He clutches his hand to his heart dramatically. "You wound me, Lottie, and we haven't even started yet."
Feeling a little bolder than I have been, I lean in and kiss his cheek. "All better."
"Maybe I should pretend to be injured," he muses. "Never mind the date."
"Oh no, you're not going to get away with that." I reach out and take his hand, feeling bold, but like I'm in control. My skin tingles where we touch, and I realise that I want more of that. There's a tiny part of me that whispers about being cautious, but being around Archie is making me feel too good to listen to that voice.
The receptionist smiles at us as we enter, but doesn't engage other than that.
"I sorted everything out before you got here," Archie says as we head into the prep room where two sets of equipment are hanging, waiting for us.
"Good evening and welcome," says a woman in a red polo shirt emblazoned with the company logo.
I give an awkward half wave, while Archie reaches out to put a hand on my back, sliding it under my wings in an intimate gesture that I like a lot. It's strangely reassuring, certainly more than it should be. Maybe I should get past that notion. It doesn't really matter how fast we move, so long as we're both comfortable with it and don't take our mate bond for granted. We can't just rely on it to do all the work for us.
"Is this your first time?" the worker asks, looking between us.
"It is for me," I respond.
She nods. "Okay, so you've got your body armour." She points to a chest piece behind her. "It does two things. It stops the magic affecting you, and it counts any shots that hit you. Everyone playing has five lives, and if you're hit in either the chest or the back, you'll lose one. You won't be able to fire any magic balls until thirty seconds have passed. Got it?"
I nod, hoping that Archie is going to be able to take me through this again, because I don't think I'm going to remember all of her pointers.
"All right. This is what you're firing from." She lifts a round tube. "Just press the button and it'll fire a magic ball. Right, so that's it. Once you're geared up and ready to go, let me know and I'll set you off. There are three other teams in play. You'll get points for direct hits to their suits, and the team with the most points at the end will win." She nods a couple of times as if ticking things off her list that she needs to tell us about, and then leaves us to it.
"All right, let's do this," I say, heading over to the wall and getting one of the sets of armour off the wall. It's surprisingly easy to put on, even with my wings, and I clip it into place with ease. I pick up the tube that will fire magic balls, but frown.
"Do you want me to show you?" Archie asks when he notices my confused expression.
"If you don't mind." I'm sure I can work it out, but this is a date, and that gives me enough of an excuse to ask him to come closer.
"You can use the strap so you don't lose it if you let go," he murmurs as he slips it over my head. His hand brushes against my antenna as he does, sending a pleasant shiver through me, but he doesn't seem to notice.
He stands behind me and reaches around so he can guide my hands into place. It's hard to focus on anything while I can feel his breath against my cheek and his chest against my back.
"Is this okay with your wings?" he murmurs, his breath fanning against my skin.
"Yes. They're tougher than you think."
"All right, so hold it like this..." He slides my hands into position, but I'm hardly able to focus on anything as simple as holding the magic shooter.
I turn my head without meaning to, bringing our faces very close together. My breathing turns shallow, and all I can think about is what it might mean if one of us leaned forward and initiated the kiss. I'm sure he's thinking about as much as I am.
He clears his throat and steps away, leaving me feeling more than a little disappointed.
"We should get started," he says, reaching out to push the button that will announce that we're ready.
I touch my lips, which only draws his attention to them. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but is cut off by the worker reentering the room. I guess we're going to go and play the game first. Talking about kissing can come later.
Chapter 8
LOTTIE
The arena we're playing in is like woodland with extra parts added, which is a little surprising. I guess I expected something with a little bit more of a custom-built feel, but maybe that isn't actually necessary for the game we're playing.
"You've got some built in camouflage," Archie says as we head out into the woods, looking around us for any sign that one of the other teams is around.
"Yep, brown wings are perfect for hiding out in the woods," I respond. "Let's just hope the others don't have the same advantage."
