Chapter Sixteen

"Those were happy tears," Pax said staunchly before stuffing a piece of cake into his mouth. Inside he was shaken – it was as if his whole life had changed in the space of five minutes, and honestly, cake was the world's best coping mechanism in Pax's opinion. So much had happened, which meant he had a lot to cope with.

First there was the amazing sex. Pax would never admit to a living soul that when Storm put his mouth on him…down there…well, that was a first for Pax and he was taking that information to the grave. But it was pretty awesome, and Pax hoped that wasn't a one time thing.

Then there was the claiming bite – it didn't even hurt – but it was a shock. For some reason Pax always thought the claiming bite was more of a term used by shifters because they were used to tearing prey apart with their teeth. He had always thought that in shifter terms, the bite actually meant a little nip, like a love nip. But it was an actual bite. Admittedly, thanks to Pax's magic, the bite mark healed almost instantly, leaving a scar, which Storm was inordinately proud of. So there was that.

More than the bite was the sense of connection. For Pax it was as if he could sense Storm in his head. It wasn't intrusive, more an awareness. Pax could feel how happy Storm was, and he was fairly sure it wasn't only because Pax agreed to share his cakes. It seemed like the right thing to do considering Storm held him.

How fucked up am I when I think that's such a big deal? But it was. Again, not something Pax was going to share anytime soon, but when Storm held him, as if he genuinely cared…that was huge for Pax. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had done that for him.

And that was without the wings. Pax had wings. The single biggest thing he'd been teased about, put down for not having – the one thing he had been taught from when he was little that kept him apart from all other pixies and made him lacking somehow was now a part of him. He could see them glistening in his peripheral vision.

"You know, a claiming is a happy occasion," Pax added because Storm hadn't said anything.

"Ours was a very beautiful and momentous occasion, definitely. I'll never forget it." Storm wiped a crumb from the side of his mouth, and then reached for another slice of cake from the box that was on Pax's lap. They were still in bed. Storm kept his promise and got up to grab the cake box as soon as Pax got over his "happiness."

Pax was tempted to smack his hand – the slices were disappearing fast – but he didn't. He blamed the changes for that, too. His brain was still trying to compute everything and put it into manageable boxes.

"How does it feel to have wings?" Storm asked, before taking a big bite. The cake was chocolate, and it was as if Pax could feel how much Storm was enjoying it.

"Physically? They're not heavy." Pax gave them a flutter. "They don't look substantial enough for me to fly though, do they?" He had already studied them in the bathroom when he was cleaning up.

"Do pixies fly?"

"Why else would I have them, if I can't use them to fly?" Looking over his shoulder, Pax reached up and stroked one of them. And then shivered. That was a weird feeling. Pax would decide later if it was pleasurable. "Flying can't be difficult, can it? I'm sure it can't be."

"You're talking to a crocodile shifter, my sweet pixie. When I shift I have four feet firmly on the ground. I had no idea that pixies were meant to have wings, or that you could fly if you did have them. You have the distinction of being the first pixie I've ever met."

"You haven't missed anything." Pax frowned as he peered out the window. "It's still light out. Do you think we could go outside so I could try them out? I really feel as though I need to see if they actually work. What if they're defective or something?"

"They seem to flutter which I imagine is perfectly normal." Storm chuckled. "But yes, we could see if Levi and Calvin have got the grill going for dinner, and you'd be perfectly safe flitting around here. Where do your wings go when you're out and about in public?"

"I think it's like a magical muscle." Pax rolled his shoulders. "They should just disappear inside of me, like your crocodile does when you shift back onto two legs." He looked down into the cake box to see it was empty, and he glared at Storm. "Did you eat my last slice?"

Storm didn't look the slightest bit guilty. "I did it for you," he said with a grin. "What if you got airsick when you were flying? You wouldn't want the cake to go to waste, would you? Do you have a top you could wear with your wings out, so you don't get chilled outside. The evenings can be a bit cool."

"Don't distract me from the fact you ate that last slice of cake." Pax pointed at his mate. "But fine, I'll let it go for now. I can magic up a top that should allow my wings to move. Let's go outside and see how useful these things are."

"You might want to put pants on first, as well." Storm leaned over, and Pax got that melty feeling again as his mate brushed his lips against Pax's cheek. "Your dangly bits might get caught on the trees."

"I think you're teasing me way too much." But Pax didn't mean it. He had already considered the pants angle and he did get a warm glow inside when he realized he and Storm were thinking the same thing.

/~/~/~/

Storm had never had a lot to be proud of in his life. Yes, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, hustling, working, doing what he could to fit into a world he didn't understand – at least when he was first driven from his home. It wasn't as though he was proud of his assassin skills. A lot of them came from being a shifter and his ability to play any part necessary to get close to his mark. But in his head, being an assassin was just a job he was uniquely skilled at, and anything he'd accomplished was just part of what he had done to survive.

