Page 182 of Memories Like Fangs
Golden hour came upon us like a benediction, casting everything in a warm amber glow. We decided to take to theskies and dry off with a view. I shifted, my chrysalis magic bathing me in opals and glitter before revealing me as a dragon for the first time since the battle with Lilah. I was fully healed and whole. Fully present. Fully myself. Fullyfreefor the first time that I could remember. Quinn cradled Clarkson close to her chest as she got aboard my back. Then, I lifted off.
We soared high above the camping ground, the Sequoia trees, mountain cliffs, and liquid silver of the ocean, forming a living tapestry stretching below us. My wings shimmered in the honey-like light, catching every breath of air like it was a gift. I could feel Quinn holding tighter to me. Not just physically but emotionally, too. We didn’t say a word or even send any feelings through our mating bond, but I felt it in every beat of my wings, every gust of wind against my face, every ray of setting sun on my scales. The world below looked so small and temporary compared to this. When dusk kissed the forest, I flew us to retrieve our clothes from near the waterfall and returned us to camp to eat under the waking stars.
Now, I inhaled deeply, feeling like I was taking the first breath after a nice, long cry. The cool, thin, and crisp air curled in my chest, invigorating and filling me once more. There were so many reminders that the world endured and continued to turn, breathe, live, give, and love, but none more than up above.
If love were written in the stars, the Sequoia trees surrounding our campsite seemed tall enough to rearrange them and create new constellations until the sky spelled something completely different, if they wanted. Their thick bark was ridged like the spine of an ancient book. They looked eternal and patient, as if they had stood long enough to watch meet-cutes turn into until-death-do-us-parts. Time itself felt delicate surrounded by them, the space feeling intimate. The forest just seemed to wrap around us like a secret, sealed and cherished with a kiss. After everything that had happened, this was like along-lost love letter from the universe, one that had been folded and read so many times the paper was soft as fabric.
The only thing more perfect was my girlfriend.
From where I sat next to her, Quinn’s profile was carved in gold and shadow. The slope of her wide nose, her curling lips, the two moles on her left cheek, the sparkling glint in her eye, the delicious way her muscles flexed, and the firelight dancing among her lashes had me mesmerized. It was unfair how gorgeous she was. My pumpkin just sat there, breathing in smoke and breathing out something that felt like gravity. I was helpless to do anything but stare.
Suddenly, my chest felt too small for my heart within it.
Today had been too perfect to truly feel real. Cinematic and dramatic, filming it would have needed a gauzy lens flare and a soundtrack that made your chest crack open and spill stardust.
And, it still wasn’t over yet.
I leaned toward Quinn with a mischievous grin. In a sing-songy voice, I asked. “So, who’s ready for their next birthday gift?”
“Mynextone?” Quinn raised her slitted eyebrow, her golden eyes flickering to me, bright enough to rival the flames dancing in front of us. “Today has already been the best birthday I’ve ever had. You are spoiling me now, Sweetness.”
“Oh, so youdon’twant your presents?”
“Idefinitelydidn’t say that.” Quinn took one last hit before throwing the last of her blunt into the fire. She turned to me and held her hands out in a “gimme gimme” gesture. “Let me see!”
Chuckling, I pushed up from my chair, the cold seeping through my leggings now that I was away from the fire. I ducked quickly between the flaps of the tent. My hands instantly brushed against the box I’d ensured Maisie and Teddy had magically tucked inside. I’d wrapped it myself with layers of a mystical-themed gold and copper paper I had picked out myself.I had spent ages meticulously pressing the crisp folds. I had sealed it with a golden ribbon and bow that glittered faintly under any light and a kiss with some dark brown lipstick that I knew Quinn adored. Quinn’s eyes brightened even more in the dark of the night as they landed on the long, hefty box.
“That is huge, baby girl! You didn’t have to get me anything! I don’t deserve?—”
“You deserve this and so much more, babe. Don’t even start that! Besides, everyone should have something that they open on their birthday. It’s therules,” I winked as I set it in her lap.
“Oh, if it’s therulesthen…”Quinn chuckled.
“Happy birthday, Starlight! Open it, baby!”
Gentle but certain, she took the gift with the kind of care she reserved for a fragile soufflé or Clarkson when she was sleepy. Peeling the ribbon and wrapping, the paper whispered against itself before falling away. With the paper gone, Quinn opened the lid of the box.
Nestled inside atop some golden tissue paper appeared to be some artifact straight out of a myth. It was a long staff, sleek and balanced, crafted from deep dark wood inlaid with faint sigils. The large circular top cradled a suspended crystal sphere as if held by invisible threads. Within the sphere, a delicate compass rose made of silver and gold filigree, its metallic edges catching every scrap of light like snowflakes in the sun. The points spun slowly as if searching to orient itself. Quinn’s gaze and fingertips ghosted over the etching in the wood.
“It’s a telescope!” I rushed to explain. My hands flew to my mom’s necklace to grip it tight enough to bite. “It’s not like a traditional human telescope that you look through. Once you turn it on, it projects the universe right in front of you. You can practicallystepinto it, if you want. It’s the best way to see the cosmos. I thought about buying you a regular telescope, but I thought this would be so much cooler.”
Her breath caught, audible and sharp in the night air. “Byrd… this is…”
“You told me once about the telescope your cousins broke before you ever even got to use it and how you always wanted to see the stars. I thought this would be the perfect present for camping…” My pulse skipped with nerves then, my hands shaking as my worry mounted.Wait, had I thought this through completely?Should I have just gotten her a normal telescope? I had had this idea brewing for a while, and Maisie was the one who suggested getting this kind of telescope instead of a human one for the better viewing experience. Was I wrong? Would she enjoy it? Was this?—?
“Byrdie, this is amazing!” Quinn exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over into me. “It’ssothoughtful! Easily one of the best gifts I have ever received! It’s incredible.”
“You really mean it?” I said softly in shock.
“Yes! It’s so awesome!” Quinn lifted the staff from the box with awe and reverence. The wonder in her eyes and on her face was a gift in itself to me. “How does it work?”
“I-I’ll show you!” I stuttered, my nerves stabilizing and turning into pure elation that could have sent me into the stratosphere with how weightless I felt.
I detailed how to use it as Quinn carried the staff to the far edge of the campsite. Once there, I waved my hand over the rune just underneath the crystal ball. The markings all over the staff lit up before the staff hovered out of Quinn’s hands, stood upright, and planted itself slightly above the ground. The etchings along the staff blazed up toward the crystal several times, as if it were powering it up. The compass flicked around until it settled. Then, with a deep, resonant hum, the crystal sphere bloomed to life. Bright clouds swirled around the compass, growing brighter and brighter until the light spilled out behind the staff.
Stars, moons, planets, suns, and galaxies were projected before us. They were impossibly clear, every pinprick of light sharp and every swirl of nebula color deep and rich. It was like we were astronauts floating in the sky. But it was better because the stars seemed close enough to brush your fingers against. This way felt like you could feel the sun’s warmth like you would from holding a lightbulb, or wear one of Saturn’s rings like a bracelet, or graze your fingertips over the craters of the moon. The universe was ours to explore.
“Here I thought eating astronaut ice cream sandwiches would be a great way to spend the night,” Quinn joked.
