Page 70 of He Will Always Love Me

He snaps back up, his eyes full of concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Turn around,” I say. He does as I ask, and I feel the two hard lumps beneath his skin. “Does this hurt?”

He shakes his head. “Does what hurt?” He turns around so I can see the worry on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I don’t think. I.. I think they’re your wings,” I reply, touching the lumps once more.

Over the next few weeks, I’m proven right. Hyx at first only complains that his back is itchy, but the nodules grow larger until one day, I find a feather in our bed. They continue to grow into wings as his skin begins to change. Because Hyx’s skin is already gold, it’s subtle, but now, the color is deeper somehow. It makes his previous skin tone look more like a goldenrod yellow.

The process is fascinating, and I take note of every little development.

“Do you want to test them out?” I ask one day after I finish preening Hyx’s feathers.

“Like fly?” he asks, turning his head to look at me.

I snort. “What else do you do with wings?” At this point, I’ve learned all I can about them while on the ground. They look big enough to hold his weight, so we might as well run an experiment.

He must see that determined glint in my eyes, because he sighs. “You’re going to keep asking until I say yes, aren’t you?”

“Yep!” I pull him to his feet, and we race outside like rowdy schoolchildren eager for recess.

“Okay, on the count of three. One… two… three!”

He flaps his wings. After a few tries, he manages to lift himself off the ground. And then he’s flying. I watch him practice barrel rolls and flips in the air.

Suddenly, he swoops down and scoops me up. I cling to him, squawking in protest but secretly enjoying it.

After a few minutes, he comes back down to the ground, setting me back on my feet. His face is so enthusiastic, I have to laugh.

“It’s like riding a hoverboard. You never forget,” he boasts, giving me an energetic kiss.

I pull back after a moment to raise an eyebrow at him. “Meet me in the bedroom in twenty.”

He presses another kiss to my lips. “Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

CHAPTER 37

HYX

I'm not sure what I've done right in whichever life to deserve Libby, but whatever it is, I'm eternally grateful. She's incredible, and our life together has been nothing short of magical. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

There are times when I look at her, and I can't believe that she's mine, that I get to spend the rest of my life, the rest of eternity with her. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve her, like I'm not good enough for her. But she always reassures me that I'm the only one she wants, that she loves me more than anything in this world.

As we lay in bed together, our bodies entwined, I can't help but think about how lucky I am to have her. I trace the curves of her body with my fingers, reveling in the softness of her skin. She moans softly, and I know that I'm doing something right.

I lean in to kiss her, and she meets me eagerly. Our lips meet in a passionate embrace, and I feel a surge of desire coursing through my body. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer to me, and we lose ourselves in the moment.

We may have eternity, but I want to be inside her right now. I need to feel her heat surrounding me, consuming me, pulling me in.

When we come together, it's like nothing I've ever experienced before. Our bodies move as one, our hips gyrating in a sensual rhythm. I lose myself in the feeling of her, the sensation of our bodies coming together.

I know that I'll never get tired of this. Of making love to this woman.

I pull away from her, and she looks at me with pleading eyes.

"Please, Hyx," she whispers. "I want you."

She unbuttons her top, and I can't take my eyes off her. She's always so beautiful, so breathtaking. I need her more than I need air.

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