Scars Like Wings (The Crystal Dragon Duet #1)

35. Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz

T he warm ocean air enveloped us as soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk. It was nice compared to the restaurant’s AC, and it was cooling to the buzzed haze I felt from all the alcohol. It all still had nothing on the warmth I felt being so close to Quinn.

We walked in the opposite direction we had gone to get to the restaurant. The island was still very much awake despite the evening hour. Restaurants played music softly on their patios. Shop windows glowed, tempting folks to come and purchase their goods before they closed for the day. My heels clicked against the cobblestone, the sound echoing through the chatter from others that walked the sidewalk or sat on benches. But both of us were quiet. It was comfortable, especially since I was afraid to open my mouth for what might come out and even more afraid of how Quinn would respond. The words just kept playing over and over in my head.

I love you, Quinn.

I love you, Quinn.

I love you, Quinn.

Could I just become a mute and never have to talk again so I could avoid ruining this?

Soon, live music floated on the night air. We followed the noise and came upon a band playing with a large coffee tin out to capture their tips. It was three men, with one playing on a large steel drum, another playing a smaller bongo drum between his legs, and the lead singing while shaking a large singular maraca-style instrument. The sounds were melodic and beautiful as they played an old Motown song that I didn’t recognize immediately, but I knew was something my parents had listened to. We stood there for a second, listening to the band play out their song. I wrapped an arm around Quinn’s waist, and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders while we listened. When they finished, we along with a few other couples and folks clapped. They nodded in appreciation.

The band paused for a second to catch their breath before they started another song. This one, I knew immediately, and I wasn’t the only one.

“Is this Luther Vandross?” Quinn asked.

“What do you know about Luther?” I raised my eyebrows.

Quinn chuckled before she took my hand in hers for us to dance. We were in perfect sync, even though we were both drunk. We never stepped on each other’s toes or went offbeat. Instead, I knew when she was going to spin and dip me. Her hands never left me, whether they were resting on my hips, lower back when she dipped me, or in my hands. We gripped each other tight as if we were afraid to let each other go. The moonlight was our spotlight, its beams bathing us and blessing us like a caress. I didn’t know if we had an audience or not. I didn’t even know when “Never Too Much” became something else and when that changed to the next and so on. I also didn’t care. Quinn was my everything in this moment. When we leaned in to kiss between dancing, it was more laughter between us than actual kissing. It was just like the first time we had met at the party.

We were breathing heavily and intertwined in each other when Quinn’s phone buzzed in her pocket and mine vibrated in my purse. Still holding on to each other, we checked our phones at the same time. Simone had texted the group chat between everyone to say that they were thinking of going club-hopping after the thirteen courses finished. They were on the tenth one right now.

“What do you think, baby girl?”

“Hmm, a bunch of sweaty strangers, too loud music, and bad drinks? Or going back to the house with you, seeing what desserts we can make in the kitchen, and cuddling while watching a movie on the one-hundred-inch TV? Whatever will I choose?” I put my finger on my chin as if I was really thinking over the options.

Quinn beamed, and I swore it was like the sun in the night with how bright it was. My heart squeezed with affection. Gods, I loved her so much.

After Quinn tipped the band handsomely, we made our way back. Walking past the restaurant, we had to take another path different from the one the driver had taken to stay on the sidewalk. Eventually, we came upon a post with signs pointing in different directions to other areas of the island. One sign in particular caught my attention, reading “Lavender Beach.” In all my years of coming to the island, we had never walked down this way for me to see this. I pulled Quinn to a stop using our held hands.

“Can we go? Pretty please?” I begged as I pointed and bounced on my heels in excitement.

“You are so fucking adorable.” Quinn laughed. “Of course, sweetness.”

I squealed and led her where the sign pointed. The sidewalk diverged and ended in a wooden stairway and railing. It was covered by an archway made of verdant palm trees and fern leaves. It was dark, but there was something fantastical about seeing the dazzling stars through so much plant life. It was intimate, too, with its close quarters.

The last stair and exit revealed the pink sands of the beach ahead. Quinn stepped down, took off her Oxford shoes and socks, and rolled up her pants legs to mid-calf. Then, she bent and took off my heels for me. Her hands lingered longer than they should on my ankles, feet, and toes. It was so affectionate and sweet, my heart skipped a beat. She kissed my shins before setting our shoes near the stair side-by-side. She held out her hand for me. I smiled and took it happily, our fingers intertwining.

