“Exactly.”
“Do I have time for a shower?”
“We'll be dining on the terrace so you have all the time you need.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” I said. “I didn't really want to go back into the city.”
Kyrian chuckled. “I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready. I have most of it prepared already, I just need to warm it.”
“Handsome and talented.” I kissed him on the cheek and hurried upstairs.
It was nice to not have the pressure of dressing up for a restaurant, but I still wanted to look good for Kyrian. So after my shower, I put on a slinky black dress and some light makeup. I left my hair down, as he liked it, and slipped on a pair of sexy red heels.
I found Kyrian in the kitchen, wearing a suit and an apron. I lifted my brow at the ensemble, and he grinned broadly before pulling off the apron.
“Much better.” I admired the Armani—it had been tailored to fit his shoulders perfectly.
“You look amazing as well,” Kyrian said as he laid a bowl of hot rolls on a cart beside him.
“Thank you, darling.” I slid up beside him and surveyed the rest of the meal.
Two plates were already filled with perfectly cooked chateaubriand—my favorite—along with sauteed green beans and roasted potatoes. There was a bottle of champagne on ice and little plates of salad dressed with blue cheese.
Kyrian added a plate of crispy bacon brussel sprouts and started pushing the cart out of the kitchen. “Shall we?”
I went with him out to the terrace that overlooked our backyard. Instead of the outdoor house lights, Kyrian had a few freestanding lanterns set up around a table for two. It was our iron cafe table, but he'd brought chairs out from the dining room and dressed the table to look like something out of a fine restaurant. Glasses, appetizer plates, and utensils laid atop snowy linen with a small arrangement of flowers between the settings.
“Kyrian, this is beautiful,” I whispered. “Has this been sitting here all day?”
“No, Mal and Cyprian helped me set everything up before they went upstairs.” Kyrian settled the cart beside the table and beamed at me as he hurried to pull out my chair. “I wanted us to have a special night together.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” I laid my hand on his cheek and urged him down for a kiss.
“It was worth it just for that,” he said as he straightened.
“Sweet talker,” I drawled affectionately.
After the dishes were set on the table and the champagne poured, we dined and talked about the little things that were important to us. There were few moments like this, when it was just one of my kishanos—the males in a fusion—and me alone, and I was luxuriating in the joy of simply being with a man I loved. Sitting there across the table from Kyrian, admiring his classically handsome face and the sweep of his golden hair, I felt incredibly lucky. And the meal was delicious too.
Kyrian had even made a souffle for dessert, another of my favorites. He gave me the choice of chocolate or grand marnier, but we decided to share them both. When the plates were scraped clean, we sat back and sighed in bliss. I was hoping for a walk through the gardens and maybe a romantic interlude under the stars, so when Kyrian stood up and held out his hand, I grinned and got to my feet eagerly.
“It's a little chilly.” He retrieved a fur blanket from the bottom of the cart and wrapped it around my shoulders.
I would have been fine in just my dress for a walk around the garden, but I assumed he wanted to use the blanket later, so I thanked him and settled it more securely around me. But once we reached the steps leading down into the garden, Kyrian hit his lapel and his triple wings burst forth. I laughed in delight; I hadn't even noticed that he'd worn his Arc pin. Kyrian smiled softly as he scooped me up and cradled me against his chest.
“I thought we'd go for a flight over the city. That is if you'd help me with an illusion.”
“Of course.” I nestled close, my hand sliding up onto his shoulder.
My angel sprang into the air with a powerful leap and all three sets of his wings came down, sending us surging upward. As soon as we were among the stars, I wove an illusion of the night sky around us. Below us, Woodley Park stretched out, dark patches of land spotted with glowing bastions of light, but we soon moved beyond our neighborhood. In just a few minutes, we were over the bustling part of D.C., and a glittering blanket of lights spread out beneath us. Far to our right was the dark swath of the Potomac River.
We soared above the city, flying low enough to see the monuments and the people hurrying down the streets, then Kyrian whisked me higher until the drone of the city vanished and it became a living painting. Head lowered to mine, Kyrian nuzzled me as his powerful wings kept us in a gentle glide. The wind was cold, but the fur blanket and Kyrian's kisses kept me warm.
We circled the White House and headed back home, invisible to everyone and each other, but I didn't need to see him. Not with his strong arms holding me and his face nestled against mine. It was enough to touch him and hear his wings beating steadily, like a heart. The statue of Washington on his horse passed beneath us. We flew over the West End and Rock Creek, then Georgetown. We were low enough for me to be able to recognize all my favorite places and appreciate the aerial view. I realized that we'd never done this before, just flown for pleasure. Every other time had been for work—when we'd chased down criminals.
“This is wonderful, Kyrian,” I spoke into his ear to avoid having to shout over the wind.
“We'll have to do it again,” he suggested. “Look, there's the Observatory.”
