Page 42 of Seraph's Tears
You will cause him pain when you leave. And if he finds out you lied, a little voice whispered. Guilt reared its ugly head. I didn’t know what to do.
He made a noise in his throat and it rumbled through his chest. I grew hyper aware of his body enveloping mine, his strong hands holding me up, the beating of his heart.
“The church I grew up in didn’t encourage childlike wonder.” I thought back to the lectures on female modesty, the way the matrons’ eyes would roam over young girls to make sure their skirts were long enough. “When I turned eleven—that’s roughly the age of puberty, maybe just before for humans—I didn’t learn how to fly. I got sent to the kitchen after the community dinners to scour the pots and pans. That’s how I knew I was becoming a woman.”
Gabriel made a disbelieving sound in his throat. “I do not understand humans.”
“I don’t think it’s that bad everywhere,” I said cautiously. “We weren’t allowed to travel much. Most of us didn’t have the money to, anyway. And it’s not safe for women to travel by themselves.”
“You’re here now,” Gabriel pointed out.
I swallowed, trying to tell him the truth without actually telling him secrets. “The reverend encouraged me to get out into the world for a while.”
Gabriel nodded. “Glad he’s sensible at least.”
I bit back a laugh. Zorababel, sensible? I hadn’t thought of him or the letter or anything from home in three days, and it had been glorious. I’d thought of Gabriel’s strength and his wings and his tongue and nothing else. My body heated at the memory. The spot between my thighs grew damp and desire spiraled in my belly, moving lower and lower.
There was no way I could possibly marry Zor and stomach his kisses and his hands after I’d been with Gabriel. There was no comparison. The best I could realistically hope for, however, was a future where I had neither. Gabriel cared for me, clearly, or he wouldn’t be flying me right then. But he’d never consider a long term relationship with a human, not when he was so focused on righting his wrongs toward his brethren when I was his short-lived servant.
Don’t fall in love.
Gabriel grinned suddenly, eyes like a mischievous boy’s. “Do you want to try something different?”
“Yes!” I couldn’t help but return his smile.
He turned me around midair, so his front was now to my back. He slid his feet between mine, ready to tangle our legs for my balance. One hand wrapped around my waist and the other angled upward, his elbow at the edge of my ribcage and then angling across my torso so his hand flattened at my collarbone. “We’re going to dive. Hold on.”
I screamed as he suddenly twisted and plummeted. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I distantly hoped they wouldn’t reach Gabriel. My stomach roiled, and the land spread before me, growing closer and closer. Just when I thought I might perish right there from the force of the drop, Gabriel angled horizontal, then his wings snapped out and we halted.
I shuddered in his arms, trying to gather my body and my spirit back together. “Fucking hell!”
His chuckle filled the air, spreading in all directions. “Did you just curse?”
“You…you fell!”
“A dive,” he corrected, turning me in his arms to face him again. “Did you not like it?”
My arms automatically went around his neck again, snuggling close. “I have no idea,” I admitted.
The light in his eyes dimmed a bit.
“We can try again, now that I know what to expect?” I offered.
His hands tightened around me. “Keep your eyes on me.”
I gulped and obeyed. This time he dove without turning me to face out, and though at first it made me dizzy, I liked it far better. The wind tore through my hair, unraveling the tight braid I’d done that morning.
His wings fanned out and we halted abruptly. I glanced around to see we hovered only a few feet from the top of Mirkwold. He was precise.
“Amazing,” I said breathlessly, panting as if I had been the one to do all the work.
Gabriel’s eyes darkened, and suddenly he was kissing me.
I groaned in relief, in delight, in desire, and kissed him back. My mouth opened, meeting his, and our tongues danced together in ways that made my belly swoop as if we were still diving from the sky. Our kiss went on and on. I bit his lower lip and he gasped.
Gabriel faltered in the air, then his wings caught him.
I giggled, delighted to know my kisses made it difficult for him to concentrate.
