9. Winged

Winged

I say goodbye to the last customer of the day. The day has been hot and long and I'm exhausted under this coat. But I need it. It covers my wings. I'm a faerie and I was cast out of my home because I wanted to be tall and live with the humans. Well, my wish was granted, but I was separated from all that I held dear.

Here amongst humans, I have to be so careful that no one discovers my secret. I don't know what they would do to me? Experiments? Enslavement? All because I'm different. All because I have magic in me. I turn off the lights in the exhibition room where all my figurines are displayed. They are likenesses of other faeries I've known throughout the years.

My heart aches for my family. As I go to the back to fix myself some soothing tea, I push aside a container full of flour and it falls all over my coat. This coat is my protection, and now I'll have to spend some time cleaning it before I can finally go to bed. I take it off and start cleansing it in the sink, when I hear something fall on the other side of the door.

I turn quickly and see a woman scurrying away, and I curse myself for being so careless. She's seen my wings and now she'll tell everyone. I recognize her as the owner of a bakery a few streets over. I'll have to talk to her to see if she'll keep my secret. I put my coat back on and go to the bathroom upstairs to finish cleaning the coat.

Morning comes fast when you're trying to rest, but I'm glad I woke up early enough that I can go see the baker. My coat is almost dry, and I put it on, being careful of my wings. They're delicate but powerful. I could lift a human man if I wanted to and take him flying. When I get to the bakery, the woman signals me to go outside.

I wait for her, and when she comes, it's with a weird smile on her face.

"I know your secret."

"You can't say a word, please."

"You'll have to pay me. Ten gold coins a week."

"But that's insane. I can't pay that much."

"You'll do it if you want to keep your secret."

She hurries away and I'm left standing there. If I pay her that much I won't have enough money to feed myself. Suddenly I sense someone behind me and I turn. God help me if someone overheard us. At least she didn't say out loud what my secret was.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss Imani, is it?"

"Yes."

"You own the figurine shop near the park?"

"Yes, I have to get going."

"I can help you."

His words freeze me in place, and a chill goes down my back.

"What do you want?"

"The baker is blackmailing you, is she not?"

"How…how…"

"She's done it before to other townsfolk. I can help you. I can remove her memories of your secret."

"I don't have any secrets."

"Don't like to me, faerie, I know who you are and where you come from."

"Are you also going to blackmail me?"

My mind is going a mile a minute. If two people know, then more will soon find out. I have to leave this town, but no faerie clan will take me. I might have to (gasp) ask the pixies for help, and that will cost me dearly.

"I do want something, but is something easily given by you. I want you to take me flying. Since I was a small boy I watched the birds in the sky with delight and I wished I could fly someday. Would you do this for me?"

The more words he said, the paler I became.

"I…I have to think about it."

"Don't wait too long, the more time passes after a memory is created, the more difficult it is to remove."

I nod and start to move past him, but he reaches for me and grabs my shoulder. I flinch because he touched the edge of one of my wings.

"I'm sorry. My name is Balthazar. My shop is located at the end of town, right before the caves. But I beg you, decide fast."

My feet carry me towards my shop, but it's like the steps are being taken automatically without my input. Two people know of my secret. Do they both wish me harm? Once I get to my shop, I open up for business. The day goes by and I keep weighing my options. When it's finally time to close, I make my decision.

I travel under the cloak of night, staying in the shadows. The walk towards Balthazar's shop is long and I spend every minute wondering about my life choices. They don't seem too good right now. I finally get there and knock softly on the door. My instinct is to look around me to see if there's anyone there. There isn't, and I'm glad when a second later Balthazar opens the door.

He closes his door and bids me to follow him towards the forest. I don't mind going there because faeries and nature mix beautifully. It's one of the things I miss the most about being with my clan. We walk for a good half hour when we come to a small cave. I'm hesitant to do this, but I take my coat off and let my wings flap against the night air.

"Beautiful." Balthazar says.

"I might have to fly us above the clouds so that no one sees us, is that okay?"

"Of course."

Then I stand behind him and put my arms around his body. It's a bit uncomfortable, but this way he'll get the best view.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

I lift up easily and feel Balthazar tremble in my arms. From what I can see of his face, his eyes are open wide and I can feel his heart beating a mile a minute under my embrace. I haven't flown in the longest time. In a way, this is for me as well. I take us higher and higher, but just below what I know we can both handle as the temperature gets cooler as you go up.

His laugh is infectious and the biggest smile is plastered on my face. I carefully guide us through the clouds so that he can see the village from afar. It's just pinpricks of light that call to us. Our neighbors and friends are down there, none the wiser. When I finally feel that the cold air is too much for Balthazar I descend to the wooded area where he brought me.

"Oh my god! That was amazing! You are amazing. I can never repay you for this."

"There's only one thing I need."

He gets close to me and grabs both my hands in his.

"You don't need to worry anymore. I've already done it. The baker is none the wiser about you and your wings."