The sand was cool under our feet as soon as we stepped down. Before us was a breathtaking painting of pastel colors. The sands glowed a light and blushing pink like an early sunrise even in the night. Turquoise waters lapped at the pink, giving the shores the illusion of being lavender. The stars and the full moon reflected in the deep dark blue of the sea. Everything floated in the sky and ocean, mirrors of each other.

“Ouch!” I cried out as we reached where the water was just receding.

“Are you okay?” Quinn turned to check on me.

“Yeah, I just stepped on something.” I crouched down to examine the offending item. It was partially hidden by the sand before I plucked it up to examine it. The rock felt warm in my fingers despite the cool water and sand where it had been. It was about the size of a golf ball. I blinked, and my eyes instantly and painlessly adjusted to allow me to see. I’m not sure when that became as easy as breathing for me to do and something I didn’t even have to think about, but I appreciated it nonetheless. I dusted the sand from the stone to see more of it. It was a smooth, shiny light and greenish blue stone streaked with white, just like the waters in front of us. I had never seen anything like it before.

I rose up to show Quinn the stone as it sat in my palm. Her eyes lit up with intrigue. “That is beautiful! Definitely not a quartz or anything like that.”

“Wait, you can see this? Without your phone light?”

“Kind of a supernatural, remember? It’s a perk of it.”

“But back at Universal on the Hogwarts ride, you couldn’t see?—”

“I didn’t know you were a supe at the time, so I kind of had to act a bit.” Quinn shrugged sheepishly.

“Wow, I don’t know how I didn’t see past that, considering your acting skills.”

“Ha ha. What do you think the rock is, sassy? Doesn’t look like quartz or like anything I’ve seen before in a crystal shop.”

I glanced back at the stone. It was truly mesmerizing. The more I looked, the harder it was to deal with the idea of looking away. It felt so warm in my hand, so familiar. I turned the stone over with my finger. “You are so right. It’s not quartz. It’s not quite a lapis lazuli, either. The color is too bright. This is something else?—”

Suddenly, the stone pulsed. I thought I had imagined it or that my night vision was playing tricks on me, but then I noticed the white streaks on the stone looked like they were moving, flowing with energy like the water they resembled.

My eyes widened. “Are you seeing this?”

“Seeing what?”

The rock hummed then. It was soft, a whisper, like words said in your ear before you drifted to sleep. But I heard them clearly. I felt them. I understood and knew.

It’s only for you. That voice purred within me. It’s words only you can hear and know.

The rocks were talking to me now.

Yeah, sure. Why the fuck not?

“It’s a Larimar gemstone, native to this area only. It’s incredibly rare,” I explained—translated—what I had gotten from the stone. The Larimar hummed again. I nodded as if it had said something aloud even though I sensed it more than heard actual words. I looked down at the sand and rose back up when I had retrieved a shiny, smooth, and sharp obsidian stone near where the Larimar had been as well as a jagged sandy red stone. “And these ones are an obsidian from the volcanic rock used to make the island, and a sandstone. The latter is actually really popular here and a kind of quartz, so you weren’t too far off actually.”

“That is cool! How did you know that?” Quinn asked.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the three rocks as I watched them pulse as if they were breathing. I fought the urge to gather more, especially as they hummed mentioning where the best ones were on the beach. Part of it was because I was hypnotized by the crystals. The other part—the biggest part—was because I was scared to see Quinn’s face right now, to watch her realize how much of a weird freak I was. I mean, rocks were talking to me, I could understand them, and I was not on any sort of hallucinogen. I would definitely think I was crazy if the roles were reversed. And this on top of everything else? I was so scared of losing her from just saying how I felt, why should I risk telling her this and it be too much? Why should I tell her?

“Sweetness? Byrdie?” Quinn’s hands wrapped around my own. The heat from the stones and her hands enveloped my hands. Her hands were so big and mine so petite, she could easily fit four of mine into hers. They were rough and calloused against the smoothness of my own, but I liked it. Hands like Quinn’s told a story. One of pain and healing but scars still left behind and a softness underneath. Yeah, I was sprung.

