5. CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

SERA

Oh fuck, what've I done?

Ender's hands release me and clench into fists, the only indication that he's heard my thought.

His expression is blank, whereas I can feel the shock stretching across mine.

The fact that I secretly desire a kiss from this man is a revelation in itself.

"We can't!"

The Teraphim cocks his head to the side. "Why can't we?"

I'm stalling, and we both know it. "Because…you don't have a mouth?"

My statement comes out a question, belying my vehement refusal.

"Not like your mouth, but you're thinking like a human—which you're not. There are other ways to kiss."

There are?

Instantly, Ender's demeanor changes from aloof observer to confident seducer.

I blink at the shift, suddenly unsteady on my feet.

"Let me show you."

Everything inside of me is at war because I am attracted to the jerk, but I don't want to be.

And it sucks so much.

Ender smiles and shakes his head. "Why don't you want to be attracted to me?"

"Because you're a kidnapping nightmare!"

"If a child was in the middle of the road with a car coming and refused to move, would you just leave them there?"

"No, but I'm not a child!"

"But perhaps you were acting a bit childish about the situation?"

The accusation stings.

"I wasn't! I'm allowed to be upset!"

"Of course, but there's a difference between being upset and then moving on versus doing what you did—be upset and bury your head in the sand."

Shit, is he right?

Thinking about this is even worse than my failed attempt at flying.

"What about my friends?"

"What about them?"

"What do they think?"

"You already know."

He says this without rancor, just the simple acknowledgment that everyone is on the same page.

That page being I'm a screw up.

"For fuck's sake, Sera, you're not a screw up. Seriously, if anyone else thought the things you did about yourself, you would be furious on their behalf. Mistakes are part of the experience of life, no matter what realm you're in."

"Ok, Mr. High And Mighty, what mistakes have you made? What regrets do you have?"

He runs a hand down his black hair cascading like a waterfall from his scalp down the length of his spine.

"I regret not coming for you sooner."

"Sooner? I've only had my wings for a couple of months."

"That's not what I meant. I'm a patient man, and I know when to bide my time, but time is precious. Even masters of life and death like we are must bend to the rules of worlds around us. I can't undo the past, only regret certain things. But from those mistakes, I've learned to seize every moment. There is no future—despite my premonitions. We assume it's a guarantee, but it's not. And the past is gone. All we have is the present. This moment. Right now."

Throughout his speech, Ender's moved closer until our bodies nearly touch.

His wings whisper over mine, and I gasp at the shock of feeling exactly what he said I would.

Pleasure.

"And right now…" He trails off, no doubt on purpose.

"Right now what ?"

The words come out a breathy whimper and not the snappy retort I'm going for.

"Now I give you what we both want, no matter how much your head argues otherwise."

Before I can even think of what to say to this, Ender leans in.

His beak is black at the tip, melding into a light gray that blends with the rest of his face.

It looks deadly and sharp, but when the Teraphim grazes it across my cheek, I'm surprised to find it's quite malleable.

Maybe he can kiss…

"There's only one way to find out."

And then he swoops down to nip at my lower lip.

Ender's beak is smooth, and it glides over my mouth with possessive intent.

I flick out my tongue, a subconscious invitation that he doesn't hesitate to take me up on.

The man's entirely too skilled at this, and a flash of irrational jealousy bursts through my haze.

But it's quickly engulfed again by the Teraphim's gentle attack against my lips for me to ponder who he might've kissed in the past.

His tongue reaches out, the long length twisting around mine.

He sucks gently, and I clench my thighs together as a bolt of lust shoots through me.

Need, hot and urgent, licks up my spine, and I press myself closer to Ender, deepening our kiss.

His wings stroke across mine again, and my knees tremble.

When he does it a third time, they give out completely, but Ender's waiting.

He catches me with ease, never breaking the seal between my mouth and his beak.

After a small eternity, he pulls back, and I try not to pout at how bereft I feel.

"Flap your wings."

"What?"

The command catches me off-guard, my body and brain still high from our kiss.

"Flap your wings."

He punctuates the words with soft brushes of his own feathers along mine.

I gasp and attempt to do what he wants. I'm not really thinking about it as much as I'm wondering what I have to do to get him to kiss me again.

The muscles in my wings jerk up and down just barely.

But then stronger and more assured. My body doesn't fight the sensation, and instead of grappling my feet against the ground, I kick off.

I vault into the air a few feet, my wings stretched out on either side of me.

Ender grins at me while I cry out in glee at my success.

"I'M FLYING!"

"Yes, you are, angel. Now come back down and do it again."

We run through a series of drills where he instructs me to go a bit higher every time until I tower over him.

Now that I have a better understanding of how my wings work, I can tweak them for better elevation.

It's funny how quickly I adapt to the sensation of using the muscles in them as opposed to my back.

Not that I'm complaining.

The ache in my shoulders might never go away.

All the heavy emotions from before float out of me as I relax and trust myself a little bit.

It's nerve-wracking to not have that faith when I've always relied on my ability to do things on my own.

But my wings are a foreign concept—I might control them but not well enough to ensure they won't get me killed.

When I start going higher, Ender grasps my ankle and carefully tugs me back down.

"Let's stay close to the ground for now."

"Afraid I'll fly away?"

Ender snorts. "Do you really think you could outfly me?" No. "Exactly. It's about your safety—something you seem to routinely neglect."

I huff, not bothering to argue. After falling out of a second-story house, my poor body can't take anymore abuse.

"How about some more incentive?"

My feathers flutter along with my pussy at the wicked expression on Ender's face.

"Such as?"

"I'll kiss you—and more—if you can hover for twenty minutes."

"And more, hmmm? What does more entail?"

"Hover and find out."

"Pft, piece of cake."

The Teraphim lets go of me, and I concentrate on keeping myself aloft while also not going higher.

It takes all my brain power, which is good considering how I all but just admitted to wanting to be kissed.

And then some.