9
Farley
It was incredible.
Quinn's mouth was warm and soft. I caressed his face as I kissed him. His skin was smooth beneath my fingers—so smooth that I doubted he even grew facial hair at all besides peach fuzz—and I didn't want to stop touching it.
He was pliable as I kissed him, tilting his head and letting me in. His tongue was wet velvet. Everything about him was... perfect.
And it wasn't just his body. His personality was one of a kind. That's what attracted me to him first. He wasn't obnoxious or overbearing or arrogant. He was a breath of fresh air after being tormented by Society alphas for two years.
I kissed Quinn deeper. My blood lit on fire.
Fuck, my cock was getting hard, too.
Then my guilt flared up and everything screeched to a halt.
What the ever-loving fuck was I doing? I was lying to Quinn. His whole reason for being here was to find that spirit and I told him straight to his face that I knew where he was.
Bullshit. If only I could've gone back in time and punched myself in the mouth.
The onslaught of guilt soured my mood. I backed off from Quinn. His cheeks were adorably flushed and his lips were plump from kissing and—
Stop. This is only making shit worse.
I cleared my throat and stood up, trying not to notice the questioning look on Quinn's face quickly dissolving into confusion and hurt.
"Farley?" he asked.
I strode to the mouth of the cave, not looking back at him. "I'll go scout ahead. You stay here and rest."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
My excuse was shit but what else could I say? There was no way in hell I could tell him I was going to find out if my lie was true or not. He'd hate me, and the thought of that was unbearable.
How did I let myself get so damn soft for an alpha?
"Terrain might be dangerous ahead," I said. "Don't wait up for me. Go to sleep. I'll be back by morning."
At leastthatwasn't a total lie. I had no clue what awaited us further up the mountain. It very wellcouldbe dangerous for Quinn.
I shifted into my finch form and took flight. I didn't look back because I was a coward who couldn't handle the possibility of seeing Quinn upset.
* * *
To untanglethe mess I'd made, I had to find Mistral. So if he wasn't at the top of this mountain, I was totally fucked.
I flew as fast as I could. My finch form wasn't slow, but it was small and it was a long way to the top for such a tiny bird. I hoped I could make it there and back in time, otherwise my promise to Quinn to be back by morning would be another fucking lie and I couldn't afford to add one more to the pile.
I tried to have some faith in myself. I'd escaped the Society all on my own, so I wasn't useless. Even if Mistral wasn't at the peak, he had to be somewhere. At least, Quinn was pretty sure of that, and I trusted Quinn.
Even if Quinn was wrong to trust me.
This is all Santino and the stupid Society alphas' fault,I thought angrily.If they weren't such douchebags, I wouldn't hate alphas so much, and I never would've lied to Quinn, and maybe we could've had a normal fucking relationship...
My pissed-off inner monologue lasted until I reached the top of the mountain. My wings were sore from such a hard, fast flight on top of the day's journey, but I didn't care. It was worth it for Quinn.
It was cold up here and the air was thin. I shivered against the cold night air, fluffing up my feathers. It was difficult to see in the dark, especially since finches are diurnal and not known for their night vision, but I did see something.
