Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
Kai
We’re running down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. Or should I say angelically? I like that. Let’s try this again.
We’re running down the stairs as fast as angelically possible.
Well, I am, at least. I’m practically dragging her behind me, tugging her along to keep up.
“What’s the rush?” she asks, breathlessly. Damn, hearing her out of breath right now is nearly too much for me to handle.
“C’mon, beautiful. Faster.”
We keep up the pace, finally exiting the palace.
As soon as we land on the platform outside, I turn around, clamp my teeth over my lips to bite back a stupid grin, and scoop her into my arms, facing her toward me so her wings don’t get in the way.
She wraps her legs around my waist and gives me a skeptical look.
I throw her a wink, then launch into the air with a single flap of my wings.
My wings.
Can you believe it? I sure as hell can’t, but I know better than to question the judgment of the Archangels. I know I won’t be given another chance after this, so I’m on my best behavior. I guess I’m a real angel now.
A burst of laughter escapes me as we climb higher and higher into the clouds, immersing ourselves in the stars of the night sky. It takes a minute to get used to my wings—they’re huge. I’m not used to the sensation at all.
I’ve been wanting to fly since the day I died. Flying with her in my arms is indescribable.
I can’t believe I made it.
We made it.
I zigzag through the air, trying my best to avoid colliding with the havens surrounding us at the moment. I gradually fly higher in the sky until we’re soaring high above the Middle Realm.
A few seconds into the flight, she tries to wiggle herself free of my grasp. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Wouldn’t it be fun for us to fly together?”
“It will be, but for now, it’s my turn to carry you. Besides, I have a very specific agenda for tonight and don’t care to deviate.”
She scoffs, then gives in, burying her head in the crook of my neck. I hold on to her thighs tightly, careful not to let her fall. Although if she did fall, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Her gorgeous wings would easily carry her.
Actually, maybe we should test that theory… It’d be cute and hilarious.
No. I won’t be giving in to my intrusive urges right now. Maybe another time, but not now.
We continue gliding through the sky without regard. Occasionally, I do a little dip and flip just because I can. Flying is somehow more fun than I thought it would be—even in death, my stomach still drops every time I plunge several feet.
“How does it feel?” Her lips graze my ear softly as she whispers, sending a wave of shivers down my spine.
“Like freedom.”
She backs her head away from my neck and glances up into my eyes. “I feel the same way. I’m so happy for you, love.”
“Aw. I’m happy for me, too,” I tease, then sober my expression. “I love you.”
“Thank you for your love.”
I glance over her head and see my landing spot. “Hold on tight.”
I speed downward—trying as hard as possible to replicate the feeling of descending a roller coaster—until I land softly on my feet.
I stumble a little bit, but otherwise, I didn’t do so bad during my first flight if I do say so myself.
Hell yeah, that’ll never get old. Just like me.
I guess I’ll never get old, either. That’s still strange to me—the idea of not aging. I’m not complaining, though.
Once we land in the middle of the atrium, I set Cleo down. A crowd of angels surrounds us. Upon seeing us, several members of the crowd cheer. Almost immediately, Matt walks up to us and embraces me.
“You got your wings? Congrats, my man!” he exclaims over the loud music.
“Yeah, not sure how that happened, but I’m not mad about it. That’s for sure.” I grin.
“They’re so… bright.” He stares at them, gawking.
He’s not the only one staring. So many angels have crowded us, treating me like a brand-new museum exhibit.
I’m pretty sure this is the last place that Cleo wants to be right now, so I pat Matt on the shoulder and make a beeline toward a server with drinks.
She looks me up and down and hands me a glass of alcomist. I shake my head.
“Any chance I can get a whole bottle just this once?” I bat my eyelashes at her, making her laugh.
She concedes, handing me the bottle on the tray.
Well, that worked like a charm. I thank her and turn to look for my girl.
She’s shorter than the average angel, but thankfully, I’m taller than the average angel, so I’m able to spot her relatively quickly.
Several angels—men and women—encircle her, touching her platinum feathers. I approach her with the alcomist bottle in hand.
“…so your wings changed color?” a blonde girl asks in curiosity.
“Your new wings are beautiful,” a man I don’t recognize says as he takes another step closer to her, entering her personal space.