“Byrd, please.” Quinn’s voice was low and soft like the tide before us. She used a knuckle to gently lift my chin up to look at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed over golden hazel eyes. I had made her worry. Again. I hated that.“ Háblame . Talk to me.”

The crystals vibrated in my hand, and with them, the obsidian in my necklace. A feeling of reassurance washed over me that I couldn’t explain. They pushed me forward, guiding me to rip off the bandaid. I loved Quinn. Real love required honesty, always. Quinn had stuck with me this far. I had to have hope that this wouldn’t be the breaking point.

“So. I used to collect crystals as a kid. I would go into my backyard and look for hours there. They always fascinated me.”

Quinn’s lips quirked up. “I did, too. I had a massive rock collection growing up. I will have to show it to you next time we are at my house. They are in this Power Rangers box.”

I smiled, imagining a little Quinn picking up stones. “Let me guess: you were a red one?”

“Am I that predictable?”

I chuckled. “What I’m talking about is a little different.”

I swallowed and looked behind Quinn at the lapping water as I went on. “Crystals have always been a part of my life. My mom was obsessed with them when she was pregnant with me, and I was born in a cavern full of them. I would sneak out to collect them as a kid, and I always wanted to be surrounded by them. When I would hold them or be near them, I used to hear… like, this humming sound? It’s hard to describe it. But through it and the feeling of touching the stone, I could… almost make out something like words and a language? I can communicate with them, hear them. And they offer me a… comfort? It’s so hard to say this, but… they have helped me.”

The Larimar, obsidian, and sandstone pulsed strongly, their whispers hurried. “They… They saved my life once? Is that right?”

They vibrated twice in quick succession like a nod.

They had? When was this? Something nagged at my memory. Like trying to remember a dream that didn’t want to be remembered, I couldn’t get a grip on anything solid. But I felt something rise and unfurl within me. The stones knew something?—

“So, you can talk to rocks like they are alive?” Quinn asked. Her voice sounded far away to my ears, even though she was right next to me.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“That’s not all, is it? Come back to me, Byrdie. What has you so in that pretty little head of yours?”

“I-I-I—” There was so much going on in my head. I had so many questions, so many feelings. They were all so tangled together in a mass taking up every space in my brain. I didn’t know what to pull at to begin to unravel things. What I was, Quinn, my parents, Cooper, what Quinn was, Maisie being a witch-fae, Quinn’s feelings toward me, Talli, Quinn, Quinn, Quinn. I loved Quinn. I knew that for sure. That was enough to latch onto and hold onto with everything I had.

It was enough to say—”I was scared you would think I was weird.”

“Weird?” Quinn tilted her head. “Why would I think you are weird?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tears stung my eyes. “Quinn, when have I been normal and regular since we met? My parents were murdered . I have a back tattoo that only you can see. I have been slowly turning into some supernatural creature that no one can figure out. I have a magical book that is like a family heirloom that I can figure out. Now, I can suddenly talk to rocks that I found in the sand! I’m weird as shit. I’m a freak. I have mysteries that haunt me, and I can’t figure them out. You don’t deserve to be burdened with me and my bullshit. You don’t deserve to be with some circus freak who doesn’t even know how much of a main event she is in the big fucking tent!”

“Byrdie, Byrdie, Byrdie, stop it.” Quinn pocketed the crystals from my hands and pulled me into her. She held my head against her as I sobbed. I cried so hard I struggled to breathe. I wailed, letting go of everything I had been holding back these past few months of dead-ends and no answers. I let the hurt of missing my mom, Pops, and Aunt Max fill me. I approached the void of all my grief, and I picked up a foot to lift it over. For the first time in so long, I wanted it to consume me until nothing was left. That was the only way for this end, wasn’t it? I was so tired of coming up with nothing when I tried to find something.

I was just so tired…

I sobbed until I was just a sniffling mess. The entire time, Quinn held me. She held me close to her and rubbed my back. She was so hot. It was all soothing, and I think I would have cried longer if she wasn’t here. This is why I loved her. Her presence alone was enough to help me.

When I felt numb with nothing left, I pulled away. Quinn kept me wrapped up in her arms. I noticed the wet stains from my tears on her shirt. “I’m so sorry about your shirt?—”

“Fuck the shirt.” Quinn lifted my head up. Her eyes were orbs of pure flame. “Byrd, you cannot help what has happened to you. None of it is your fault. You didn’t choose it. You have been through some shit. You are still going through some shit. That’s okay.