So the sheer joy he felt at escorting Pax outside – his cute mate fully dressed, his wings on display – was a sensation worth savoring. As he expected, his friends were all gathered around the grill – the smell of cooked meats filling the air. It was Python who saw them first, and his grin was far too knowing for Storm's liking.

"Well, well, well. Your special pixie has sprouted his wings. We can all guess what you've been doing this afternoon," he said with a cheeky grin.

Storm decided ignoring him was for the best. "Guys, I'd like you all to meet my fated mate, Pax. Yes, he's a pixie. Yes, we have claimed each other. Yes, he knows what we do. Pax, you've already met the annoying demon and his mate, Cyrus. This is Flint, the snake you met this morning, and Devon the bear."

Both men nodded in his direction. "The other two, Levi and Calvin, made the lovely sign you were admiring earlier. They are bull shifters who spend most of their downtime creating things in the workshop."

"The sign is lovely." Pax nodded, his cheeks red, and Storm noticed he was toeing the ground with his sneakers. "Very artistic."

"We'll come and eat with you guys shortly. We're just going to test Pax's wings out – see if they can help him fly," Storm said quickly.

"How does anyone fly?" Flint asked, his eyes bright. "Like, do you just jump in the air or does it take magic? Or is it like being in a plane and you have to get a running start?"

"There are different ways to fly?" Pax looked at Flint in astonishment. "Shouldn't it just happen?"

"You're the one with the wings," Levi said. "Don't you know?"

"No. I've only had them for the length of time it took Storm to eat my cake."

"Ah, not long then." Calvin laughed. "Food is never safe with Storm around."

"Don't go telling my mate all my secrets on the first day." Although Storm laughed, too. Calvin wasn't wrong. "Let me have a brief honeymoon period where my mate thinks I'm perfect."

"You'd be more perfect if you had information on how I can fly." Pax sounded a bit panicked. "I thought it just happened, but now Flint's talking about magic or jumping or running? I don't run unless someone's after me. What if these wings are just decoration?"

"Pixies can fly," Devon piped up suddenly. "Admittedly, I've only seen one once, but the guy just kinda jumped and flew off."

"There you go." Storm nodded at his friend. "Devon says you jump and fly."

"But how did he land afterward? Did you see that?" Pax asked Devon.

The big bear shifter shook his head. "I imagine you've got a lot of control once you're in the air. So long as you remember to slow down as you get closer to the ground you should be fine."

"Jump up. Slow down. Storm, this sounds complicated. I told you I'm useless at everything."

"You're not useless at being a pixie. You've been one all your life," Storm said stroking down Pax's bare arms. He was getting chilled, and Storm was just about to suggest Pax try flying on another day, when it was warmer when Python said, "I can show you how to fly. I mean, as a demon it's not one of my traits. I wasn't born with wings, but I know a few of my kin who were."

"Is that a good idea?" Storm realized Pax was asking him. "The man almost killed me in his car because he didn't watch the road."

"But he wouldn't hurt you either," Storm said, although the warning was for Python. "My friend already knows what its like to tussle with my crocodile."

"Your problem is you're overthinking it." Python strode over and moved Pax away from Storm. "You'll probably need a bit of space for your first time. But from what I've seen from my kin, all you need to start flying is a bit of air."

Storm roared as Python picked Pax up and threw him at least fifteen feet into the air and away from the others. "Start flapping, pixie."

"Start flapping? You fucking prick." Storm ran, trying to get under Pax before he hit the ground. Pax's arms were flailing, his face twisted in terror, but just before Storm was able to pluck him out of the air, there was a whoosh of magic, and Pax's wings shot him back up into the air.

"Yes!" Cyrus clapped loudly while Storm's other friends whooped and cheered.

"See, I told you it would work." Python smirked as he went back to his mate.

But Storm wasn't listening, he wasn't paying attention to his friends at all. He was watching the wonder and sheer joy on his mate's face as Pax flitted one way and then the other over their heads. He was like quicksilver in the dimming light – a large, but very beautiful butterfly with incandescent wings that seemed to glow as they kept his mate above the ground.

After about ten minutes, Storm could see his mate was getting tired. "Did you want to think about landing now, precious? I can catch you if you like."

"I can do it. I'm sure I can do it." Pax slowed his flying, getting closer to the earth, although from what Storm could see he was still going too fast. "I think all I need to do is brace my feet and… oof." Pax fell face first into the grass.

"Precious!" Sprinting over, Storm reached Pax's side, rolling him over, shocked to see that Pax was laughing hysterically.

"I forgot to slow down. But did you see? Did you see me do it?" Pax clutched at Storm's shirt. "I flew using my own wings."

"You were brilliant, precious. I genuinely couldn't take my eyes off you," Storm said as he helped Pax get to his feet. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." Pax leaned into his chest as they made their way back to the grill where all their friends were waiting. "I think I'm kinda proud of me, too, right now," he added quietly.

For a guy who openly claimed he couldn't do anything, that was a huge admission. All Storm had to do now was make sure his mate felt like that every day.