Her lips twisted with annoyance, and she jabbed him in the shoulder with her finger. “I told you, I did it to save you! When will you listen to me? I could wait here, let you exit in a blaze of fucking glory upstairs, and sneak out tomorrow, but no, I’m here, helping!”
That poke in the shoulder was enough to give him a thrill of desire again. Oh yes, he liked Mouse a lot. She was feisty, and the urge to kiss her was strong. Plus, she’d apologised plenty of times, so maybe it was time to move on. Time to flirt, instead. “You’re just wanting to wrap yourself around my bare chest again. I get it. I look great naked.”
A gleam of amusement flashed in her beautiful, almond eyes. “Perhaps we should talk about that another time.”
“I like the sound of that.” He leapt to his feet, stripped his jacket and t-shirt off, and then pulled the horn from the box again. Its touch slithered over his skin, but he ignored the sensation and quickly wrapped it in his clothes and stashed them in his backpack. He couldn’t zip it closed completely, and the wrapped horn stuck out of the top, but it was reasonably secure. “Pass it to me when I’m ready.”
He clambered into the open hatch, fingers gripping the rim, muscles straining as he hung from it. He unfurled his wings carefully, angling slightly backwards so he was almost horizontal as he looked up at Mouse’s pensive face, because his wings extended above his head. This was far trickier than he’d expected. He couldn’t even use his wings to brace himself. The columns weren’t close enough.
“You’re going to have to wear the backpack,” he told her.
She didn’t question it, instead securing it tightly. “What now?”
“Lower yourself onto me, and grip very tightly.”
“This is insane. You’re taking up most of the space.”
“Too late to change your mind now, so please, just get on with it! And just so you know, I’m going to drop pretty quickly.”
Mouse rolled over the hatch, wrapped her arms around his neck while her legs braced on the rim, and said, “I can’t get my legs in!”
By now, despite his considerable strength, the weird angle was proving too tricky to maintain. “Hold on tight, and when you can, wrap your legs around my waist.”
Her face was inches from his, her eyes wide with genuine terror. He dropped, leaning backwards to allow her legs to slide through the gap, and they plummeted through blackness together. His arms wrapped around her body, clutching her to his chest as she screamed shrilly in his ear. With a flap of his huge wings, he suspended their fall, and she tucked her legs up like a gymnast, gripping his waist.
“Fucking fuckery!” she said, breath hot against his ear. “That was insane.”
He adjusted his grip, so that his arms were wrapped around her and the backpack, the swell of her breasts tight against his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. Are you ready? It’s going to get twisty.”
Fortunately, the columns were set far apart, and he weaved through them, heading towards a tunnel that was lower than the vaulted roof. The columns seemed sturdy enough, but moss lay thick in places.
“How can you see where you’re going?” she asked, her breath coming in quick, sharp bursts. “This is terrifying.”
“I can see in the dark. Don’t worry. I’m aiming for a tunnel lower down—is that the right direction?”
“Yes.” She steadied as she talked. “I think you can fly through it. There is water on the ground, but it’s shallow. It leads to another cistern, just like this, and then there’s another tunnel that’s gated at the far end. That connects with the next cistern that opens to the public.”
“And you travelled through here on foot? On your own? I’m impressed.”
“You don’t know half of what I get up to.”
“I’d like to,” he said, lips brushing her ear.
She didn’t answer, but she seemed to settle more closely to him, legs tightening around his waist. Then again, she was hardly likely to pull away.
He flew through the tunnel, which was just wide enough to accommodate his wings, eventually soaring into the next cistern. It was as stunning as the last one. It seemed incredible that humans had designed such beautiful places that were just meant to be filled with water. He wished he could linger, but focussed instead on getting them out of there. When they finally reached the gated entrance, he dropped to his feet, finding that the water came up to his knees.
“Let me open the lock again.” Mouse slid down him, her breath catching. “Give me some light.”
He took the pack from her, and in a few more moments they were through and Niel relaxed. He’d become used to the horn, and the effects seemed to diminish. Perhaps it was the circumstances, and he suspected it wouldn’t last, but he’d enjoy it while it did. He took a moment to orientate himself, noting how this cistern had been cleaned, and walkways erected. Columns stretched ahead, and he couldn’t see the way out.
“Where now?”
She pointed across the chamber using her torch. “That way. There are steps up to street level. We’ll have to break out of the main entrance, but it opens on to the road, and then we can return to the hotel. But first, I want to show you something.”
Rather than fly, they walked, using torches to highlight the details, and a peculiar feeling of peace descended over him. They were almost out. He’d secured the horn, avoided pursuit—for now—and he was with Mouse. And neither of them was unduly influenced by Belial yet.
The cistern was huge, and she chatted while they walked, talking about the cistern’s history. When they reached the top of the steps, she flicked a bank of switches, and light bloomed through the chamber.
“Herne’s horns!” Niel gasped as he took in the colourful, floodlit display. Shades of blue, green, red, and yellow illuminated the columns and the clear water at the bottom. The vaulted roof was also visible. It was breathtaking. “This is incredible.”
“They spent years clearing this out. Amazing, isn’t it?” Mouse’s eyes shone in the light. “It’s one of my favourite places in the world. Especially in private. Normally, it’s full of people.”
“Then I’m happy I get to see it like this, with you.”
She smiled up at him. “You’ve forgiven me, then?”
“I guess I have. Shall we have one last flight while the lights are on?” He secured the pack over his shoulder and opened his arms wide.
“I sincerely hope it’s not my last flight ever,” she said, wrapping her arms around him again.
He lifted her up so she could slide her legs around his waist again, and he rested his hands on her slender hips, wishing he was cupping her pert bottom instead. He launched off the platform, hearing her breath catch again, and took a slow, circular route through the cavern, wishing he could spend hours with her instead of just minutes. When he finally landed again, his loins were aching with desire.
She didn’t jump down straight away, instead extending her arms at full length so she could look at him, and circled back to his earlier question. “Do you really want to know what I get up to?”
“Yes. I want to see more of you—in all ways.”
“You barely know me.”