“But you are not weird. I have never thought of you as a freak or anything like that. Do you want to know what I think about you, Byrd? I think you are ridiculously fucking beautiful. In your appearance, personality, and your actions. I think you are strong for what you have been through and survived. I think you are smart and creative with the connections and solutions you make. I think you are more powerful than you know.

“You are the furthest thing from a burden to me. In fact, I want to take this weight off your shoulders. When I told you that we can figure things out together, I meant it with everything in me. I want to be by your side. I want to carry some of that weight you refuse to share with anyone else. I want to remind you that you aren’t alone, of how beautiful and wonderful and smart and perfect you are every day. The only right thing you said was that I don’t deserve you. You are too sweet for me, too good for me. But you…”

Quinn ran her hand through her curls, ruffling them. She swallowed deeply and sighed. After what felt like an eternity, she continued, “You’ve broken me, Byrd. All I can think about is you. I adore you. I’m enchanted by you. I always want to be around you and be there for you. You are my light, my star guiding me home. But you are home for me. I can’t work without having an idea of when I will have a chance to see you. I can’t cook without thinking about if you would like what I’m making. I can’t go to sleep at night without imagining you asleep beside me. Hell, poor Clarkson has been so sad up until Mama came home. She has been sleeping in the guest room every night. She can’t live without you. Neither can I, baby girl. Tu eres mi vida . You are my life. You have broken me. You have ruined me. I think that I’m falling?—”

Quinn shook her head. “No, that’s not right. I was about to lie to you.”

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My heart was beating at a thousand beats per minute at the thought of what she was confessing, what she was about to say. Was this real? Could it be real? “Lie to me? About what?”

“I’m not falling in love with you,” Quinn said. My heart sank immediately. Tears threatened to spill again. The taste of disappointment surfaced at the beginning of my throat like bile. I should have?—

“I’m not falling in love with you because I am already in love with you. I think I fell in love with you the moment I fell the night of the party. But then, I have just been falling deeper and deeper every—Ouch! Fuck, what was that for?”

“You almost gave me a fucking heart attack, that’s what!” The tears were free-flowing from my cheeks now, the overwhelming feeling of my emotions having to come out some way. “I thought you were about to say you didn’t love me!”

“Oh, no, Byrdie, I’m so sorry. I just fucked this up?—”

“No, you didn’t.” I smiled through the tears at her. “I love you, too, Quinn.”

Saying those words, I felt some unspoken, unidentified weight lift from my shoulders in relief. It was so easy to say. Something within me purred at the words as my heart sang. It was perfect. So perfect. It was my new favorite song. “I love you so much, Quinn.”

Quinn found a way to pull me closer to her. “Say it again.”

“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love—!” Every time I said those three words, Quinn kissed me. Before long, she was interrupting me with her peppered kisses on my cheeks, jaw, nose, forehead, and everywhere on my face until I was just a mess of giggles.

“Stop! Stop it, Quinn!” I begged her between gasps of breath.

“Oh? You want me to stop?” Quinn teased. She nuzzled my neck, making me giggle more. “I love the sound of your laugh. It just sounds like what bubbles look like.”

“I love how that makes all the sense and none at all at the same time.”

“I love how you think,” Quinn said, meeting my eyes.

Time seemed to slow down as we looked at each other. Both of us were breathing heavily from the exertion of our laughter. Our chests rose and fell in perfect sync. Our boobs were squished between us with how close Quinn held me to her. Not that I was complaining. Her hands rested on my back, but the pinkie of one of her hands feathered the beginning curve of my ass. I was hyper-aware of everything in this moment. I felt Quinn’s eyes radiating the same heat as the rest of her. Her curls were a wild mane, and they blew in the wind, tickling my face. And Quinn’s lips… I wanted to bite them. They were so beautiful. Everything about Quinn was so beautiful.

We leaned in at the same time. It was a small, sweet kiss. Chaste. Innocent. Delicate. Ephemeral. Yet everlasting. It made me furrow my brows while we slowly kissed. Her lips were so soft and smooth, but the taste of her was all smoke and spice. When we pulled back, I opened my eyes to Quinn watching me with half-lidded eyes. Her eyes were a deep honey I wanted to soak in. The taste of her lips lingered on my own, making them buzz.

