Vin yells something, but I don’t care, I’m already leaping off the side of the building. I swoop down through stories in a matter of seconds.
The device reaches its countdown; the windows fill with light and smoke before they burst. I get to Lacey just as the side of the factory buckles and gives way out from under her knee-high boots.
Lacey stumbles and her shoulder goes right into my chest. My arms close around her instantly. My tail wraps around and squeezes her thigh as we start to go over the side.
It’s just about the messiest takeoff I’ve ever done. The pair of us almost hit the side of the building, my wings grazing it as we go downward for a heartrending second and correct upward.
Already, I can feel Vin berating me for intervening.
It’s not as hard as it usually is to bring us up to a decent height, careening around buildings and anything in the way until we’re definitely out of immediate danger. Maybe it’s all the adrenaline. I’ve never been good at following instructions, but this kind of high-octane making-shit-up-as-I-go-along is new to me.
I let the air currents of one of those several blocks-long wind tunnels pull us a few streets away from the encounter, gaining a safe distance from the collapsing factory. I’m not keen on flyinginto Steel Heel if I can avoid it, so I check behind us. He isn’t there.
Well, shit. Maestro is going to be so pissed. This wasn’t part of the plan, I’m pretty sure. Steel Heel was supposed to rescue her, but I don’t think the boss planned for him to still be tangling with the latest mutant by the time everything blew up. So maybe it’s a good thing I grabbed her, and he won’t be super pissed at me.
I’m thinking hard about what I’m even going to say to him, when someone reaches out and touches me, brushing some of my hair out of my face.
I startle; I don’t know why I’m not prepared to see her there, her face right next to mine instead of the very safe distance of the hideout TV on the kitchen counter.
Her eyes are so wide, not with fear or shock, but something almost like awe. This close, the scent of her hair catches my attention, and it hits me. I’m flying with Lacey Vigil. Holy shit.
No one’s ever been up here with me before. No one had ever touched me like that mid-flight.
I’ve never startled while flying with someone in my arms either. And even though I’ve been clutching her to me for the last two minutes, the softness of her fingertips on my cheek makes my grip relax.
She slips from my arms, gravity requesting her presence once again as my wings beat against the air, and time slows down.
“Aaaah!” she squeals, kicking and grabbing at the nothing around her—she and her voice rapidly disappear into the dark of the next forty floors down.
Immediately, my wings and arms tuck to my sides, dropping me faster than her flailing silhouette. With the rapidly approaching city lights I’m momentarily concerned I won’t be able to find her, until I feel the air currents change, her body slipping past mine.
My heart nearly thuds out of my chest as I scoop her out of the air again, my wings stretching out, catching on the atmosphere. Her ribs bend and compress briefly against my arms as gravity threatens to pull her out of my arms again.
But I have her, thank fuck.
I wish I had the ability to say something a little more suave and self-assured, like, “Easy there, Miss, I’ve got you,” but that’s not how it comes out.
“Holy crap, oh my God. Shit. I’m so sorry about that, totally my bad,” I ramble, trying not to sound overly panicked as our descent slows. Based on the way her arms clutch around my neck way tighter than before, squeezing on for dear life, maybe we’re past that.
Lacey doesn’t reply, but her shuddery breath is answer enough.
This particular maneuver isn’t ever happening again. For the sake of my body and hers.
There isn’t much remaining of our flight. As soon as I’m sure I have a firm hold on her, my tail wrapped around her thigh for good measure, I find the skyscraper that reads STEEL on the side in giant neon letters, the red beacon on the tower’s tip, crowning Steel Spire. It’s some Eye of Sauron looking shit, honestly. Hard to miss.
The top floors of the building are pretty well lit up, thankfully. As we approach, a balcony comes into view.
“You can get in from here, right?” I sort of whisper as I land silently. I’d rather not drop her off at the regular entrance, with bright lights and shops on every side of the streets around it.
“Yeah,” Lacey nods, letting out a breath as she steadies herself, a hand still clutching a fistful of my shirt. Even after her feet touch the balcony floor, I have a hard time letting go of her.
“Again, really sorry. I’ve never dropped anyone before,” I apologize and hate myself for every new word that comes out. That’s not true, I’ve dropped Vin a couple times, but it’s usually on purpose. I should just leave; every word deeper into this conversation is a mistake.
This was bad, let’s never do it again.
Perched on the balustrade, I turn and get ready to take off again, when she reaches out and touches my arm.
“I didn’t realize it’d be so easy to scare you,” she says, making an intense amount of eye contact, with a wild, fascinated amusement in her mouth. “You being...”
