Page 70 of Glass Wings
“Lick my boots, you dirty mutt,”Reign commanded, picking up her leg and slamming her shiny black stiletto boot in front of the middle-aged human. He complied as she expected, whining like a puppy and wagging his bottom half left to right as if he had a tail.
She used to roll her eyes at this, but now it was normal.
Reign’s client opened his mouth and left wet tongue marks up and down her shoes.
Damn it, she thought, not thinking ahead on this one. She was distracted that day, trying to piece together everything that Hailey had told her during their trip to the mall on Halloween and how it pointed back to her best friend.
She missed Allienna so, so much.
“You ruined my shoes, you useless animal,” she put her boot to his chest and kicked him back as he whimpered, falling awkwardly on his butt. He was wearing only blue pinstriped boxers and a ribbedwhite undershirt, his round glasses fogging up every time he stuck his tongue out and panted like the pet that he paid her to pretend that he was.
Had Allienna come here to Sacramento to start her life anew and kept it from her? All the signs pointed to yes, and it hurt. It hurt so much.
Reign’s client whimpered and winced again, making her look down at him, her face in a rage as she played her part of strong dominatrix well. She was considering going to her prop box to pull out a leash and collar for the man, but then she realized that a pool of liquid had formed around his bottom.
The client was shaking from head to toe, emulating the annoying yapping but traumatized chihuahua that he chose to be for their last seven weekly sessions, but pissing himself was a new unique challenge that she now apparently had to put up with.
“This is the last time you will come to me for services. You will forget this address and my association with it the moment you step out the front door,” she said to him, frustrated, pinching the bridge of her nose as the smell of urine on her bamboo flooring filled the air.
I don’t get paid enough for this shit.
“Get up, get dressed, and clean this up,” she commanded as he straightened himself up while her magic rippled through him. “The cleaning supplies are under the kitchen sink.”
What had she done to push her friend away from her? She couldn’t understand. Allienna had asked her to be her child’s godparent, for heaven’s sake. Also, Kinnari do not get sick, not like Hailey had described her mother’s death. Nothing was making any sense.
After twenty minutes that felt like a millennium, Reign’s client handed her an envelope with eight one-hundred-dollar bills and bowed.
Maybe I do get paid enough for this shit.
“A tip for taking it too far,” he apologized. “Please don’t make me find someone else. I trust you,” he said to her, his eyes pleading.
She was such a softy.
“I forgive you, but no more pissing on my floor, got it? You can remember this address, remember my name.”
The middle-aged man’s face lit up in a smile as he bowed again and kissed her hand like a queen.
“I’ll see you next week,” he said before exiting the front door. Reign rolled her eyes and locked the door behind him. Her townhouse wasn’t much, but it was special to her. She built this life out of nothing and felt like she didn’t even have to cheat by using her magic to get it.
If only she could have shared this with Allienna. If only she could speak to her one more time.
Reign’s heart ached as she passed the tiny galley kitchen and walked up the stairs. Her townhome had four floors but was shaped like a thin rectangle, so each floor had minimal square footage. She passed the second floor, where she often hosted clients. A large chest of props sat against the wall as an extra large yoga mat padded the middle of the room.
At least he didn’t piss on that. She chuckled immediately, grateful that she didn’t have to deal with replacing it.
Reign made it to the third floor, her primary bedroom adjacent to a guest room she used as extra closet space. She removed the black leather corset and pants that she could barely walk in and decided to wear something more athletic. She would fly tonight to help clear her mind.
After changing into thin, flexible leggings and a baggy sweatshirt that had the back cut out, only connecting at the bottom, she headed up to the fourth floor. This was why she bought this place.
The fourth floor had a glass-paned door that led out to an exterior patio, all for her. The view of the city and the Sacramento Bridge at night always had her beaming with pride. Pride in how far this world had come and pride in herself for finding a place in it.
She stared into the sky, a thin crescent moon visible through cloud coverage, and smiled. Cuts appeared in her shoulder blades that expanded as her wings came through instantly.
She stretched her arms out wide, relieving the pressure on herpetite frame, and beat her wings up and down until her feet danced in the air. Not letting herself linger too long, she shot up above the clouds, covered and protected from wandering eyes, not wanting to start another human cult that believed one of their deities had come down to Earth.
Reign flew with no destination, no goal other than clearing her mind. Her heart was heavy, and she let herself start to grieve, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of her friend genuinely gone from the world.
She changed her direction, cutting sharply and rising higher in the sky. She would reach space and touch stars if she could, do the impossible as her brave friend had done. Allienna had a biological child. After so many failed attempts, she had to discover how she had accomplished that.