Quinn watched my tongue lick my lips to taste more of her, and I saw the moment her control snapped.

She slammed her lips into mine. There was no gentleness this time, only passion. Her lips were a force to be reckoned with, her tongue easily snaking its way into my mouth to caress the roof of it and my teeth. I moaned deeply before taking her bottom lip between my teeth. I bit down, making Quinn growl.

“ Mi hechicera traviesa , if you keep doing that, I won’t last and I will have to take you on this beach.”

“Then you had better get us home.” I nipped at her lip again.

With another growl, Quinn put both of her hands behind my thighs and lifted me so I was straddling her just like this morning. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around Quinn’s waist. She moaned. “I can feel how ready you are for me, sweetness. That’s my good girl.”

Her words went from my ears straight to my pussy. I had always been a sucker for dirty talk, but hearing it in Quinn’s smoky voice? Oh, I was a mess. Emboldened, I said. “It’s all for you, Papi.”

Quinn rewarded me with a look that was the perfect combination of shock and lust. Her eyes flared like an explosion while darkening in color all at once. It was the last thing I saw before Quinn captured my lips again, and I closed my eyes. It was just as fierce as before without either of us missing a beat. Then I felt a lot of wind around us, whipping my locs around our faces. I couldn’t be bothered to question what was happening, not with the way Quinn’s tongue was moving in my mouth. I just held my arms wrapped around Quinn’s neck, kept my eyes closed, and sank into her and this moment. Nothing else mattered.

Some part of me registered the wind stopping, the sound of a door slamming, and my ass connecting with something plush, but I couldn’t focus on it. Not when Quinn’s hands were tracing my curves and rolls and sending tingles through every part of me. Quinn’s mouth left mine, and she kissed her way down my jawline to my neck to a patch of scales on my shoulder. A moan ripped itself from my body as her lips touched that spot.

“Yes, sweetness, be as loud as you want. By the time I’m done, I want the entire island to know who did this to you.” Quinn’s voice was so husky and smoky, her breath so hot against my skin, that I whimpered. Only Quinn could leave me such a mess.

She kissed her way down my shoulder and back toward my boobs. She kissed where my chest swelled over the strapless bra and neckline of my dress. Her hands groped my breasts as she did, squeezing and teasing in all the right ways. The fabric of my bra and her rough ministrations on my sensitive nipples drove me wild. I threw my head back and cried out. Quinn kissed her way into my cleavage but was stopped by my clothes.

Quinn leaned back and gripped my dress. Before I could say anything, she ripped it down the middle like it was made of paper and shoved the pieces down my arms to reveal my bra and matching lacy thong underneath. My jaw dropped. “My dress?—!”

“I’ll buy you a new one.” Quinn returned to worshiping my boobs. “I will buy you one in every color, anything you want. I will give you the world and then the universe. But I need to see you. All of you. Right now. I will pay whatever the cost for that.”

My heart fluttered at her words. I loved her so very much.

“Well,” I took off my bra and sighed at the freedom from the constricting band. “I love this bra, and it’s hard to find one I like.”

When I looked back at Quinn, I couldn’t hold back the wide and huge smile on my face. It was her turn to drop her jaw as her eyes hungrily took me in. I preened under her starving stare.

I had never felt sexier than right now.

“See something you like, my love?” I tilted my head.

“I don’t think I have ever seen anything more beautiful in my life.”

Quinn kissed the center of my chest where my large bee sternum tattoo sat. She took her time, following the black ink of the bee and the peonies between and underneath my breasts with her lips. She kissed her way to each nipple. Just when I thought she was going to put her mouth on one, she would teasingly kiss her way over to the other one. I tangled my hands in her curls. When she did it to me what felt like the millionth time, I pulled at her hair. I felt her breath on my nipple as she chuckled. Whatever I opened my mouth to say transformed into a moan as she finally took my nipple in her mouth while pinching the other one between her fingers.

I arched my back to push more of my breasts into her mouth. It was so hot . She worked the sensitive nerves, taking her time to give each peak its own time and attention from both her mouth and fingers. I was seeing stars from that alone, but I needed more.

I needed Quinn.

All of her.

“Quinn, please,” I moaned. “I need my Papi. Please.”

