Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
We talk about everything. Well, almost everything. He tells me about his brothers, Abaddon and Kharon—who apparently used to be named Thing—and about their consorts. Abaddon’s just had a daughter who’s got wings and tiny little horns like her father and to hear Remus tell it, is an adorable little hellion.
He tells me about his cruel father and how they’ve all just really started to be a family again. He tells me about his youngest brother, Layden, who recently returned after they thought him dead.
He tells me about everyone in his world except the twin on the back of his head.
“Why won’t you talk about him?”
“He doesn’t matter.” Remus waves a dismissive hand.
I make a face. Outside, the sun is just coming up. We’ve talked all night again. Just talked, even though, with the way he’s sitting so close to me on the bed, I’ve been secretly going nuts, replaying his mouth on me by the lake about every other second. Which is why I feel tired but also punch-drunk with lust as we continue talking. Plus, I’m way too fascinated with everything coming out of his mouth to pay attention to my heavy eyelids. “He must have mattered at some point. He’s part of you.”
He just shakes his head. “All that matters is right here.” He holds me tighter, his dark eyes searching mine. “You. Me.” He drags his hand down the line of my hip and tugs me closer to him. “This.”
“What?” I roll my eyes, hiding an internal shiver. It doesn’t help that he always walks around without a shirt to display his six-pack abs. “Sex?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “This closeness between us. I’ve never known this before, and it’s all I want. I want to live in this space, just me and you.”
“But there’s a whole world out there, and it’s going to come knocking at some point.”
His lips drop down to brush against mine as he says, “But not right now.”
And I easily give into him as he begins drugging me with kisses, nibbling on my bottom lip as he massages my waist with his strong, sure fingers. Dragging me into him as we lay down sideways on the pillows, facing each other. My leg lifts to wrap around his hip, and his wing sweeps over me, cocooning us. My heartbeat starts to race, and suddenly, I don’t feel the least bit tired.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe the rest of the world can just disappear for a little while longer.
Maybe there can be just me and him. And this.
God, I want this to be real and not just the escape I’d hoped for. I want this to last. I want the realness. I’m starting to not just want to escape but an actual life here. A real life. This life, with this person, the little bits he shows of me at a time.
All the good things I’m feeling and the endorphins swimming around my body feel intoxicating as Remus holds me. He’s always finding a way to touch me. While we go for walks, or while I was baking cookies yesterday after the lake. I mean, sure, it’s great that he can get fine cuisine from anywhere in the world, but a kitchen that nice deserves to be cooked in. And I love baking; I’ve always found it relaxing.
This morning, he asked if I trusted him, and when I said yes, he took me flying.
I immediately backed away, but he laughed and reminded me that I said I trusted him. “I’ll go slow,” he said, “so you can really see.”
It was different. He held me to him just as tightly, and his tail wrapped around me for security. His wings were like a paraglider above as we coasted over the most beautiful countryside. The greens of the trees were so green, the sky so blue. The lake below glittered like a sapphire.
My breath was taken away by the magical experience—and by the terrifying heights—but strangely enough, I did trust him, even after knowing him for such a short time.
When we dropped back down to the earth, and my feet hit the ground, I still shyly clutched his arm as we walked back to the castle.
These last few days have been like the most amazing extended date. I can’t explain it. It feels like I’ve known him forever, even though I just met him, and our worlds couldn’t be further apart.
And maybe because of that closeness, I want to leap on him and take him back to the ground every other moment. I want to explore his body the way he did mine by the lake and ask him a thousand questions. I want to understand his mind and see if any of the things I’m thinking about him are real or just a wild romantic figment of my imagination.