“Yes, I do.” Tears flowed from my eyes, blurring my vision.
“I love you so much that I’d pull every feather from my body to prove it to you. I can only hope—”
“You already have my love,” I sobbed. “I’ve just been hesitant to tell you.”‘
“Are you still afraid?” he whispered, his melodic voice like a gentle caress across my skin.
Shaking my head, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his bill, giving him a quick peck. “No, not anymore.”
He gripped the back of my head and surged forward, smashing his beak to my lips. He drilled his tongue into my mouth, twirling it expertly around mine like a mating dance.
His hands fell to my sides, guiding me backward until my back hit the rock. Placing his knee between my legs, he ground it against my juncture.
Pulling his face away, he combed back my hair and stared deeply into my eyes.
“Tell me, Ami,” he begged. “Tell me that I am yours, that you will join my flock. You are the only female I want to treasure for all time.”
“Yes, Axel.” I nodded, tracing his face with my fingers. “I love you and only you. There’s no one else I want by my side for all time.”
“I love you, Ami, and I’ll prove it to you every waking moment.”
Axel swiftly swept me into his arms. I felt a rush of warmth as he lifted me off my feet, carrying me towards our villa.
“Fledglings?” Axel inquired, his gaze fixed on the rocky path leading up the hill to the wraparound porch. “How many offspring do you want? And when do you want to extend our newly formed flock?”
“Ah… Not today.” My mind raced as I tried to think of a truthful response without offending him. “It appears that the galaxy is unstable at the moment, and I am enjoying myself with my lessons. I’d rather we didn’t try to bring any new life to the universe until there isn’t a war looming over us, and I’ve graduated and established myself with a career.”
“I share your concern.” Axel bobbed his head. “Having to raise offspring in a young flock will be difficult during these challenging times. I’d prefer to wait until things have calmed down before we revisit it.”
“How are we going to avoid an unplanned pregnancy?” I looked up at him, puzzled as to why he hadn’t felt the need to bring this up before we got this far. “Do you have any other dying questions for me?”
“I have a sperm production prevention implant,” he explained as he drew me closer to his chest. “The primary side effect is increased libido, which I will manage in order to keep our flock safe.”
“Are you saying you gave up sperm production in exchange for an increased sex drive?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “How is this a bad thing?”
“Correct,” he said, giving me a quick glance. “It’s a bad thing to be single and want to settle down with someone.”
That made sense, I supposed. I knew plenty of men in my life who were willing to fuck anything and were always looking for their next lay.
There was nothing wrong with it… as long as they weren’t messing with people’s hearts, spreading diseases, or getting anyone pregnant. The problem I had was when they did one of the three things and hurt someone else in the process.
“I don’t have any more questions at the moment,” Axel said as we entered the villa, walking past my room and upstairs. “During our dance, your soul told me everything I needed to know.”
He slid open what I assumed to be his bedroom door and crossed the threshold into the most elegant room in the villa.
With its raised cushioned sides and bowl-like shape, the large bed that took up half of the room appeared to be a monster hot tub shaped bed. There were two lounging chairs along two of the inner walls, as well as a perch on the nearest side.
It was a gigantic-cushioned nest, perfect for two.
“What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.”
“But what if I prefer my room?” I smirked, letting out a laugh.
Axel came to a halt, his gaze meeting mine. “Do you?”
“No!” I cupped his cheek and lightly tapped his face. “Not unless I’m having trouble sleeping on your nest.”
“That’s not possible.” His emerald crest bobbed up and down as he made a clicking noise. “It’s the best nest credits can buy, and it was custom-built using the finest materials.”
