think that’s normal. I get the same energy boost after touching the crystal. Are you sure you’re not in any pain? I thought . . .” I cleared the lump in my throat. “For a minute there, I thought you were dying.”

Her expression softened. “I’m fine, Tarik. Really. These wings, though. I might need help. This hasn’t happened before.”

I blinked. She needed help? “Do you need me to . . . uh. What do you need help with, exactly?” I knew what I needed: a punch to the face.

“Well, let’s start with standing. If I can get my balance, I should be okay.”

Right. Standing. Standing would be good. And she was naked. And awake. And staring at me expectantly. I suddenly had a terrible urge to flee. Stand your ground, man. Stand my ground. Yes. She was a . . . a cat. A cat with graceful arcing limbs and long, flowing—

Crap.

After a deep inhale, I jerked my body into motion, latching onto her biceps. In a flash, I had us both on our feet and quickly dropped my arms. A second later they were up again as she tipped forward and didn’t stop. Closer, closer—Wham!

“Well that’s new,” she mumbled.

I could barely catch the words, what with her mouth mashed against my chest. Heat flared up my neck when I realized my shirt was gone and her lips were pressed to my skin.

Warm. Moving. Breathing.

Gaia, shoot me now.

“Uh, that—that’s okay,” I stuttered, righting her once again. This time, I kept my hands planted on her shoulders as she teetered back and forth. “Can you retract your wings?”

“Can I—” Her eyes widened. “No. I don’t know how. I’ve never had to. Not like this.”

Great. Just great.

I blew out a long sigh. This was going to be interesting. “I’ll walk you through the process. Hopefully. These things kind of come . . . naturally to Fae.” What was I saying? I wasn’t an aerial flight instructor. And I certainly didn’t know how to explain the complex art of wing usage, not when we weren’t allowed to reveal them, let alone use them. “Okay. First, you need to learn balance. Widen your stance and slightly bend your knees.”

As she moved beneath my touch, I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. This wasn’t happening. Note to self: don’t look down.

“Done,” she said.

“Okay. I’m gonna let go now. You ready?”

“Ready.”

My hands left her shoulders, and I took a giant step back, hoping the distance would force her to focus solely on standing. From my peripheral, I saw her wobble, but she didn’t fall. When she straightened, I maneuvered around her, finally allowing my gaze to rest on her wings.

Now what?

“I’m guessing the reason you don’t know how to retract your wings in human form is lack of muscle memory. So first, I need you to be aware of what muscles to focus on.”

My attention drifted to her skin, and I frowned at the faint white lines there. They didn’t cover her body like mine did, but I knew a scar when I saw one. A mix of curiosity and anger thrummed through me. This wasn’t the time to prod into her past, though. I gave myself a few moments, clenching and unclenching my fists, then gently grasped the base of her wing joints.

She shivered, mumbling, “Tickles.”

I couldn’t stop from cracking a grin. “Sorry,” I muttered, laughter in my voice. Clearing my throat, I got back to business. “This right here is what you need to focus on. Not the fact that several feet of bone, cartilage, and feathers need to retract inside your body.” My thumbs lightly stroked where her joints met skin, and she shivered again.

Soft. She was so soft.

If I had to endure much more of this, I was going to lose control.

“Want to try again?” My voice came out all wrong. Deep, rough, shaky.

“Sure.”

Her back tensed where I still touched, and I helped rein in that focus, rubbing slow circles at the base of her wings. She hunched next, feathers rustling as her whole body trembled. At her soft grunt, I let go and swiveled to face her, worried she was in pain.

I froze.

That face. All shriveled and puckered in concentration.

I burst out laughing. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I hit the carpet, rolling back and forth, forever imprinting that image of her on my brain.

“Wait, what’s so funny?” she huffed. I couldn’t catch my breath to answer. She crossed her arms over her chest, and I tried hard not to look. “That’s rude, you know.”

“Sorry,” I gasped out. All was silent as I managed to swallow some air. Then I broke into more laughter. I hadn’t laughed like this in . . . forever.

“Well, since you’re so busy rolling around on the floor, I’m going to have some fun.” And she strode for the living room.

I snickered, letting my gaze rest on the lion tattoo spanning her right back thigh, the mane a mess of pink, blue, and yellow flowers and feathers. But when she passed the couch and made for the sliding glass door, my laughter died.

“Reagan, what are you doing?” Her only answer was to slide the door wide. A stone dropped into my gut when I finally realized her intentions. I jumped to my feet and hurtled through the living room. “Reagan, no!”

As she stepped onto the balcony, twin lines scratched down my back and I let my wings punch free. But they couldn’t carry me more than a few feet. Not in their current condition. If she fell . . .

With an extra burst of speed, I lunged. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I dragged her away from the ledge and certain death.

“Oh, now you stop laughing. Great.”

I held her to me, maybe a little too tight, her feathers lightly tickling my stomach. “Reagan?” At the humming noise she made, I growled, “That was not cool.”

She wiggled, tugging for freedom. “I want to try them out!”

Her body intimately rubbed against mine and I froze

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