Yep. Time to get the hell out of here.
Cleo simply nods at them, feigning interest in what they’re saying. When she notices me, her eyes light up.
“Let’s go, baby. I have an agenda for tonight, remember?”
She nods, but then tugs on my shirt. “Wait… There’s something we need to do first.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, confused. “What’s that?”
She pulls me in, raising her lips to mine for a passionate kiss. I groan at the sudden warm sensation spreading across my body like flames. She breaks away, flushed. “They need to know we aren’t pretending anymore, either.”
I smile at her. “Or that maybe we never were.”
She bites her lip, then her eyes drift down to the bottle in my hand. “A whole bottle?”
I chuckle, grab her hand, and spring back into the air. She follows me closely, spreading her own wings for the first time since the Archangels stole them from her.
“Where are we going?” she asks over the roaring wind.
“You’ll see!”
I lead her across the sky, passing several shops in the marketplace, the headquarters, the gardens, and the havens, until I finally find the exact spot.
Our spot.
I’ve come here a couple of times since that first night. She just doesn’t know it.
We land on the rooftop simultaneously. She gasps, gazing around. “It feels like it’s been a lifetime since we were last here.”
“That, it does,” I agree, climbing over the golden railing to let my legs dangle off the rooftop’s edge. She follows suit. “You know, I’ve visited here since that night.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nod. “Do you notice anything different about it?”
Her eyes widen. “Am I supposed to?”
“Turn around.” I grin.
She turns and squints her eyes, then a flicker of surprise crosses her face. “I know we’ve only been up here once, but I swear that cozy spot over there next to the bench wasn’t here last time.”
I follow her eyes to the sitting cushions, pillows, and blankets I set up for us, before I ever ran away. “I hoped we’d come back here eventually, but given how I was uncertain of, well, everything, I wasn’t sure if we would. That little spot is our spot.”
I rise and hold out my hand for her. She grasps it, standing herself so that we can walk over to our new cozy spot. It doesn’t seem like anyone ever really comes up to this rooftop, so I figured making it a little hideaway for us would be just fine.
We take a seat on the plush cushions, and I lean back against the stone wall. Her face turns a light shade of pink as she peers at me from beneath her thick eyelashes. “Who knew you were so sweet?”
I open the bottle and take a swig. “A lot of people, actually.”
She playfully scoffs and grabs the bottle from my hand, taking a swig of her own. She takes a bigger drink than I expect, given how I’ve never seen her drink before. “Damn, baby. You needed that, huh?”
She scowls, undoubtedly readying herself to say something sassy, when a little noise escapes her lips. She covers her mouth in horror.
A hiccup.
She just hiccuped, and for some reason, it was the cutest sound I’ve ever heard.
Oh, fuck. When did I start thinking that hiccups are cute? Guess I’m entering the ‘down bad’ club. At least I’m in good company with Jasper and all.
She flashes me a toothy grin and giggles. “Oops.”
I forgot how fast alcomist works in comparison to alcohol. Hell, I’m already feeling lightheaded, and I only took one swig.
“I figured we deserved tonight just to be. We can discuss when we want to ascend tomorrow. But tonight, we celebrate.” I extend my arm around her, pulling her back into me and taking another drink.
“Cheers to that.” She grabs the bottle and raises it to the sky, then cheers, taking another sip.
I take the bottle back. “Okay, we’re going to slow down, lightweight. Is this your first time?”
She laughs to herself. “No, it’s not my first time. I just haven’t drunk in decades, so I dunno. Maybe my body is tricking itself and thinks it’s its first time when it’s objectively not its first time.”
I find it funny how she’s talking about her body as if it isn’t her. She reaches for the bottle again, to which I hold it high up out of her reach. She groans. “Fiiiiiine.”
“You know, you’re pretty damn cute when you’re tipsy.”
“Pft. You’re the tipsy one, Kai,” she mumbles, then spins, pushing her breasts against my chest.
Oh, fuck me.
“How hard?” she whispers, her eyes hooded. She climbs atop of me, resting her legs on either side of my hips.
“Angel, you’re testing me.” I gulp, then sigh. “You need to sober up just a little bit before we do that. How about we talk for a little while, then we can cross that bridge when we get there, okay?”