Quinn gently took one of my nipples between her teeth, and I gasped. I thought she was going to tease me more. But instead, she reached up and kissed me hard and fast. She lifted me off the bed and sat me back against my pillows. Something cold touched my bare back, making me jump and hiss.

Quinn broke our kiss. “What’s wrong?”

I pulled the offending item out from behind me. It was my stuffed bunny, Stella. I must have leaned against one of her glass eyes. I huffed and gently tossed her off the bed.

“Hey, that’s no way to treat Stella.”

I shook my head. “She’s a clit-blocker. She knows better, so she deserved that.”

Quinn clicked her tongue. “So disrespectful.”

She swallowed my chuckles in another kiss. The whole moment sent a wave of affection washing over me. So, I deepened our kiss. I kissed forever into it. With my lips, I wished for every one of Quinn’s dreams to come true, for her to find happiness. I kissed love into her and how it felt for me. Quinn matched me in kind as if she was doing the same.

Distantly, I heard the snap of my thong. I shivered at the sudden chill and air. I was so wet . Quinn’s finger torturously touched my lips. I moaned into Quinn’s mouth and lifted my hips to get her to stop playing. When Quinn kept at it, I bit her lower lip in the way that drove her wild.

“Mhmm, tú eres una hechicera muy traviesa .” Before I could ask what she had said, her thumb was on my clit and a finger was inside of me. She was rough and fast, her teasing nature nonexistent now. It was even more delicious than this morning. I threw my head back, grinding my hips into her hands as I rode her fingers. Just like this morning, my powers surfaced the closer I came. The desire to bite her was even greater than before, and it took all the little bit of focus that I had left to tamper the urge down. Something within me roared, loud and fierce. But I cooled it, reassuring it that it would happen, but this moment wasn’t the time.

There are other ways to mark her, though, the voice growled, and I agreed.

Through my breathy moans and whimpers, I heard the sound of fabric ripping as I clawed at Quinn’s back, shoulders, arms. I felt my talons as they sunk into Quinn’s skin. There was a part of me that relished my scratches being on her skin even for a moment before they healed and disappeared. I liked marking her as mine, having something to show for tonight and every night from now on. She hissed but didn’t miss a beat, keeping her same pace. If anything, she sped up a bit more.

I was so close.

“Quinn, my P-Papi, don’t stop. Gods, don’t stop!”

“I will never stop. For you, I will never stop.” Quinn kissed my forehead. “I love seeing you riding my fingers too much.”

She plunged another finger inside me and sped up. Then I only caught a flash of white teeth in her smirk before she sank her teeth into a patch of scales on my arm.

I screamed her name as everything exploded within me, and I lost full control of my body. Quinn didn’t stop, though, coaxing two more orgasms from me in quick succession from her fingers. Darkness encroached on the edges of my vision from such fervor. I came down from the high, breathless and buzzing. When Quinn realized I was spent, she carefully removed her hand. “Such a good girl, mi tesoro . You did so well.”

Opening my eyes, I saw Quinn leaning over me with her navy shirt in tatters around her waist. She didn’t seem to notice as she stared at me with that smolder on her face in full force. I, however, saw not only the smooth rosiness of her tanned skin and all of her tattoos all over her arms, but also her bra containing the generous handful that was her breasts, her thick muscled stomach, and the peak of her boxer’s waistband under her belted pants. My mouth watered at what could be under there.

Suddenly, as my desire flared up again, I felt a surge of energy and power flow through me. Before either of us knew what was happening, I flipped us over so Quinn was under me while I kneeled between her legs. It was so easy. All I had to do was think about it to make it happen. As easy as lifting a pencil. Even though Quinn was much bigger than a pencil, than me even. I filed it away as something to think about for later.

It was far from important right now.

Quinn’s eyes were wide as she looked up at me. “Baby girl, did you just?—?”

“Now, now,” I interrupted, gripping her thighs. “What’s that you mentioned before about questions?”

I didn’t recognize the voice coming from my mouth, but I loved how smoky it was, how confident it was, how sultry it was. From the darkening of Quinn’s eyes, I could tell I wasn’t the only one affected by it.

When I smiled, one of my fangs caught on my lip. I gasped and covered my mouth. My talons were still out, too. My senses were still sharp as well. Oh, no . How freaky did I look? Would Quinn be scared of me? What if she?—?

