Page 32 of Star Bright
Just not right this moment. For one more day, he would hold his fledglings close. The mingled warmth and chill of thatdecision swirled through him as he rose and crossed to Darcy and Yadira.
His daughter opened her eyes and held her arms up at him. Without a word, he swept her up and carried her to the fort next to her brother’s. Her legs were too long and she smelled of otherworldly oils—and she was his fledgling still.
She was asleep before he laid her on the cushions, so he and his beast stole one more moment to watch her breathe before he tucked the curtain closed.
Darcy was washing up at the bar, but she glanced back at him with a wistful smile when he settled on one of the stools. “Out like a light, hmm?”
“Recovering from cryo is like coming to life again,” he said quietly. “This is a good place to engage all the senses.”
With a last few clinks, she stacked the dishes to air dry before turning to him, leaning her elbows on the bar. “I wonder if that’s part of the reason the Intergalactic Dating Agency picked Montana of all places. I thought maybe it was just because there’s nothing else here, less chance of getting caught. But maybe there were positive reasons too.”
“If the rest of the universe knew about chocolate sprinkles, Earth would be granted open world status immediately.”
She chuckled. “If Earth could make the universe a sweeter place, that would be a lovely legacy.”
He gazed at her solemnly. “You have made our waking sweeter. If I had to fall into a hundred-year sleep and wake upon crash landing, I’m happy it was with you.”
The flush of color was back on her cheeks as she lowered her gaze. “Well, the IDA prides itself on welcoming and comforting along with dating, I guess.”
“Showing Atsu how to make snowballs, untangling Yadira’s hair, that is more than just welcoming comfort.” Resting his hands on the bar next to hers, he steepled his fingers. “OnSkyearth we have rare phenomena called verikai—I think the closest translation is cloudgates. They are beautiful, swirling clouds that form between the mountains and the sky, and only after terrible storms. For draklings, the verikai symbolize not just the bridge of our two selves but a uniting of what is best in our world.” He expanded his gesture to reach for her. “You are such a wonder.”
She swallowed as she let him enfold her hand. “It’s been…an experience for me too.”
“I would explain in more words how indebted I am to you, that you have been this connection between my fledglings and myself when I feared we were coming apart. But my beast tells me words are not enough. May I show you?”
Across the not-so-great distance between them, he watched the flutter in her throat, her eyes widening. “Show me…what?”
He lifted himself off the stool, leaning toward her to inhale the scent of her, sweet cream and oil and something muskier, a fragrance that made his beast rumble deep within him. He was tall enough that leaning close brought him just a little over her. Gazing down, he whispered, “You told me Earthers dream of flying. Do you want to fly with me?”
Chapter 12
Darcy’s heart was already swooping and soaring, as if she might have a heart attack.
God, he smelled so good, like the fire and the night had gotten together and… Well, whatever the fire and night had done together was entirely their business when they were off duty and there were no innocent children around.
When she swallowed this time, she couldn’t hold back an audible gulp. “Flying? Is that, like, a euphemism for…?”
He gazed down at her, and though his serious expression didn’t change, that glint in his gray eyes warned her he was laughing inside. “Flying is when I spread my wings and soar.”
“And you can carry someone—me?” Excitement twisted through her. “I have seen pictures of draklings in beast shape, but I wasn’t sure how the conservation of mass energy worked.” She shook her head. “Are you teasing me?”
“Never about flying. The beast doesn’t care about physics, and the universe has many stranger things.” He glanced over his shoulder, gave her fingers a little tug. “I will ask Kong to watch over the fledglings. You see if your coat is dry.” He considered for a moment. “Get two coats.”
This was wild, impossible, maybe a dereliction of duty, and definitely the sort of thing that no memory wipe would erase. While Vash asked Kong to watch over the kids, she checked the coats which the fireplace had made toasty and warm. Atsu’s smaller layer just fit under her own long puffy. The afternoon light was fading, and if anything it was snowing harder, turning the world to silver and dark green beyond the windows. It would be cold, so cold.
She couldn’t wait.
Spinning around, she found Vash stripping off his clothes at the door. She seen his bare arms—okay, and she’d felt them once or twice too—and of course she knew he was a physical creature, athletically inclined with the flying and all. So it made sense that he’d be strong…all over. He was also a dad who dispensed whipped cream like there was no tomorrow, so the extra layer of flesh softening his hard angles also made sense. She just wasn’t prepared for how the full package would hit her like a concrete ice ball between the eyes.
Speaking of full packages…
Hastily diverting her gaze, she tugged at the neckline of the two coats she’d zipped up. Was it suddenly way to warm here? She imagined throwing herself into the snow bank as Atsu had and the whole drift evaporating in a curl of steam that just turned into the letters WTF?!
Hopping on one foot as he stepped out of his pants, Vash glanced over her. “According to the handbook, Earthers sometimes have different responses to nudity. But you didn’t seem to mind when Atsu was swimming, so I thought…”
“Fine,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat. “It’s fine. As long as I can keep my clothes on.” She forced out a laugh that sounded equally squeaky.
“Once I shift, I won’t mind the cold. But if I scream when I open this door, please don’t think less of me.”