“What if I want to cross the bridge right now?” she asks, entering dangerous territory. “Come on, love. It’s not like it’s anything we haven’t done before. I just want you. All of you. Right now.”
“I just don’t want you to regret this,” I say, cradling her head in my hand.
“I could never regret you.” Her expression sobers as her brown eyes lock on mine.
“I love you.” I swear, those words are magical up here.
As she says them, she seems to come back to reality a bit.
“I know it may seem ridiculous to ask after everything we just went through, but I have to… Are you sure about me?”
My lips part as my brows furrow. “Have I not made that clear enough already? I’m crazy about you, Cleo. It’s borderline embarrassing.”
She chuckles, then bites her lower lip. “So. You’re sure?”
“Damn. Looks like I need to show you how sure I am.” I latch my hands around her waist firmly. This conversation in itself is pretty sobering. I think we’re both conscious enough to make solid decisions for ourselves right now.
Besides, I want her. Bad.
I lift her so her opening is resting on my cock, making my cock even harder than it already was. “Can you feel how sure I am, angel?”
Her eyes lift to meet mine as she nods slowly.
“Good. I’ve never been more”—I grind my hardness against her as she writhes atop of me—“sure of anything before. Understood?”
She gulps and flutters her eyes shut, a look of euphoria crossing her features. “Yes, Kai,” she moans while pushing her breasts against my chest and her opening against my length.
Then, I notice wetness seeping into my pants and realize she’s still wearing only her tights from earlier. I groan and take a deep breath before slipping my hand around her ass, grabbing a handful and squeezing.
She lets out a breath, then I reach under her skirt and slowly peel off her tights. I gasp upon feeling how wet she is. She’s otherworldly.
“Are you sure?” I smirk, making sure she’s ready for me to take her.
She nods.
I incline my body toward hers. “Is this what you need, angel?”
“Please.”
She backs up to slide off my pants and underwear while looking up at me with her sultry brown eyes. Next, her top and skirt fly off, leaving her smooth curves and skin on full display. She stumbles a bit while taking my shirt off, her head landing on my chest.
I watch her as her eyes open and she locks her gaze on my cock. Her hand grazes it, causing me to shudder. Then, she grips it and strokes it over and over again.
“Fuck, Cleo.”
The entire time, her eyes remain locked on mine, making it ten times more challenging to not burst at the seams right here. I’m so damn lucky. She inclines her head lower toward my length and licks it leisurely.
One single swipe of her tongue, and I'm lost to her.
She slowly drags her tongue upward, eventually reaching the column of my neck and stroking it languidly with her tongue.
Then, her lips brush against mine delicately, and time stops.
Breaking away from her lips and gazing into her warm eyes, I see nothing but tenderness.
I could get used to this. Leaning forward, I kiss her again, desperate for more.
Locked in each other's arms, I claim her, binding myself to her as she returns the favor.
After we finish, she collapses on my chest, and I draw a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
I’m in awe of her.
Her beauty. Her intelligence. Her resilience.
She is a sight to behold. One I will never grow tired of.
She peers up at me, her head still resting on my chest.
“What is it?” I whisper, resting my chin on top of her head.
“Are you ready to ascend?”
Not the first question I expected after losing ourselves to each other, but I’ll take it, nonetheless. “Yeah, I think so. But I’m in no rush.”
“Are you positive you’re not in a rush?” she asks apprehensively.
“For sure, for sure. There’s no harm in embracing comfort for a bit. If you’d like to take some time before ascending, I’ll wait.”
“You’ll wait for me?”
“I’ll always wait for you.” I gaze at her face.
Her eyelids brim with tears as she exhales a sigh of relief. “I think—I think I’ll be ready soon. Just not yet. I have some loose ends here in Eloras I’d like to tie up first.”
“That’s more than fair. I mean, we still have to finish fixing up the library anyway, right?” I joke.
“Right,” she agrees, practically glowing. I wrap my arms around her waist tightly and breathe in her scent.
“Let’s bask in the comfort for now, angel. We earned it.”
With that, she rests her head against my chest and slowly drifts off to sleep.
My eyelids droop, but I can’t stop staring at the stars.
I'll always wonder how I managed to land the most captivating one.