Page 17 of Zar

“My nature. It seeks the connection of my ofelia. The twitching just now was involuntary.”

“Like a muscle spasm?”

“Something like that. Although that term feels very cold. A connection between ofelias is anything but cold, Callie.”

She closed her eyes tight. “I don’t want to go there. I’m still trying to process and I’m so close to a full-on anxiety attack it’s not even funny.”

He was quiet a moment as he stared up at the night sky. “Would you like to go for a ride?” he asked, breaking the silence that had stretched around them.

She quirked a brow. “Does that mean fly?”

He inclined his head. “I would permit you to fly on my back. I think you would enjoy it.”

Flying through the air with Zar sounded too wonderful. The wind against her face, the freedom of being in the air and letting Zar have the reins. She’d never let a man take control in her past relationships. She’d coveted her independence too much for that. But being with Zar, imagining being wrapped around him and holding on tight while he soared through the air above the treetops. It was an intoxicating notion. She couldn’t forget how quickly he’d gotten turned on from a mere stroke of her hand though. If her legs were straddling his back. Oh boy. “Will that cause you to feel…aroused? I don’t want that, Zar.”

His muscles stiffened and his lips thinned. As if she’d insulted him. That hadn’t been her intention. “I admit I would feel desire, but I am strong and can ignore the urgings of my body. Now that I know what to expect when you touch me, I won’t be so…surprised.”

Did she dare risk it? She looked out at the starry sky and wondered what it would be like to fly like that, to toss caution to the wind and fly free with Zar.

“Are you afraid of heights?” he asked, his voice softer than before. “Does that hold you back? I would not drop you, Callie.”

Screw it. “Thirty years from now I want to be able to say that I rode on the back of a Zenarian and lived.”

He chuckled. “You will not regret it, my ofelia.”

She ignored the use of the foreign endearment and held out her arms. “Take me flying, winged-man.”

His brow quirked upward. “Winged-man?”

A smile slipped across her face. “I nickname people. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”

“I see. Have you nicknamed the others? Dyre and Flare?”

“Flare is Mr. Ice and Dyre is definitely Mr. Cranky.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “That does seem to fit Dyre well,” he admitted.

God, the man was gorgeous when he smiled. Like panty-dampening hot. Jeez. Stay on task, crazy. “Yeah, well, are we doing this or what? I’m about to lose my nerve here.”

In an instant he sobered and turned to give her his back. He crouched low. “Climb on, Callie.”

Well, this just got awkward. She took a deep breath, then tucked her dress between her legs as best she could. She’d forgotten that she wore no underwear. Bareback was so not happening. She placed one hand on his shoulder, then slung one leg up around his waist. Zar sucked in a breath and cursed. She had a feeling it was because the outside of her bare thigh was now caressing his wing, sliding back and forth. Again, Callie was stunned at how soft the feathers were. As she attempted to figure out a way to get her other leg up without it being super weird, Zar’s hands reached back and lifted her into the air, then placed her low on his back. She couldn’t go higher or she’d literally be sitting on his wings.

“Wrap your arms around my middle,” he murmured as he straightened to his full, impressive height.

She did as he said. “Like this?”

He nodded as his hugely muscled wings stretched out wide. They flapped once, hitting the balcony with a loud thud. “Take off can be jarring. You may hold on as tight as you like. Just know that I will not drop you. My wings will move back and forth, but don’t be concerned that you will hinder my flight.”

“I’m ready.” She squeezed her thighs a little tighter in preparation, then placed her cheek against his back and closed her eyes tight. She wasn’t sure she wanted to watch him take off. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. It was like being on a roller coaster and waiting for the first drop. You could never be ready for it, but you braced yourself anyway.

Callie could feel Zar’s wings expanding and contracting. The muscles in his back flexed beneath her bottom. He crouched low, then leaped. Unable to contain her curiosity, Callie opened her eyes and looked down. The forest floor was several feet beneath them. She turned to see the balcony at their back. Zar flapped his wings harder, taking them higher, above the trees and into the starry sky. God, he did it with such ease, such grace. As if it were the simplest thing to fly a thousand feet in the air with a grown woman on his back. He really was the strongest man she’d ever known. Scratch that. He’s not a man. He’s an alien. And she was flying through the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The nighttime breeze caressed her face as Zar soared through the sky. She looked down and realized he’d taken them even higher. She should have felt at least a hint of fear, knowing how easily he could drop her. She’d die at this height if he did. But she trusted Zar. At least, she trusted him with this one thing. When he did a quick sideways maneuver, turning them mid-flight, Callie sucked in a breath and hugged his body tighter with her arms and legs. She could’ve sworn she heard him chuckle. He was enjoying teasing her and she should be a little angry at that, but she could only feel exuberant at the sheer freedom of what they were doing. Is this how an eagle feels when it soars through the air? Callie closed her eyes and let all the stress, fear and even anger melt away. For once in her life she vowed to live in the moment and take something for herself for a change.

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