Featherlight (22 page)

Now that I had stopped
struggling, I began to feel an intense pleasure. It stemmed from my chest and
spread outward like an opening flower. John must have felt it too, because he
lightly bit my shoulder and relaxed against me. His body warmed my wet skin
everywhere we touched. Our hands overhead linked as the feeling spread to the
end of every limb. I wrapped my legs around him as I ached to intertwine with
him in every way, physically and emotionally.

John lifted his head just when
the pleasure began to ebb and rested it against my forehead. I finally began to
reorganize my thoughts when his mouth came along and ruined any remaining
chance of control.

John’s lips softly met mine in
a friendly greeting. The previous pleasure flared again as an encouraging
reward. He stopped and searched my eyes for a moment before kissing me again.
My mouth didn’t respond because I was in too much shock to control any part of
my body.

His tongue woke me up by slowly
tracing my lower lip. I uncrossed my ankles and set my feet on the ground in
order to lift my hips upwards. I froze. My body had been trying to tell me
something, and I just now realized what.

John pulled back and shifted
his body up on mine. “Jacqueline… Say the words and you will be mine. Don’t
tell me that you can’t feel this too.”

I most definitely felt
something
down there, although that was probably not what he meant.

“John,” I said breathlessly, “I
don’t know what I want right now. I can’t think.”

His eyes were a dark navy blue,
and his wings were a deep golden brown. I knew what darkened eyes and wings
signaled, and my traitorous body realized that I was in a dangerous position.

“You made a deal, John,” I
growled in warning.

I was such a fool, although it
wasn’t John’s fault. Judging by the look in his eye, he could care less right
now if the public would be mad at him for taking me. Besides, his father had
already wanted him to do it. Now that I had shown obvious interest in him,
nothing was really holding him back from breaking our deal.

Heck, even
I
wanted him
to do it, didn’t I? Or was that my body talking?

No! I didn’t want him to take
me. I didn’t want him to start the true chase. Just because he was extremely
hot and we had obvious chemistry didn’t mean that he was a kind person. I
barely even knew him. What was I thinking?

“Don’t break your deal, John.”

“I’m getting up. Don’t run,” he
said, unlinking our hands and rolling off me.

I didn’t move a muscle from my
position on the ground. Even though my body wanted to flee in order to get a
head start, I knew that running would finally push him over the edge, and he
would lose control.

            Part XX

She was the first woman who had
given him a challenge. John had to focus in order to catch her, and his body
loved that. He didn’t need the pre-Chase for him to know that they were a good
match, but it most definitely proved him right.

Their bodies were practically
meant for each other. Is that how it would be with any folium
simply
because they are so instinctually pure and desirable, or were they just an
excellent match? Either way, he didn’t care. He was the best man out there, and
he knew that she would have no complaints once they were mated.

||||

After several minutes, he
spoke, “We need to work on your resistance.”

I laughed, and after a moment
he joined me.

His wings were back to a
brilliant golden color and I told him, “No sir, we need to work on
yours.
”

Our laughs died down, and I
asked the question that had been burning a hole in my head. “Did I just- Did we
just… you know? Orgasm?” My cheeks flamed a deep red, but I had to know the
answer.

“Not quite. That pleasure was a
part of the chasing nature. It is a minor version of the feeling you get after
a true chase. Some think of it as magic.”

“A
minor
version?” I
asked incredulously.

John chuckled with male pleasure
at the knowledge that he caused my amazement.

“Does that always happen? Have
you done that with other… women?” I hated the small spike of jealously that
flared, but it couldn’t be helped.

“It happens every time, but
never like that. Normally it’s not so, well, amazing. And I’ve chased other
women, but it has never been personal.”

“So it has been more
businesslike?” I asked him cautiously.

“Precisely. No kisses, complete
restraint, and definitely no true chase urges.”