Relief floods me, and tears come pouring out of my eyes. I'm so grateful that I run into his arms and hug him tightly.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

When we separate our faces are so close to each other that I can feel his minty breath against my skin. My lips have a mind of their own and I go on my tiptoes and close the gap between us. There's an electric shock that passes through our lips when we make contact, but we ignore it and let our lips merge together. Balthazar holds me tight around the waist and pulls me closer to him.

His lips are salty and soft. Something takes over me and I'm bold enough to let my tongue tease the space between his lips. He opens his mouth immediately to let me in, and my tongue starts sparring with his. My wings start releasing sparkles. Damn it, I hate it when that happens. I'm not a stupid pixie. This is another one of the reasons I had to leave my clan.

The kiss is starting to get my body heated and for once in my life I don't want to stop whatever it is that is happening here right now. I cup his face with my hands and pour all my dreams, hopes and fantasies into that kiss. After what seems like hours, we separate and look into each other's eyes. There's heat and desire in both pairs.

"Balthazar, I need you."

For a moment, I think he's going to reject me, but he takes my hand gently and pulls me towards the cave. Inside, he starts looking for something and I realize he has supplies to make a fire. He starts a small one and takes his cloak off and drapes it on the floor. Taking my hand again, he pulls me towards him.

"Are you sure, Imani?"

I answer by taking my clothes off. My garments are not fancy and I blush a little bit when removing them. Balthazar hooks his finger under my chin to lift it up and says words I'll never forget.

"You are magnificent. With or without clothes, it doesn't matter to me, Imani."

I blush even further and remove the rest of what I'm wearing. Once I'm done with my clothes, I tug playfully on his so that he removes his own clothes. He smiles at me and removes his boots, his shirt and leggings. He's all glorious male and is certainly ready for what I need. His long throbbing cock looks angry, as if it needs me to give it peace.

Moving towards him in an attempt to grab him by the root, he stops me.

"It is I who should worship you, my faerie princess."

"I'm no princess." I hurry to add.

"You are to me. Let me."

He pulls me closer to him so that the tip of my nipples are rubbing against his chest. The hair there teases them and they get rock hard. All the while, Balthazar is touching me as if I was a precious relic. I close the tiny distance between us and burrow into his chest. He lifts my chin once again and places another scorching kiss on my mouth.

Then he starts placing kisses all over my jaw and down my neck. He stops to nibble my ear, making my legs tremble a bit, then he moves downward towards my breasts. I can only describe what he does to my breasts as worship. He kisses, licks, nibbles and sucks them, making my body start to melt. I guess I can accept being a princess if this is how I'll be treated.

His ministrations have me breathing fast and my heart is beating a mile a minute. He pushes me towards the wall so my back is against it. Then he resumes his voyage down my body. At last, he kneels in front of me and looks up as if in a trance.

"I need to taste you, faerie."

He doesn't really need my permission. Pushing my legs apart, he places soft kisses all around my center. I'm desperate to feel his lips and tongue on my core and if he doesn't hurry, I'm going to start begging. Princesses don't beg. Finally, finally! He opens me up and starts licking me up and down. Every once in a while, his tongue twirls around my clit and that makes me push my hips forward.

I grab his hair to keep him glued to me and he takes that as sign to dig deeper, which I love. I'm only a few hundred years old, but I've never had a lover like this. When he starts penetrating me with his tongue I gasp out loud in pleasure. He hooks my right leg up around his shoulder and goes even further in his debauchment.

When the pleasure is too much to bear I pull at his hair hard and he gets the message. His thumb goes to my clit and starts teasing it in a circular motion. That's what finally makes me break and the strength of my orgasm almost makes me collapse. Meanwhile, Balthazar has not stopped eating me out and helps me ride out every aftershock of the strong climax.

I push his head away once I become too sensitive and he just looks at me as if I'm the greatest sight he's ever seen.

"Are you okay, princess?"

A nod is all I can give him.

"I need you inside me, Balthazar."

I grab his shoulders and try to pull him up to me, but instead, he pulls me down onto the cloak on the floor. There, he starts worshiping me all over again until I can no longer bear it. That's when he practically splits me open with his steel rod, but at this point, I no longer care about pain. It's all mixed up with the pleasure.

He sets a punishing rhythm and I welcome each thrust. Our limbs are entangled and our gazes are locked with looks so intense I might spontaneously combust. I wrap my legs around him in an effort to get him to go deeper inside me, and that's when my second orgasm hits me. It's blinding and my whole body shudders with the intensity. I put my arms around him and whisper in his ear.

"Give me your seed, sorcerer."

And he does. He comes deep inside me, making me feel full and complete. He rests his forehead against mine and we wait until our breathing calms. We're sweaty and sticky, but right now all is well with the world. Balthazar groans when he withdraws from me and then he lies next to me. Immediately, he takes me into his arms.

"Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you, princess."

"I hope you don't mind, but I think your seed is going to take."

"It will be an honor to be the father of your child. Besides, I'm not leaving your side ever again."

Life can work in mysterious ways. These days I still worry that someone will find out my secret, but with my husband and children by my side I'm able to relax a little and enjoy the wonderful life we've built together.