Page 7 of Wings of Desire

She speaks so quickly it’s hard to follow her train of thought. “I am taking you to theKugitauri.” I clear my throat, trying to regain my composure as the memory of her fingers on my wings flashes in my mind. I must be a commanding presence and correct her. “As for the kiss, you touched me without my consent first.”

There’s no stopping me as I lean in towards her. I gently brush my lips against the shell of her ear as a reminder that we are not done playing yet. “So, I have every intention of finishing what we started.”

Softly my fingers trace the edges of her face, marveling at how soft she feels. Echo’s nose scrunches upward and she beats my hand away.

“Stop that,” she says, pouting. “Nothing will happen from this point on between us. You can take me back to the camp right this second. I need to find my crew as soon as possible, and the Imperium needs to know where I am.” She crosses her arms over her chest like a petulant child, tapping her feet as if she demands me to comply.

There is a simmering fury lingering behind her eyes that flickers likelampfyr. She will be stubborn about this, I see.

“I have been flying much of the day and need rest. We will speak more about the matter of taking you back the way we came after. For now, we should seek shelter.”

Echo exhales and her stormy eyes downcast in disappointment. “There were large scorpions that attacked us. They had four legs and exoskeletons, but the upper half of them were humanoid. I don’t know what they were, but I need to go back.”

The Krel. If they are involved, then her people are all devoured. Their kind leave no survivors. How did Echo manage to escape them?

I hold back the grim knowledge, knowing that she will be inconsolable when she realizes they are all gone. “We will discuss this when we find shelter.” I remind her again. “I am certain you do not wish to smell the bog any longer than necessary.”

Her brows furrow in utter frustration. “How long will we be gone? Just take me back,” she demands, crossing her arms defiantly. “I refuse to go with you.”

Echo doesn’t realize yet that she needs me—she needs the safety the Nocris can provide. She’s trapped in this dangerous world alone and without me, she wouldn’t survive.

“Otoki...you will go back when I say you may go back.” She doesn’t back away as I step closer, looming over her. Echo’s defiance sparkles in her eyes. “Now, do you wish to be taken against your will, or shall you come with me willingly?”

“You wouldn’t dare!” There’s a challenge in the way she glares at me and widens her stance. Does she think she can keep me at bay?

I snort, unperturbed by her resistance. Regardless of her protests, I will take her to safety. I’ll need to be gentle with her because she is, after all, in a new place.

“Echo,” I say firmly, “I will do what I must to ensure your safety. Please do not make me treat you like I would a child.” My patience wears thin, and I grab her body close to mine.

“Let me go! I don’t want to go with you,” she yells, pushing against my chest with all her might to free herself. “I need to get back to my camp!” The more she screams and writhes, the tighter I grip her to me.

“Quiet! Do you want the Sagath to hear you?” I grit through my teeth, jerking her up closer to my face.

“Go fuck yourself.” Echo stomps her foot onto my knee in surprising strength. A sharp jolt of pain sears through my legs.

I hiss through my clenched teeth. The sting raises my anger to boiling. Gripping her more tightly and without warning, I launch us into the air. Navigating around the tree’s tendrils, I furiously fly at a speed she’s never experienced. The faster we fly, the louder she screams. I hold my tongue, allowing my silence and pace to speak for me.

Eventually I grow tired of the constant noise and lean closer, snarling in her ear. “Otoki,quiet! Do you want every predator in this forest after us?” The scent of her is delicious, and it envelopes my senses. By all rights, she is the most hideous and annoying creature I’ve ever come across. I’m tempted by her scent, so I lick at the strange little ears on the side of her head.It’s surprising to me that her perspiration is salty and sweet. I want to devour her.

Echo tenses at my tongue on her neck and she blissfully falls silent. I can hear a whimper gather in the back of her throat and her body squirms closer instead of away. “Stop that,” she says with defiance.

“Then stay silent.” My breath ghosts over the shell of her ear, and I swallow down the desire to grind against her. “We are close to the Sagath territory. We must be quick and quiet.”

I press my hand firmly over her mouth to silence her cries. My cock throbs again at the sight of her eyes widening in surprise and the feeling of her soft lips against my skin.

I want her so desperately, and the moment I find us shelter, I’m taking what’s mine.

My flower

Iwatch as one moon slowly sets behind the horizon and another rises, casting a reddish hue along the trees. Echo’s plush body presses against mine while we fly. It only increases my hunger for her. My mind swirls with constant images of her caressing my wings, and the way my seed had soaked her pretty skirt.

My hunting party will be searching for me. Yet I’m flying urgently through the Amae’silin the opposite direction of their location. This brutal and untamed forest offers no sanctuary for us. Everything that lives within this boundary poses a threat. So, I push myself beyond my limits, refusing to stop until my strength is gone.

Eventually, I reach a part of the forest where theAmae’silstands dead and hollow. The Volese built cabins using the stumps of the dead and hollow Amae’sil. The Sagath edged into their peaceful territory, forcing the caliphate to relocate them nearer the city gates a decade ago.

This place will serve as a perfect refuge for us. I descend into one of the largest houses built highest in the branches. It’s covered in rows of swirling blossoms and vines.

“We will rest here,” I say, setting Echo down gently down in the mouth of the large open doorway.

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