I had a sudden thought. Did
John really like me, or was his body just drawn to me because I was a folium
.
As far as I could tell, every man on Auro was drawn to me. Then again, did
it matter? Being folium
was a part of me, wasn’t it?

I moved my thoughts to the side
and gazed at the lake. The water was coolly calm, and wooded hills gently rose
out behind it. Far off in the distance, I spotted the cabin roof.

“It’s so beautiful here,” I
whispered.

He switched subjects with me
effortlessly and said, “I’m glad you like it. There is so much more to show
you. Snowy mountains, thick forests, endless plains…”

“Right, right. Just say the
words and you will take me there?”

He laughed with a deep rumble.
“You know I would.”

“Does everyone call you John?
Isn’t that a bit informal?”

"I
am referred to by my first name until I take my father's place as Marshal. The
same rule applies with the sons of other ruling leaders."

"What
other leaders are there, besides the King?"

"The
Kiren leader, also known as the Zitan."

“The Zitan? Who is he?”

“No one important,” John said,
effectively shutting down that topic.

I tried a different tactic. “Hey
John? Tell me more about your people. How are they different from… humans?”

It felt odd saying that word
like I was not longer a part of humanity. In a way, I suppose that I would
always feel that empathetic connection simply because I was raised in that
world. It would be like being adopted and then later meeting your real parents.
You would love your adoptive parents because they had raised you, but you would
love your real parents simply because of who they were.

He stared thoughtfully at me
before answering. “Well, most of us are much more carefree. We love entertainment,
games, and parties.”

“So, do y’all have jobs? Surely
you can’t just have fun all day.” Even though I was young, having parties and
playing games all day would drive me crazy after a while. I was the kind of
girl that needed to learn and think and accomplish something.

“My father, as you know, helps
lead the city. I watch my father for training. As for food, catching it is also
recreational. Hunting groups travel together to take down large game. Our fruit
and vegetable plantations are self-sufficient, and the transportation vehicles
are auto piloted.”

“Oh, come on! There have got to
be like, barbers or trash collectors or something! Someone on this planet must
have a regular job,” I told him indignantly. Life just
shouldn’t
be one
long party.

“The trash is sent through chutes
connected to each home, including this cabin, to be disposed. Although I’m not
positive as to how it is destroyed because I have never gave it much thought, I
believe that the trash is burned. To prevent pollution, heat is contained and
transformed into energy while the byproducts are compacted and recycled.
Regardless, trash is of no worry to us.

“You told me that y’all were
Earth’s protectors. What happened to that?”

John sighed. “Well, a select
few help humans, but more and more have stayed on Auro to relax and have fun.”

“So, let me get this straight… The
majority of a species of winged-people with superior technology and basically
infinite resources sit around on their planet all day and party? Oh! And lemme
guess, y’all are so medically advanced that the harmful effects of liquor and
unhealthy lifestyles are now completely harmless.”

“That pretty much sums it up,”
John agreed with a nod.

“Oh buddy, you people need a
definite reality check.”

“Is my guess correct that you
are planning on giving them one?”

“You betcha,” I immediately
replied with a grin.

“Good luck, because you will
need it,” John told me.

I stood and stretched. Talking
about the lullary
lifestyle kept my mind from returning to the thought
of John’s body on mine. “Are you ready to head back? I’m really hungry.”

“Would you prefer to fly or
walk, madam?” He asked after standing.

“Fly!” My back was slightly
sore, but it was nothing that I couldn’t handle.

We rose together into the air and
gently glided over the lake, using the small updraft to propel us forward. My
balance was still rough, but overall I was a significantly better flyer.

My stomach dropped excitedly as
we landed by the cabin. Thankfully, the wind had dried my hair and clothing
completely. I was sure that it was sticking up everywhere, but I didn’t care.
At least I
had
hair that stuck up, right?

My blood pumped with energy
even while my muscles ached with exhaustion. I couldn’t stop my thoughts from
wondering about earlier. Was it going to be awkward between John and me now?
How was I supposed to act around him?

