Meeko's firm statement shook me out of my reverie.
"What was that?" I asked.
"You want me to trust you? Give me one of your feathers."
I blinked slowly as his demand sank in. I had plenty of those. Missing one wasn't a big deal for me, but if it meant something to Meeko, I'd gladly pull one.
Just as I raised my talons to pluck a small feather from my thigh, Meeko shook his head.
"No. I want to be the one to do it."
I thought about it, then nodded. It was no skin off my back—well,technicallyit was, but still. If this was the hurdle we had to overcome to work together, then so be it.
"Okay," I said.
I stood dead still as Meeko walked closer. A shiver ran through me. Something about him plucking one of my feathers felt strangely intimate. I couldn't help the warmth flooding into my cheeks as Meeko stood less than a foot away from me, bringing his sweet aroma along. I swallowed, trying not to look too ruffled.
Meeko regarded my body.
"If I pluck one of these…" His fingers grazed the feathers on my wings. "Will you still be able to fly?"
I hadn't thought of that. "Not as well," I admitted.
He narrowed his eyes. "But you would still be able to?"
I nodded, though his question confused me. If his goal was to chase the sword down, why would he purposely slow down my flight speed? My chest tightened. Did his desire to hurt me outweigh that?
My heart thumped as Meeko gently ran his hand over my primary feathers—the ones I needed to fly. His fingers curled around the biggest one. I sucked in a breath, steeling myself for the pain that would follow.
"This will hurt, right?" Meeko asked, glancing up at me with his black eyes.
"Yes."
"And you'll still let me do it?"
"Yes."
Meeko glanced back to the feather in his grip. The muscles in his forearm flexed, readying to yank the feather out. I clenched my eyes shut.
And then Meeko let go.
I peeked one eye open. He had already walked away, shifted into mouse form, and crossed his arms. He tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.
"You didn't do it," I said, confused.
He huffed in irritation. "Of course I didn't. Why would I purposely slow you down?"
Was he testing me? After all his talk about wanting revenge, and his general air of hatred towards alphas and harpies, I really thought he would do it. A tingle ran down my spine as I remembered the feeling of his gentle hands on my feathers.
I coughed, trying to get rid of this flustered feeling. "Well, I guess we better go."
Meeko nodded stiffly.
I kneeled close to the ground and opened up my palms, keeping my talons as far away as possible. Meeko paused before crawling into my hands. He was so small and soft and light. If it weren't for the feeling of his rapid heartbeat against my palm, it would've felt like I was holding nothing at all.
A smile drifted over my face.
"What?" Meeko asked grumpily.
