“The glasses I took from the kitchen in the caravan, the flowers I found nearby.”

“And the red stuff?” I asked, looking at the glass of blood.

“That came from me,” he said, covering a small open wound on his wrist with the sleeve of his coat.

My stomach summersaulted at seeing the glass of blood within my reach. My throat burnt and went dry.

“A date isn’t a proper date without some music,” he said, holding out his hand.”

I took the iPod from my pocket and handed it to him. He pressed the screen with his thumb as he downloaded tracks. I looked at the glass of his blood again, my stomach cramping.

Potter placed the iPod on the tree stump next to the glass of flowers. The song When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars filled the small enclosure.

Potter could see me staring at the glass of his blood.

“I can’t drink it,” I whispered, unable to take my eyes off the glass.

“Why not?” he asked softly.

“Because I can’t have you,” I said, turning to look at him. “You’re not mine to take.”

“I am,” he said over the soft sound of the music.

“You belong to Sophie,” I whispered. “The Elders showed me.”

“What do you mean?” Potter said, startled.

I looked at him and said, “They showed me a statue of you and a woman. You both looked really happy together. You looked in love. But that woman wasn’t me, Potter. It was Sophie. The Elders said it is her you will be with.”

“And you really believe a single word those twisted fucks say?” he asked me.

“Why not?” I said, taking my eyes from the glass and looking at him.

“Because they are fucking with us,” Potter said. “Can’t you see that? This whole pushed world – the fact they’ve brought us back – is to punish you for not making that decision. They know how much you care for your friends; that’s why we’ve all been brought back too – so you can see us suffer. But more than that, they know how you feel about me. What better way to hurt you than tell you it’s Sophie I’m going to end up with?”

“But what if they are telling the truth?” I said, not wanting to have false hope for fear of being hurt.

“They’re lying,” Potter insisted.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked him.

“Because I know how much I love you, Kiera,” he said, taking my hands in his. “I love you so much. More than I have ever loved anyone.

How many ways have I got to tell you that?”

“But what if we love each other only to find out that the Elders are right?” I said, looking into his jet-black eyes. “I don’t think I could bear losing you all over again.”

“It’s my choice who I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Potter said. “And I chose to spend it with you, Kiera, not Sophie. It’s you I want. It’s you I’ve always wanted.”

“But you don’t understand,” I said, tears burning at the corners of my eyes. “I won’t be coming back with you, Potter. I have to stay here.”

“Then, I’ll stay with you,” he said, gripping my hands tighter in his, as the music continued to sweep all about us.

“If you stay, then I think you’ll die,” I whispered through my flowing tears. “You’ll die just like me.”

“If I can’t be with you, Kiera, I would rather be dead,” he said, pulling me close. “My life has no meaning without you in it. I’m not going back without you, and that’s a promise. We live together or not at all.” Slowly, Potter gently placed his lips over mine and kissed me. I kissed him back.

Chapter Fifteen

Kiera

Pushing me gently down onto the blanket, Potter covered my neck in kisses, which were so gentle and tender, it felt as if my skin were being caressed with a feather. With my eyes closed, I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him down on top of me.

“I love you, Kiera,” he murmured between kisses.

“I love you, too,” I said. I couldn’t lie or hide my feelings for him. I had never stopped loving him.

Slowly, we peeled each other’s clothes away, casting them aside so we were free of them. Potter arched his back, releasing his wings in a fine spray of black shadows. Naked, he knelt over me, leaning down to cover my breasts in kisses. My wings unfolded beneath me like a soft bed of feathers. I wrapped my arms around his back and held him. Turning his attention from my breasts, Potter kissed my mouth again. Locked in each other’s arms, we floated up into the air above the secret clearing. With our wings rippling gently in the wind on either side, we turned slowly around and around in the air like two angels dancing. The song The Power of Love by Gabrielle Aplin filtered up from below. We turned slowly, around and around, locked in each other’s arms, our wings beating softly like a heartbeat.

Snow fell from the branches of the nearby trees, swirling through the air, glittering in the early morning light like falling stars. We kissed each other slowly, our tongues locked together like our arms and legs. I felt Potter ease himself gently inside of me, truly making us one. I shuddered with pleasure, groaning out loud as we continued to turn in the air just above the secluded spot.

