“Holy shi—”
There’s a loudripand I’m jerked from the ground.
thirty-seven
Quick Island Adventure
“Bastian!” I scream as the Earth gets farther and farther away.
“Hush,” he says on a laugh. “You’ve made us invisible, not silent.”
Fear makes my fingernails dig into the skin of his arm, but my grip isn’t necessary; Bastian is holding me up all on his own. His wings beat the air around us in heavywhoomphsthat radiate through my body. We reach a terrifying height before our ascent slows, then finally stops. We’re so high the air has grown colder, and gusty.
Bastian maneuvers me in his arms until my legs are wrapped around his waist and my chin is tucked over his shoulder. He cradles me like this for a moment, running his hands through my hair as we hover.
“Don’t be afraid, Cait,” he murmurs. “It’s beautiful.”
I shake my head. “I’m not afraid.”
He chuckles gently. “Why are your eyes closed?”
It’s only then I realize I’ve winced them shut. I pry one open, and at the sight of the world, they both go wide.
I suck in a sharp gasp, mystified by the raw loveliness of the land and lake rolling out below us. Sunlight shimmers in the water like liquid gold, and the breeze blows fresh blossoms and green leaves. The craggy edges of the island are sprayed with mist from the deep blue lake. Green flows out across the land where trees are returning from hibernation.
“Wow,” I whisper, unable to surmise in any other way.
Bastian’s tail whips upward and we shift, tilting forward. I yelp as gravity leaves my body in the dive. I squeeze his sides harder and close my eyes again. We only fall for a few seconds but it feels like a lifetime.
He flares his wings out wide to catch the air. I lurch forward and he holds my ass in both hands, keeping me securely tucked against him.
We land with a thud that makes me whimper and Bastian laugh.
“I’ve missed flying,” he says with wistful optimism.
“My f-first, time,” I say, my teeth chattering from the adrenaline.
His hand slides over my ass to my pussy in long, groping strokes that turns the adrenaline in my blood to something warmer.
He walks through the trees, snapping branches with his clawed feet.
“How did you like it?” he asks.
“F-fine,” I manage, my voice a little squeaky.
“Did I scare my little Kitty?” he asks, pulling harder on my center with every pass of his hand.
“Some,” I admit.
He threads his fingers through my hair and pulls my head away from the crook of his neck. He’s smiling so brightly I think it might rival the sun.
“You don’t have to be afraid with me,” he says, pushing his forehead against mine. “I’ll never let you fall.”
Words like “never,” and “forever,” and “ours,” come so easily to him.
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
I nod.