We walked inside and John went
straight to the kitchen. “What sounds good, Jacque?”

“Umm, anything really.” I sat
down on the stool and tucked my feet under me.

“I have free reign to make you
anything? You’re a brave woman,” he said jokingly while taking a large chunk of
meat out of a fridge-thing.

I curiously eyed the meat and
questioned, “Do you call those refrigerators and that an oven like on Earth?”

“We do indeed. Want to know
where humans had gotten the names?”

“From y’all, I’m guessing?” I
rolled my eyes while he had his back turned.

“I saw that,” he said
instantly.

I was slightly surprised,
“What? How? You weren’t even looking this way.”

“Reflections are your friends,
Jacqueline.”

I spotted his eyes in a shiny
appliance on the counter and he winked through it. His cleverness surprised a
laugh out of me.

“Dare I ask what that hunk of
meat is?” My eyebrows rose skeptically.

“Remember cha?”

“Yeah, vaguely. I remember it
being good!” I said enthusiastically.

“A cha is a large hoofed beast
that can reach up to five stories tall. You might not believe me, so perhaps
one day I will take you to see one,” he said before I could voice my doubts. “Since
it is the largest animal, it is what most hunting parties try to kill. Due to
this, it is the most common meat, so you will be eating it quite a lot.”

If it tasted anything like it
did last time, I wouldn’t mind that a bit. “How are you going to cook it?”

My mind began conjuring
fantasies of marinated cha, roasted cha, cha shish kabob… The sound of my
rumbling tummy yanked me out of the food dreams.

“The traditional way, if it so
pleases you.” With a small smirk, he poured brown liquid in the bottom of a
large dish and placed the raw meat in it.

After coating the cha with more
seasonings, he placed it in a small oven. I was caught eyeing the oven with
wariness when John said, “Compared to the ovens on Earth, it is heaven. The
sensors automatically detect the type and size of the meat to cook it to
perfection. It is truly a blessing for those of us who are not experienced
chefs.”

“It does sound remarkable. I
will be even more impressed once I get to try it. How long will the cha need to
cook?”

“Ah, about 20 minutes. In the
meantime, would you like to play a game?” There was a wicked gleam in John’s
eye, and I could tell immediately that he already had a game in mind.

“I haven’t played a game in
years,” I said honestly.

Memories of a lonely childhood
threatened to ascend, but I vehemently pushed them down as he took my hand to
guide me to the living room. His palm was warm, rough, and inviting. I sat on
the couch while he rummaged through a compartment under the large TV screen.
Apparently finding what he was looking for, he sat a large box down on the
center table.

“What is that?” I asked with
interest.

John unlatched the side and
opened the box. “It is a video board game. Lullary love games, but I’ve never
been too big on them.”

A small disk rose four feet in
the air before silently hovering. Below the disk, a glowing blue board pulsed
with energy. I softly tapped the hovering disk and it bounced back into place.

“Amazing,” I whispered.

Small holographic forms
suddenly appeared on the board.

“Whoa!” My eyes grew large as I
watched the forms grow into chess pieces.

John’s eyes never left my face
as I examined the game. I could feel his gaze studying my features intently and
it didn’t make me as uncomfortable as I thought it would. To counter this
realization, I decided to mess with him a little bit.

“Why are y’all so greedy with
your technology?” I asked John in a snobby voice as I raised my eyes to his.

His brows knit in confusion as
he tried to figure out my sudden mood change. “We taught humans how to invent video
games! Oh foli, you insult me.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

Not able to keep it up, I began
giggling. John’s features relaxed as he understood my words were said jokingly.

In retaliation, he swooped past
the table to throw me back on the couch. I yelped and laughed as he mercilessly
tickled my waist.

“Stop! Quit! Stop it!” I yelled
between bursts of laughter. His hands magically knew my most ticklish spots,
and it hurt oh-so-good. I kicked out with my legs to get him to stop, but he
managed to leap up and trap them in between his.