Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Being inches from his face, gazing into his eyes, I don’t doubt his words. “I won’t let you down, Leif.” It’s my promise as I attack his lips yet again.
It’s a significant promise, but I’m more determined than ever. I may not have been able to protect my brother, but I will protect Leif. And this person who’s after him will lay a hand on him over my dead body.
17
LEIF
“Come on, Kyra.”
I sit on my bedroom floor, legs crossed, her cage in front of me.
I want some evidence that she can use her wings, but she just hops about, not making any effort that might lead me to think she’s healing. I offer words of encouragement, but Kyra goes about her usual business, ignoring me.
“Dammit,” I mutter, more than a little disappointed.
I pick my phone up and text Zane: Short King, Flight 6 is a bust. Think it might be time to take Kyra back to the clinic.
I return Kyra’s cage to the spot by my window and settle at my desk, browsing the vet’s online portal, when I get a reply from Zane: Sorry. :( Why don’t you come over tonight and I’ll try to make up for it? *devil emoji*
A rush of excitement moves through me.
Something changed in me two weeks ago—the night Zane fucked me.
That initial curiosity for his cock has turned into an obsession, a mission to get him in me as much as possible, something he clearly doesn’t mind making time for either. Even sitting here at my desk, my ass cheeks clench in anticipation. It doesn’t even have to be in moments like this, when there’s at least the promise that we might mess around again. Sometimes I’ll be sitting here when I feel that familiar clench, as if my ass is reminding me what we must get back to.
It’s not only the fucking, though.
I like Zane. He’s not the creeper I believed him to be when I first started seeing him around the neighborhood. Now that I’ve gotten to know about his past, I get what lies behind his intense gaze. So much pain, and I’m glad he felt he could share it with me.
When I finish booking an appointment through the clinic’s online portal, my phone screen switches to a FaceTime from Steven—a welcome surprise.
“Hey, stranger,” I answer, placing my phone in my mount.
“Leif, man. How’s it going? What’ve you been up to?”
His typical cheerfulness is charming as ever, but it stirs an awareness that I’m still not totally out of this funk. Back when we started talking at the beginning of our first semester, he was friendly and playful. We could go out to a party for a good time and laughs without me thinking twice about it. But now, that smile and the levity in his voice shine a light on the dissonance with where I’m at now compared to back then.
The fucking around with Zane has helped, but I have to accept that maybe I’ll never get back to that place before I crumbled under the weight of intense depression.
“It’s going okay,” I say. “I had another flight attempt with Kyra. It was a no-go.”
“I’m sorry, dude.”
“It’s okay. I was hoping it was an easy fix and she’d be back to normal, but looks like it’s gonna take longer than I figured.” As the words escape my lips, I can’t help but imagine that’s how Mom and Dad must feel about me and this time I’ve needed to recover from last spring.
“Anyway, I made an appointment with the clinic. I’ll keep you posted. How are you doing?”
“Trying to get some papers done, and I have a group project to manage before I start cramming for finals, but it’ll all be worth it when we get to winter break.”
“Are you gonna see your family?”
“Yeah. Sucks that I’m gonna be here through Thanksgiving, you know?”
Steven’s family lives in Michigan, and from things he’s mentioned, I can’t imagine he or his family have the money to have him fly out for both fall and winter break.
“Hey, my parents are flying back out to see my grandma for Thanksgiving…”
“I thought they hated her.”
“I’ll have to catch you up. She’s been sick, and my aunt is stressed out dealing with her enough as it is, so they offered to help her manage through the holiday. But I’m obviously not going. You’re only a thirty-minute drive from Wyachet, so what if you came over here and I threw something together?”
“Really?”
“Are you kidding me? Did you forget my MO?”
He laughs. “Well, if I come…I know it’s not a Thanksgiving dish, but I’m gonna want some of those chocolate-chip cookies.”
“Consider it done.”
He grins as he adjusts his cap. “In that case, I’m all for making an excuse to get some good food.”
“Let me check with Mom and Dad, but I can’t imagine they’ll say no. And once I get the go-ahead, if you run into anyone else who might want to come, I’ll be eager to make enough for an army.”