapter Seven
Acquaintance
That night, Calli e spent her time tossing from side to side on Shay’s couch. Something about her conversation with Emeric was ringing in her ears.
Why had he mentioned Alex? What could she possibly have to hide from him, or any of them for that matter? And the way Emeric had said it, as though she should already know some secret to which he was referring, was what irritated her most of all.
By the time the morning rose in the peach-colored sky, Callie awoke bleary-eyed and cranky. Also, she realized, she smelled bad from having worn her pajamas for the past two days. She needed coffee and a shower. And a change of clothes. And when she realized that she didn’t have any of those things, her mood intensified.
She sat up and stretched her arms above her head. A movement to her left made her start. She saw Alex sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of what looked like cereal. She frowned. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she said crossly, standing up now.
He didn’t look at her, and she saw that he was reading the newspaper. The sight was likely the oddest one she’d had yet in this forest; a man with wings, sitting on a counter stool, eating cereal and reading the newspaper. But then she smelled the coffee, and she when walked over to the kitchen and saw that he’d brewed a pot, she found that she was no longer annoyed with him.
She poured herself a mug, and took a sip, savoring the bitter flavor. It had only been a day, but she felt like this was her first cup in a long time.
“I’m serious, you know. You can go, you don’t need to stay here and watch me,” she said to him now. He didn’t move other than to thumb through the pages of his paper. She sighed and approached the counter, leaning on it with her elbows as she stood across from him. “Honestly, what am I going to do? Go skydiving from the nearest tree branch?”
A soft chuckle escaped him, even though he didn’t meet her eyes. She realized that he was making fun of her, remembering yesterday morning again. “Oh, shut up,” she snapped, pushing back from the counter.
His smirk grew more pronounced.
She looked around the kitchen, hungry in spite of her anger. After checking each of the dozen cabinets in the place and finding no more than spoons and weird herbs, she sighed. “Where is the food in this damn place?” she asked no one in particular.
Alex made a movement. She turned and froze at the sight of him reaching over the counter, his arm knotted with long,
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