A Court of Wings and Fate

51. Facing Ridicule

Mikael made good on his promise. Estelle had only just finished bathing and returned to the bedroom, when he pulled her onto his lap and shielded the room. He'd assured her that everyone else was already asleep. He had checked, and she could be as loud as she wanted. No sounds were getting through his shield.

Estelle had been loud. Mikael took his time with her, and she both loved and hated him for it. He'd kissed and fingered her until she came. He lay burning kisses on her jaw, neck, and throat. When her towel slipped off, he let his touches fall lower, licking, kissing, and teasing the most sensitive areas on her chest. She had taken great pleasure in marking his neck and shoulders with kisses and small nips of her own.

When she'd tried to stand, Mikael had merely pulled her back down, promising that he wasn't yet finished. She'd unlaced his pants. He'd spread her legs wider, pulled her closer to his chest, and slid into her without even a pinch of discomfort.

He had known exactly what to do. He knew the right angles to go in at, the right spots to hit, and how long to linger there. Estelle had barely been able to breath amidst all of her gasping moans. Her skin tingled at the sound of Mikael's. Mikael had worked until she climaxed again, and she made sure he finished as well. Needless to say, Estelle had marked the experience as one of the best she'd ever had.

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"What are you thinking about, Batsy?" Mikael asked, helping her stretch her wings.

Estelle merely smiled. "Only good things."

"Hm. How does this feel?" He lifted her wings higher as she kept them extended.

"Good. It doesn't hurt. It's been two weeks now. I should be able to fly with you to the Dawn Court soon, unless Madja has changed her mind."

Despite Madja's warnings, Estelle had been practicing her flying for the past few days. It had helped loosen up her wings and lessen the lingering soreness. She was determined to fly to the Dawn Court when Mikael chose to return home. He'd stayed again when the latest exchange took place. Nyx, Corbin, and Lysander had all gone along at Devlon's behest.

A knock sounded on the door. "It's open," Estelle called. She stretched her wings again and Mikael carefully aided her.

The door opened, revealing Azriel. His gaze flickered between the two of them. Mikael held it, not pulling his hands away from Estelle's wings. Her shadows coiled around him protectively.

"Devlon, Rhys, and I were trying to come up with ways to keep Ze'ev away from you," Azriel began. "We had a few ideas, but when we went to find him, we discovered that he was gone. He wasn't sent with the exchange group and according to multiple people, he hasn't been in Windhaven for weeks. The last time anyone saw him was when your mother and I went to Windhaven to deal with some problems he'd been causing."

"You mean, he disappeared after Estelle was nearly killed?" Mikael growled. "That seems a little suspicious."

"It does," Azriel agreed. "We're going to keep an eye out for him, but there's no guarantee that we'll find him. Be on your guard. I don't want that male near you ever again, Little Bat."

"I'll be careful, Dad," Estelle promised.

"Madja is going to come check on you soon. If she clears you today, you'll be able to go to the Dawn Court." Azriel glanced at Mikael again, then ducked out the door.

"I think he might actually be warming up to me," Mikael chuckled. "He doesn't look at me like he's already envisioning my death anymore. He might just be masking his feelings, of course."