Hidden by the trees, it felt as if we were the only people alive in this pushed world.

Opening his eyes, Potter looked into mine and said, “I’ll never leave you again, Kiera. It is you who I want to be with, not another.”

Kissing me again, we slowly dropped out of the sky, landing softly on the blanket. Hidden beneath our wings, Potter slowly eased himself in and out of me. I drew my knees up and arched my back, as he worked his strong hips up and down. I ran my claws up and down the length of his back.

He moaned as my sharp nails pierced his skin.

The sudden smell of his blood heightened my desire for him. I broke our kiss, as my fangs slid from my gums. He looked down at me and smiled, his fangs glistening wetly just inches from my face. Without saying a word, he tilted his head to the right, offering his neck to me. Jerking my head forward, I nipped at his skin, the smell of his blood racing through his veins turning me wild. Unable to resist him or his blood for one more moment, I sank my teeth into his flesh. Potter’s blood gushed into my mouth. It was hot, and hit the back of my throat like a shot of strong whiskey. I ravenously sucked at the wound I had opened in his neck. His blood pumped into my mouth in thick, sticky waves. A warm sensation fanned out inside of me, across my chest, stomach, and between my legs.

Potter moved faster and faster above me, his breathing getting deeper and quicker with every thrust of his hips. With his blood running from the corners of my mouth, I pulled my lips away, gripping his arse and clawing him deeper into me. I threw my head back against the blanket, as Potter sank his teeth into my neck. I felt a sudden burning sensation as my skin broke. With a seething excitement flowing open in the pit of my stomach, I let him feed off me, as he pushed into me faster and faster. With my head feeling light and my skin tingling, a warm, throbbing pulse flooded through my entire being as a swell of unimaginable desire erupted deep within me. I cried out, wrapping my legs about his back, keeping Potter locked deep inside of me as my body trembled and rocked.

Potter withdrew his fangs from my neck and cried out, as he jerked inside of me. Then, just when I thought he was going to collapse, spent and out of breath above me, he suddenly picked me up in a burst of energy and threw me into the air. With my wings fluttering, I crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree. Snow showered down, as Potter lunged at me. I grabbed for him with my claws, fangs on show.

“I want you so fucking bad,” he snarled, his wings pointing out behind him, fangs razor-sharp and protruding from his gums like white daggers.

“Take me again, then,” I hissed, raking my claws up his back and over his shoulders.

Gripping my thighs with his powerful claws, Potter pushed me back and up against the tree. Once inside of me again, he wasted no time in building up to a frantic rhythm. With my eyes half opened, I looked down into his face, and it was the first time while making love, I think we had both truly given in to the animal instincts deep inside of us. I was no longer scared of those feelings; I gave in to them. I gave in to Potter and he gave in to me.

Snarling at him, I pushed him backwards.

He flew across the clearing, landing on his back.

A wake of snow shot up into the air. Even before it had settled again, I was on him. With my wings arched high, shielding us from the rest of the world, I slid down on top of him. Potter grabbed my breasts, my throat, anything he could get hold of. He pulled me forward, covering me in kisses.

He nipped at my flesh with his fangs and I groaned with pleasure. I moved up and down, and when I felt the muscles in his stomach and thighs contract, I pushed myself fully down onto him.

Potter arched his back and cried out as if it was an involuntary act – something he could neither control nor keep locked inside. A fiery hot gush of pleasure suddenly gripped me, making my whole body shake like I was undergoing some violent seizure. With tears of sweat covering my body in a silky gloss, I collapsed into Potter’s welcoming arms.

He pulled me down on top of him. Still inside of me, Potter held me tight and breathed, “I want us to stay locked together like this forever. I never want to be apart from you again, tiger.”

“We feel like one person,” I whispered, still trying to catch my breath.

“I don’t ever want that feeling to go away,” he said, stroking a stray length of hair from my brow.

“Nor do I,” I whispered, resting my head against his chest. But in my head, I could still see that statue of Potter and Sophie looking so happy together. “Hold me tight,” I said.

“For always,” he whispered back, folding his wings over us like a blanket.

Chapter Sixteen

Potter

“We should get going,” I whispered in Kiera’s ear.

“So soon?” she murmured against my chest. “I could stay here with you like this forever.