Quinn sat up quickly. She took each of my wrists in her hands and kissed the pulses there, one at a time. Then she leaned in and kissed me. Her tongue grazed my fangs, and my brain short-circuited.

Bite her. Claim her. Mate her. Make her yours. My mouth watered at the thought, but there was something else I desperately wanted to taste first.

When Quinn’s tongue poked at my other fang, I growled loud enough for my chest to rumble against hers. I lightly shoved her back against the pillows. She fell back, her hair a beautiful backdrop of curls behind her head. I straddled her wide hips. She hissed, feeling my still wet heat sitting on her. I couldn’t blame her, as I felt hers radiate under me. I removed the last bits of her shirt. I slowly and methodically dragged my claw down the middle of her bra. The fabric gave in easily to the sharp black talon. I sliced at the straps to leave her bare breasts before me. I was rewarded with even more than I had expected.

“You have pierced nipples?” I tilted my head at the black bars going through each dark pink peak.

“The only good thing to come from my last relationship.” Quinn raised a slitted eyebrow. “You like?”

I leaned down and sucked her nipple into my mouth as an answer. The noise that she made as I swirled my tongue around her and each bar was both heaven-sent and devilishly delicious.

I kissed my way down her chest, stomach, and waist until I reached her pants. With the same ease that she had done before, I ripped her pants and boxers off her, leaving it in shreds just like her shirt and bra. Then I looked upon her.

There was Quinn, laid bare before me. Fuck , she was so fucking beautiful that it made something clamp around my heart. She was so strong and powerful with thick muscles that could carry and toss me around without breaking a sweat. She was large in all the right places, like her height, her biceps, thighs, and her abs. Even lying before me with her arms behind her head, she had her smoldering half-smile on, exuding all confidence and snark on the outside. But there was a vulnerability to her that only I could see. Her worries about being good enough for me. Her fear of not protecting her loved ones well enough. Her rage that I could quell in an instant. She was only soft for me. In her contradictions, there was a perfection in how well-matched we were.

Gods, I was so in love with her.

I leaned down between Quinn’s thighs. I breathed on her lips, letting my breath feather her like a caress and making her moan above me. I needed to hear what sounds she made when I actually touched her, tasted her. I opened her lips and used the flat of my tongue to lick up to her clit. I swirled my tongue’s tip around it. I spelled my name forwards and backwards on it, claiming her pussy as my own.

She whimpered, threading her fingers through my locs. “Fuck, sweets, don’t stop.”

Never, my love.

When Quinn started rolling and bucking her hips in rhythm to my tongue on her clit, I slipped it inside of her. Quinn’s moans were closer to screams now. I rolled my eyes back as I savored the taste of her. Quinn tasted just like she smelled, like smoked chocolate and citrus. It was my new favorite meal, and I couldn’t get enough of her. The longer my tongue remained in her, the longer it became. A weird sensation passed through me as I felt it split into two to fork at the end. I moved the ends and discovered that not only was my tongue insanely long, but I could move the ends independently of each other.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

I smiled as much as I could as I took my tongue out and replaced it with my finger. Then I returned my tongue to Quinn’s clit. This time, I used my new forked tongue to encircle her most sensitive spot and work it from both sides. It drove her crazy. Quinn’s fingers were rough on my head, pushing my mouth even close to her. I groaned, the sound reverberating into her. It was more than enough to push Quinn over the edge. Quinn screamed my name as the orgasm tore through her, cursing in both English, Spanish, and some third language in between. She arched her back, and her thighs clamped around me. I sunk my claws into her thighs to hold her in place while I rode her aftershocks and coaxed another from her. I could feel the blood on my fingertips. I knew she would heal from it, and I loved the feeling of marking her. A rush of slick desire went between my own thighs.

I loved her, and she was all mine.

I lifted myself from between Quinn’s legs and crawled over to her languidly. I leaned down to kiss her, slowly and lazily. Then, I plopped onto Quinn’s chest, curling my legs around hers and my body on top of her. She wrapped one arm around me to bring me even closer against her. Our chests were heaving as we were pressed together. Everything on me went back to human. We were both spent, but in pure bliss. I had never felt so loved and at peace.

“I love you so much,” I murmured.

“I love you so much more, sweetness.” Quinn kissed the top of my head. “I have been wanting to say that for ages . You have no idea.”

