Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Of course, all she wants is to be normal.
“You,” my father says, his cold eyes coming back to me. “Yes, you’ve wanted your wings back since the day I sliced them off and poured hell-metal down your back to keep them from regrowing. But more than that, you are a pitiful little being that craves love. Each of you hopeless creatures wants what they can never have, doomed to live out stories without a happy ending.” My father tut, tut, tuts.
“Fuck you,” I bark at him, my face flaming with anger for taunting us like this.
“Don’t you see?” My father laughs. “Today is your lucky day. Today,” he says, his voice lulling, “both of you little desperate beasts can have everything you want. Just look.”
He points behind us. Golden runes light up beneath our feet, and Phoenix gasps.
“Layden, look!” Her voice sounds full of wonder.
I don’t want to look. I know the moment I do, my father gets what he wants. She grabs my hand, and I want to yank her away. To warn her of the danger.
But her voice is so insistent and delighted when she cries, “Layden!”
In spite of myself, I turn.
The little house at the end of the cul-de-sac is perfect. It couldn’t be more perfect.
It’s sea-foam green with white shutters and a white picket fence. The grass is so, so green, and the sky so, so blue.
“Oh, Layden, I couldn’t be happier,” Phoenix says from beside me. I look over, and she’s in her wedding dress, beaming up at me. “This is all I’ve ever wanted. Come inside.”
I clench her hand to mine like a lifeline. Because she is all I’ve ever, ever wanted. I finally have all I’ve ever craved. I finally feel full.
I lift her into my arms, and she giggles with joy as she throws her arms around my neck. I’ve never heard her so light and happy and free.
Life starts here, at this moment, with her.
I carry my bride over the threshold of our new life.
The house inside is just as perfect, and not because it’s some mansion. It’s not. It’s small. Cramped even, some might say.
“I love it,” Phoenix says, looking around, then smiling back at me so big. “And I love you.”
My chest expands at her words. Why does it feel like I’ve been waiting forever to hear them? “You do?”
“Of course I do, silly,” she laughs, then nuzzles her forehead to mine. “I have since that first day I ran into you on that hiking trail and gave you first aid.”
I nuzzle her back, so full of love even as my memory blanks a little, but then, piece by piece, the blanks are filled in. Oh yes, the day we met. I’d gotten into an… accident of some kind on the hiking trail deep in the woods. I frown as I try to make out the details, then forget as soon as Phoenix kisses me.
The details don’t matter. I remember Phoenix coming to my rescue. She took me back to her cabin while I recovered. Tended to me. Brought me back to life, it felt like.
I nuzzle my face against hers, whispering into her hair, “I couldn’t admit to myself how long I’ve loved you.”
She shakes her head. “We were so stupid for so long. We never should have let anything come between us and keep us apart.”
I nod, and like magnets, we turn toward each other, kissing as hungrily as I’ve always dreamed. I pour all of my love into the kiss, and our tongues dance as she presses her mouth eagerly back against mine.
She tugs hers away only long enough to say, “Show me the bedroom?”
I carry her down the short hall to one of the two bedrooms of the small house. The carpet’s a little worn, and it could use some new trim, but Phoenix just looks around as I carry her and sighs happily. “I love this house. It’s so normal.”
I laugh. “That’s not exactly what most men want to hear their wives say when they try to buy them their dream house. We’ve been working for years to afford the down payment on the mortgage. I’m exhausted most nights after my job at the construction site, and you’ve been killing yourself to get tenure at the university.”
Her bright gaze comes back to me. “I know, but now we have a mortgage! And the most perfect house. Isn’t it wonderful?”
I chuckle deeply as we finally arrive at the bedroom. “It’s wonderful finally being able to call you Mrs. Layden Eques.” Lovingly, I lay her down on the bed.
The glint in her turns mischievous as she drags me down on top of her.
“All you’ve ever done is tease me,” she growls. “Will you finally give me everything? All of yourself? Mr. Phoenix Eques?”
Gently, and one by one, I tug the little pins out of her hair. From my position on top of her and propped up by my elbows, I can only reach some of them, but it’s enough to run my fingers through the hair around her face as I gaze into her eyes. “You’ve always had all of me.”