Her lips curve into a teasing smile that makes my heart skip. There’s something deeper in her eyes—a tenderness that feels more real than it ever did before. Like despite all the time we spent apart, we still grew closer every day.
We’re finally alone, and the words I’ve been holding back for weeks—months—press against my lips, desperate to escape. I want to tell her. But my mouth is dry, and the words won’t come. It feels selfish to say when everything is so uncertain. When our relationship has already cost her so much. Soon, our entire future together might be rippedaway, and then what? What does being in love mean when my whole world could end in June?
So I just savor each moment as she continues undressing me, leaving me naked on the table, the cool air raising goosebumps on my skin. And as she slides her tongue between my legs, I tip my head back and cry out, gripping the edge of the table with trembling hands. The sensation is almost too much after months apart—her mouth hot and insistent, her hands firm on my thighs. More than that, it’s the way she makes me feel seen and cherished despite all the reasons I have to doubt why she’s chosen me.
“God, you feel good—oh, I missed you—” I stammer as she devours me, my words dissolving into incoherent sounds. What I can’t articulate is how she makes me feel whole, and how in these moments, the differences between us dissolve into nothing.
She hums against me, running her hands up and down my thighs, her eyelids fluttering closed as if she’s savoring the taste of me. The vibration of her voice sends shockwaves through my body, building the tension coiling inside me. Is this what magic feels like for her—this rising wave of sensations, this soul-deep connection?
“Natalie,” I gasp, tangling my fingers in her hair.
But as we get lost in each other, I can’t stop hearing that voice echoing in my mind:We remember the cages.
What exactly do the chimeras remember? And why do I have the sinking feeling that there’s more to magic than anyone here understands?
The thought flickers at the edges of my consciousness, but then Natalie’s fingers join her tongue, and for a little while at least, I let myself forget everything but the feel of her touch and the sound of her name on my lips.
From the Journal of Hazel Okada
When I got home from my date at 7:30 A.M., Katie had already let herself into my apartment with the key I gave her. I scared her so badly when I burst in that a bundle of socks flew out of her hands like popcorn. This startled Ethel, who zoomed around like a rogue firework and knocked over everything on the coffee table.
“Jesus Christ!” Katie shouted, pressing her hand over her heart. “Where’ve you been? I was getting ready to send out the supernatural SWAT team.”
My grin was so big my face hurt. Two days ago in the car, I didn’t want to tell her about the girl in the cafe with Natalie there—and anyway, we had bigger things to discuss. But this morning, with just the two of us, I could finally let it all out.
“I met someone,” I blurted, my face warm and tingly from the crisp dawn air and the high I was riding. “She’s perfect.”
Katie gasped and fumbled the socks she was picking up. “Spill!”
“We went out last night, and dinner turned into…” Damn, I was blushing hard. I pulled the neck of my sweater up to my nose as if that would hide it. The memory of Oaklyn’s mouth and fingers on every square inch of me made my skin tingle all over again.
“Are you just getting back from your date now?!” Katie checked the time. “Hazel Okada, did you have a fourteen-hour date? On a weeknight?”
I did a giddy tap dance and helped her gather her socks, everything gushing out. “I thought I’d messed it up because I couldn’t stop blushing and being awkward all throughdinner. I didn’t think I’d have a chance with someone so gorgeous, but… I don’t know, something sizzled.”
I bit my lip. The restaurant had dimmed its lights for the evening, and the candle between us cast shadows over her face, making her eyes glitter. She ordered for both of us—something I would usually hate, but her confidence and suaveness was hot as hell. She’d chosen well, and everything tasted amazing.
“While we were waiting for dessert, she came around the table to sit next to me, and we started making out, and…”
The memory of her sliding into the booth beside me sent a fresh wave of heat flooding through me. The way she pressed against me, her strong body radiating warmth… The taste of her black lipstick and the minty mojito she’d been drinking… The cool brush of her septum piercing against my skin… When she slid her fingers into my hair and tugged, a whimper escaped me, and I swooned so hard I had to grip her thigh to anchor myself.
I’d never wanted someone so desperately on the first date. With Sean, who I thought I was head-over-heels for, it took weeks before I felt ready. But with Oaklyn, I knew from the moment I saw her.
Kissing her felt right. Beneath that tough exterior was a gentleness I’d never experienced. It left me floating and dizzy with the realization that I definitely like women, and I was absolutely going home with her after.
“So after dinner, you went back to her place?” Katie pressed, grinning at my expression, which must have been a little spaced-out.
I raced to help her gather all the belongings she left scattered around during her stay. “Katie, she literally threw me onto her bed. We didn’t sleep all night. We caught maybe an hour after the sun started rising.”
“Yeah, girl!” Katie reached across the open suitcase to offer a high-five, which I met with enthusiasm.
Yes, I went down on a girl last night! Freaking loved it. And the way she used her tongue and fingers on me? Christ, if I’d known it could be that good, I would’ve hit on a woman sooner. I’ve never felt so desired.
“So who is she? What does she do?” Katie asked, folding a hoodie and tucking it into her suitcase.
“She’s beautiful, witty, a personal trainer… She seriously looks like she spends all her time in the gym, too…” I sighed, remembering how Oaklyn had pinned my wrists above my head with one hand while the other explored my body. The feel of her hard, toned muscles against me had me melting. “She’s twenty and lives on her own in a really nice apartment…”
I bent to pick up Ethel, who wandered over to make a bed in Katie’s open luggage. But I regretted that decision as the cat hissed and squirmed away, scratching my arms through my sweater. “Ow!”