My eyebrows rose. “Really? Since when?”

“Honestly…” Quinn thought for a moment. She traced lazy patterns around my back and shoulders. When her fingers touched my scars, I felt tiny sparks of electricity dance down my skin. I hummed in appreciation. “I think I felt the beginnings of it when you video-called me while I was making that pumpkin bread.”

I sat up to look at her incredulously. “That soon? Seriously?”

Quinn’s mouth turned up lazily into a smile. “Are you really that surprised?”

“Well, yeah! That was before I realized it.” I laid back down onto Quinn’s chest so she couldn’t see my pout.

I felt Quinn’s chuckle vibrate through her chest. “When was it for you?”

I didn’t hesitate in my answer. “My birthday weekend.”

“Well, if it helps, that was when I knew for sure.”

“I will say that it really hit me hard today at dinner,” I admitted, tracing my own patterns on her chest and down her stomach with one of my nails. “But I was terrified of saying it first.”

“I was scared of saying it because I was scared shitless that you wouldn’t say it back or something. I mean, I knew once you said yes to being my girlfriend that you would say it back, though.”

I scoffed. “And how could you possibly know that? I was so afraid… of losing you.”

“Oh, babe, didn’t I tell you? Once you met my family and my mom fell in love with you, you were stuck with me forever. My mom has essentially adopted you now.”

I laughed. “Well, we could never break your mom’s heart, now could we? That’s like running over a bunny or something.”

Now it was Quinn’s turn to laugh. “For real. I’m so sorry for not saying it sooner and making you think I wouldn’t say it back to you. I just… I just wanted all of this to be perfect, to find the perfect moment and do this all right by you.”

I shook my head against Quinn’s chest. “You always want everything to be perfect, starlight. Don’t you get it by now? If it’s from you, Queenie, I couldn’t imagine anything better. Besides, all I need is you. I love you.”

Quinn kissed the top of my locs. “I love you back and then some.”

“Thank you for earlier, by the way. When I was spiraling about what I looked like when I… shift, I guess, is the word? I don’t know. I seem to only do that with you, but I didn’t want to frighten you off or you think I was ugly?—”

“Hey. Look at me.” I sat up on my elbows to look at Quinn. Her face was stern as she said. “If you think that I find you anything but fucking gorgeous no matter what form you take, you are mistaken, Byrd. Porfa nunca te escondas de mi, mi querida. You never have to hide from me. I love you in all your forms. I don’t give a fuck what you are, sweetness. I’m not going anywhere, so never be afraid of what I might think, okay?”

I leaned up to kiss where her neck met her shoulder before nuzzling there. I yawned.

“Let’s get you tucked in and ready for bed, yeah?” Quinn kissed my forehead before she got out of the bed.

“What about the others? Are we those old lesbians now that can’t hang with the youngins?”

Quinn’s laugh filled the room. “I guess so. I’m about ready to settle down, anyway. Should I start calling you my ol’ lady?”

“Absolutely not.” I chuckled, shaking my head.

Quinn found my makeup remover wipes and gently took my makeup off my face for me since my legs were effectively jello after so many orgasms in a day. She also retrieved my bonnet. After I put it on, Quinn said how adorable I looked, and I blushed. No one had ever seen me in my bonnet before, and I swooned with her compliment. Quinn always knew what to say to make me feel the most beautiful.

She returned from her room not only dressed in a new shirt and boxer briefs but with a shirt of hers for me. I gleefully put it on. As I pulled the shirt over my head, I was hit with how perfect this all was. It could always be like this. The idea excited me and filled me with such happiness I wanted to scream.

Finally, before joining me under the covers, Quinn retrieved Stella from the floor. “Can Stella return to the bed or is she banished forever?”

“She may return as long as she doesn’t interfere with sexy time again.” I took my beloved stuffed bunny in my arms.

Smiling, Quinn turned off the lights and got in. She was the big spoon, and she pulled me close into her, snuggling us both into the coolness of the sheets. But, I was enveloped in Quinn’s warmth, our connection, our love with just her arm wrapped around my stomach with a hand resting on top of my boob.

It was everything I could ever want and the safest I had ever felt.

Quinn whispered, her lips tickling my ear. “I hope you have dreams as sweet as you are. Dream about me, mi vida, mi tesoro .”

Then I fell into the deepest slumber ever.