“It’s my pleasure. And I apologize for Andrei’s negging earlier. He sensed our bond and was subtly challenging you.”
“I figured.” Their bond? Could vampires sense when a shifter had chosen a mate? His owl fluttered beneath the surface.
She grinned. “For a moment, I thought you were going to punch him.”
“The idea crossed my mind.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” She brushed her fingers down his arm, the softness of her caress raising goosebumps on his skin. “I rather like the sweetness in you.”
His stomach clenched. Of course she did. After her story about Andrei and her experience with Adam, it was obvious. Lilith wanted a partner, an equal. He could be that for her.
He leaned in and brushed his lips to her cheek before gliding them toward her ear and whispering, “Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.” She inhaled deeply and rested a hand on his shoulder. “You are cinnamony sweet.”
He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent. He’d been attracted to her from the moment their eyes met, long before his owl staked his claim. The more he got to know her, the harder he fell. Lilith was an amazing woman. Nothing like her reputation. She was the kindest woman he’d ever met.
“Fly with me.” Her lips brushed his ear, making him shiver.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. “You can fly?”
She nodded before shrugging one shoulder. “My body can’t, but my mind can.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can connect with Percival.” At the mention of her familiar’s name, the crow swooped down and landed on the edge of the fountain. “I see what he sees. Hear what he hears. I can feel the wind through his feathers. It’s exhilarating.”
“No kidding.” He gazed up at the crescent moon and the stars sparkling around it. His owl fluttered near the surface at the thought of soaring beneath the silvery light. “Let’s do it.”
Lilith’s smile sparkled brighter than the stars as she sat cross-legged on a stone bench. Resting her hands on her knees, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Percival cawed and flew to her side, landing on the bench.
“Are you ready?” Her voice felt like music filling his head.
“You can read minds?” He waited for a response, but Percival only ruffled his feathers impatiently.
“Can you read minds?” he asked aloud.
“Sadly, no. I can only send others my thoughts.”
Nothing sad about that. He didn’t need her nosing around inside his head. “I can’t speak in owl form.”
“That’s okay. We’ll simply enjoy the view and the rush of the breeze.”
If she hadn’t already wormed her way into his heart, this would have done it. He called on his owl, his skin pricking as feathers formed beneath the surface. They sprouted through his pores, and his body morphed into his bird.
Percival…Lilith…flapped the crow’s wings and took to the sky. “Come on, slowpoke.”
Spencer’s heart sprinted, and he took off after her, into the night. They soared over the castle grounds, taking in the magnificent gardens from above. Dozens of ornately crafted topiaries in various animal shapes dotted the grounds, and flowers in every color imaginable spread out beneath them.
Light burned in a downstairs window of the castle, no doubt where the bloody dinner party was happening. He was tempted to fly down and perch in the window to see what happened at a soiree like this, but he didn’t dare. He’d finally warmed to the idea of being with a vampire. He didn’t need to see their blood orgy…or whatever they were doing in there.
“The humans are glamoured,” Lilith said as if reading his mind. “Being bitten is quite a pleasant experience.”
An experience he wanted…needed…to have. Now. He returned to the fountain and shifted to his human form before sitting on the bench next to Lilith. She didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Not that vampires needed to.
She could have been a statue in the garden until a smile tugged at her lips and her eyes fluttered open. “Thank you for that.”
“Thank you. I haven’t had a flying companion since I moved to L.A.”
