He shook his head as if to clear it, then pulled me flush to his body. His dick dug into my low belly. “But I don’t want to talk about them. Or any of that. I want to take you to the tops of the trees and soak in the stars with you.”
Something about the way he said those words, like this might be our last night together, curled unease in my belly.
My breath hitched as he ran his nose along the length of my neck. He inhaled deeply. “Your scent…” He groaned, a low, needy sound that had me melting further into him. Then, as if it pained him, he withdrew. “I have something for you.”
I sat upright, clutching the sheets to my naked form as he slid out of bed. His cock hung heavy between his thighs, tip slick and weeping. With a flick of his wrist, he threw light bubbles into the air, illuminating the space.
Moments later, he produced a folded stack of clothes from his wardrobe.
I crawled forward, accepting them from his outstretched hands. The dark fabric matched the color he typically wore, a deep, dark blue-gray. The silk top draped low, designed to reveal the soft swell of my breasts.
“Arms up,” he directed, and I obeyed, allowing him to slide it in place. The soft material hugged my frame perfectly. He adjusted the single off-shoulder strap, revealing a hidden weave of silver among the folds.
He kissed me then, taking my hands and guiding me off the bed. Once I was standing, he grabbed the second layer. I stepped into the skirt, using him for balance and support as I shifted onto my bad leg.
The twinge of pain was thankfully temporary. After how I’d tweaked it before, I’d worried I’d set my recovery back.
He smoothed the silk over my hips like he was committing the shape of me to memory. “So fucking beautiful.”
His erection throbbed, drawing a similar sensation out of my core. Still naked, he guided me over to a full length mirror to admire myself.
The skirt fell to the floor, a high slit revealing most of my leg. Small shimmers of iridescence appeared with movement, making the fabric appear to be storming. The separate pieces left a section of my stomach bare. The cut of the top accentuated my slender shoulders and prominent collarbones. With hair mussed from sex and sleep, I took on an almost wild, ethereal air.
Vaeron was right—I did look beautiful.
He pressed a kiss to my neck. “Don’t move. Drink in the sight.” Yet he lingered, staring, and I sensed that his command had been as much for him as it had been for me.
Focus still trained on me, he retreated.
I ran my hands over my body, picturing how the fabric would shimmer in the light as I twirled. How the silver in the sleeve would draw attention to the graceful wingbeats of my arms.
I’d yet to try dancing again. Walking had only recently become normal, without a hitch in my step.
My mate returned with matching slippers. Now fully dressed in leather armor, he knelt, picking up one foot at a time and placing the shoes on me like I was some sort of royalty.
When he looked up at me, he wore the most devastating smile I’d ever seen.
“Let’s go.”
He took my hand and guided us through the silent halls of Thalvireth Palace. The hour was late—or early, I wasn’t sure—and no Angels sought to wander, no doubt resting before the arduous trial. When we emerged into the night, a cool breeze kissed my cheeks.
The cloud forest was not silent. Insects buzzed, frogs croaked, and owls hooted. It was just as alive during the daytime, and yet an entirely different faction ruled. The canopy overhead allowed for the barest flit of the shining stars to peek through.
In that darkness, Vaeron moved to my backside. “We’re going to fly to the top. Stay close to me.”
In a breath, I called on my white wings.
Vaeron hovered in the air, the sharp contrast of his feathers easily visible in the night. With a few flaps, I dragged myself after him. The silk skirt fluttered around my legs as we continued up, up, up into the abyss.
He tilted to the right, and I followed, finding a hollow circle among the trees. With the additional light, branches and torso-sized leaves became visible. The giant trees that held the guard towers Vaeron had pointed out before breezed by.
As we summited the canopy, my breath caught in my throat.
A moon, fat, heavy, and low in the sky, loomed on the horizon. With the perspective of the Skala Mountains, it was enormous, seeming poised to swallow our world. A million starssurrounded it, a million more extinguished by the sheer glow the celestial body exuded.
It was disorienting and devouring like staring into the eyes of something ancient and alive.
“Sylaira,”Vaeron called down our bond, tearing me away from the sight.
