I wouldn’t have to worry about her emotions; she just told me what she wants. She does not hide who she is, and it was so easy to know what she wanted.
She wanted me this morning.
I continued to chop, my wings fluttered behind me, and my feet hovered below me as my excitement grew. The tree would fall, I would cut off the limbs, and a perfectly good tree would be ready for harvesting.
The crack sounded, and the tall tree was ready to fall amongst the forest. It leaned away from me, scraping trees beside it until it fell on other logs that had fallen in the dark forest.
Sweat dripped down my neck as my wings beat rhythmically behind me, sending cool air across my overheated skin. I nuzzled my face into the soft fur collar that framed my jaw, a contented rumble rising from deep in my chest.
Much better.
Lucien's voice cut through my post-chopping haze. I spun around to find him hovering just behind me, antennae twitching with impatience. "If you're finished with your tree therapy, we need to move. Sunset waits for no moth, and we've got serious work to do before your date."
I dropped my axe and rubbed my eyes. “Why are you even helping me this much? Don’t you want to laugh and watch me fail?” I walked over to the stump and sat down, my ass nearly covering the whole stump.
Lucien scuffed at the carpet of dead leaves with his foot. His lower arms fidgeted behind his back, while his upper pair wrung together nervously in front of his chest. "Look, I'll level with you. The others have become invested in this whole thing. No Mothman has ever found a human match before, and everyone's curious how it'll play out."
I leaned my head back, my red glowing eyes reflected off the branches.
“They are rooting for you, Atlas. They wanna help. That’s why”—Lucien smiled and leaned forward to whisper to me—“they’ve gathered at the shop to give you pointers.”
I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. “That’s even worse!”
Lucien chuckled and pulled me up. “Nope, we help each other out. It’s what friends are for. Let’s get going before they eat allthe overripe fruit, and we are stuck with the fresh stuff. I heard someone brought some fermented durian fruit.
My stomach rumbled. That sounded delicious, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.
“You can do this, and with the help of dating magazines, the Ticking Klocking app, and reality TV shows, we will make you the perfect gentleman.
My antennae wiggled uneasily.
Disaster, I tell you.
Chapter Twelve
Kassie
Iran the vacuum over the same spot again, my eyes scanning for any stray bits of lint. Deep down, I knew Atlas wouldn't judge me for a less-than-perfect living room, but I couldn't help myself… I was actually nervous.
I'd spent all morning making the living room into a horror-lover's paradise. Plush throw pillows arranged just so, candles ready to cast eerie shadows, and a stack of my favorite movies perched on the coffee table. Would Atlas appreciate the atmosphere?
Or maybe he wouldn’t, and he might need to snuggle?
Because I’m okay with that.
I laughed at myself and wrestled the vacuum into the closet. The doorbell chimed the instant the latch clicked shut, sending my pulse racing. I brushed imaginary dust from my clothes with trembling fingers.
What was wrong with me?
I thought I had rubbed the jitters right out of my lady parts an hour ago, but I was still tense and on edge.
I dashed to the door, checking my reflection. My curled hair bounced at the ends, my black lipstick stayed within its lines, and my eyeliner? Damn, I'd never drawn wings that sharp in my life.
This was the only time I would ever be happy with TeaBagTitan canceling a match. Being able to concentrate only on Atlas was like Christmas in July.
When TeaBagTitan rescheduled the match, I would have to come up with some great one-liners to get back at him, though. Such as, “Is balding making you too emotional to play, TeaBag?” and then when he comes back with something nasty, I could say, “Someone clearly didn’t get their nap today.”
I rubbed my hands together. Oh, that would be good.
