Chapter 16

 

 

 

He spilled deep inside Chloe, coming harder than he’d ever come in his lifetime. Her body gripped him, milking him and ensuring they felt every last bit of pleasure possible.

Sparrow never wanted to leave her side, never wanted to stop touching her, fucking her. But he felt the healing coil outward from within her—her power swelling until it would burst and rain down upon them both.

He reveled in it. “Do you see now, Chloe? Do you see what you are?” He blinked back tears as she closed her eyes, tossed her head back and gasped. Sparrow groaned and rested his cheek against her breast, clinging to her so he could feel every spark of it as she rediscovered what she was.

Her power triggered a change in him, opening him up as he had in her house to reveal the secret parts of himself that he never let anyone else see. A lightning cord rose from her and wrapped around the bolts swirling inside him, dancing in a fiery tango with him until he thought he might lose his mind from the sheer bliss of it.

And then they both slumped onto the bed, panting, his cheek still against her breast, her fingers woven through his hair, unmoving.

Sparrow lifted his face to look at his beautiful goddess. When she opened her eyes, they were wet with tears and bright with an inner light that hadn’t been there before.

“Oh my God,” she breathed in a quavering whisper. “I…I feel so different.”

Sparrow kissed her, nodding. “Because you are. We’ve woken your power, Chloe.”

“What can I do? Things like you?”

Sparrow laughed from pure joy. “Your power is so much stronger than mine. You’ll see. I’ll teach you.”

They curled together, her cheek against his chest this time, as he stroked her thick hair and told her about the wonders of the Twilight, her powers, and how she would never have to worry about another earthly problem ever again.

 

***

 

The butterfly flitted around the flowered vine, alighting and lifting off again almost as if teasing them. Chloe sat on the lush grass, naked and cross-legged, concentrating. Sparrow sat next to her, similarly naked. It had taken some convincing before Chloe would step outside with no clothes on, but Sparrow had finally made her see that no one else inhabited this particular place, and people in the Twilight tended to keep to themselves. They communed with the nature and the animals, and rarely made social calls.

Especially since Sparrow’s mother had been banished there. People kept their distance in fear of what might happen to them if they befriended her. Sparrow had hated them for it, but as he’d gotten older, he supposed he’d understood.

He slipped his hand beneath her hair and stroked her back. “Just call to it with your thoughts. No need to strain.”

“I haven’t been straining.” The furrow between Chloe’s brows told another story.

“You have, because if that’s your relaxed face I’d be afraid to see you get tense.”

Without missing a beat, she slapped his thigh and made him laugh. “Shhh, you’re too noisy for a teacher.”

“Think it, Chloe. Think come here.” He rubbed his fingertip in a circle between her eyebrows in an effort to get her to relax, and eventually she did.

The butterfly floated toward them, and landed on top of Chloe’s head.

“Is it there?” she asked, excited, holding stock still.

“No, it flew past,” Sparrow said.

She blinked a few times. “No, it didn’t! It’s on my head!”

“How do you know?” He waited to see how she’d verbalize it, curious how she might explain something he’d always had trouble with. His answer would have simply been I just know.

But in typical Chloe style, she impressed him yet again. “I feel it…sharing the same space with me. I feel its energy next to mine.”

The butterfly flew to Sparrow’s knee then, and made a few lazy circles, exploring its perch, before flying away. Chloe laughed with happiness at what she’d done, what she’d learned, and leaned over to cup Sparrow’s cheek and kiss him.

Her happiness made him happy. She’d been learning quickly, and had rejuvenated a wilting flower yesterday with merely a touch and a thought. This was the first living thing she’d called to her, but Sparrow knew soon she’d be able to summon birds and animals easily, as well.

Then they would explore her full power, power like his but so much stronger. He was eager to see her wield it, but thought a step at a time was the prudent approach. Besides, for a while every time they made love, Chloe would unlock more of her goddess-hood. That would eventually stop, but it didn’t matter. Sparrow intended to make love to her in every square foot of his place in the Twilight.

That morning, they’d bathed in the stream, and had waded into the deeper parts so that she could easily sink down onto him while he stood. Sparrow swore the flowers lining the banks were brighter and taller when they were done.

Her kiss didn’t stop now so she could demand they try something new, or to suggest they pick some fruit to eat. Instead, she pushed him onto his back on the soft cushion of grass. She sucked him into the wet, hot cavern of her mouth, tongued him like he was a delicacy.

His back arched and he shouted as he came, and Sparrow felt his power surging in tandem with hers.