Page 192 of Drown Like Heaven
I nodded and slipped off the counter, padding down the hall to my bedroom. I tugged on some sweatpants, then pulled a coat over my big sleep shirt. Stuffing my feet into my boots, I attempted to get my focus back, to make myself less tipsy. Overcome my own mind or whatever. It wasn’t working.
Micah came into my room shirtless, moonlight drifting over his muscular torso.
Nerves tightened in my stomach as I started to fully realize what I’d asked him to do. I squeezed my eyelids shut, swallowed hard, shook my hands out, then nodded.
Micah took my hand, walking me outside into the frigid air by his side. I couldn’t see lights on in any of the other trailers around mine—it was the middle of the night, so I’d expected that—but Micah kept walking towards the edge of the property. We came to a stop past a line of sparse pine trees, out of sight of any windows belonging to my neighbors. The sky was low and heavy, clouds blotting out most of the stars.
He had me stand in front of him, our hands linked between us, as his shoulders shuddered and his black wings rose behind him.
Like before, the size took my breath away.
“Are you sure you can support my weight?” I questioned, a bit anxious he’d drop me.
Instead of replying, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed us off the ground with such significant speed my stomach bottomed out. I flung my arms and legs around him, my scream muffled against his shoulder as I hung on for dear life.
We just kept ascending.
Everything was a blur, the force of the wind increasing with each powerful flap of his wings. All the blood drained from my face when I caught a glimpse at our current altitude. Micah brought us up higher and higher, a misty halo surrounding the moon as we passed through cold clouds.
Above them, Micah held us still in the air. His body was so warm.
“How are you doing?” he asked over the dull roar of the wind.
“As well as I can.”
Micah started in the direction of the beach, holding me so securely I could’ve let go if I wanted. I couldn’t see much through the clouds, but that was the point. I kept my face tucked against the crook of his neck.
If I thought about what was happening too much, I was worried I’d have a panic attack. This wasn’t the first time I’d been hundreds of feet away from the ground with Micah, but it was scarier now—worse, since there wasn’t a cliff for me to lay on at all. The wind was so harsh and cold, the clouds surrounding us, his wings huge and powerful as they cut through the air.
The flight didn’t take too long, which I was grateful for.
“Keep your eyes shut,” Micah instructed as I felt us start to descend.
I did what he said, not opening my lids until I knew we were on the ground. Micah’s wings were gone, but he looked as gorgeous as ever. It felt like I was betraying Mason in a way, by bringing Micah toourplace, but it’d been my place with Anthony first, and I needed to erase those fingerprints.
The ocean was a black expanse, shifting with a metallic sheen, whitecaps flashing faintly where the waves broke. I wrapped my arms around myself, staring out at the familiar sight, feeling it deep in my bones. The constant roar and hiss of the surf was deeper at night, more ominous.
There was a rawness to the salt-lined air, a humming electricity.
“I sometimes try to find shark teeth here,” I said quietly, Micah’s presence looming from beside me. I breathed in the vast scent of the sea, silently wishing for the darker edge Mason’s scent had.
“I can see pretty well in the dark,” Micah offered, his voice stirring heat in my core.
“How well?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Considerably better than you can. Come here.” He tugged me to his body, hands molding to my waist, gaze seeking mine. I skimmed my palms up his bare chest, swaying a little. He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me without hesitation.
“Do I taste like vodka?” I asked, breaking away.
“Absolutely. I don’t care, though.” A handsome smile spread across his lips, showcasing his white teeth.
Micah found me three shark teeth in a total of five minutes, my own drunk eyes spotting literally nothing in the dark sand. Then my ears got cold, so he flew me back to my trailer, where we sat together on the couch in my living room, the tiny TV playing reruns of adult cartoons. The kitchen light tossed dim yellow illumination over both of us.
“Why did you come here in the first place?” I asked.
“To see you. You weren’t in class.”
“You have my phone number, Micah.”
