“We’re not jumping from the bleachers, for God’s sake. You’re not a baby bird.”
Hudson snort-laughs at this, then fades ahead of us, so that he’s lounging on the bleachers with a huge, shit-eating grin before we even get close.
Once we’re there, Flint stops at the railing right in front of the first row of bleachers. “Although, to be fair, if you did jump off the bleachers and started to fall, Jaxon and I would absolutely have your back. So there’s nothing to worry about, right? Just a simple walk in the park…but, you know, in the sky,” he teases.
My eyes go wide. “Says the guy who five minutes ago told me I’d figure flying out in the middle of the game.”
He waggles his brows. “To be fair, I still stand by that analysis. But let’s try this instead.”
Then, with absolutely no warning at all, he picks me up and puts me on top of the railing in front of the first bleacher. Unlike when I’m in my human form, lifting me like this actually strains his biceps and has him grunting a little.
Which only makes it worse when he lets go of me—keeping my balance on a railing is one thing. Keeping my balance when I’m stone is something else entirely. And it’s only sheer strength of will that stops me from shrieking when he lets go. But I manage it, because there’s no way I’m going to act like a hysterical little human caught in the middle of a bunch of big, bad paranormals.
Jaxon deserves better for a mate, but more importantly, I deserve better, too.
So instead of letting out the scream that wells in my throat the second I’m standing on my own, I swallow it down deep. Then ask, “What next?”
Flint looks more than a little uncertain when he says, “Jump?”
“Is that a question or a command?” I ask.
“Umm, both?”
“I thought you said you’d give me flying lessons! This”—I gesture around me—“is not flying lessons!”
“I meant once you were in the air. I do the best triple loops in the school.” He grins.
I shake my head. “Yeah, because triple loops are what I need right now, Flint.”
“Look, I’m doing my best, okay?” He chuckles and steps back a few steps. “Now, will you at least try it my way?”
I place my hands on my hips and raise one pointed brow. “And what way is that exactly?”
“Just jump and then…” He gestures with his arms.
“Flap my wings?”
“Yes. But don’t think about your wings. Think about—”
“Flying.” I sigh. “Yeah, I got that much before.” I look out at the field and the others who are kind of practicing but mostly just looking at me.
Okay, what the hell? Better to fall on my ass than never give it a shot. I take a deep breath, close my eyes.
“Remember, think about flying,” Flint tells me, and he’s a little farther away than he was a minute ago. I’m not sure if that’s because he thinks I’m going to fly or if it’s because he thinks I’m going to crash and wants to be out of the blast radius.
It doesn’t matter, I tell myself as I try to focus. Nothing does but thinking about flying. The fact that I have no idea how I’m supposed to do that doesn’t matter at all.
I’m flying. I’m flying. I’m flying. Flint told me to think about flying, so I’m thinking about flying. I’m flying. Like a bird. Like a plane. Like…okay, bad analogy. I’m flying. I’m fly— I jump and…land on my stony ass—which, it turns out, doesn’t hurt nearly as much as when I fall on my human ass. Thankfully. Though it is definitely more jolting.
“It’s also definitely not flying,” Hudson teases from where he’s still lounging a few feet up on the bleachers.
“Are you okay?” Jaxon asks as he comes jogging over to help me up. “I’m sorry, I was too far away to catch you.”
Of course he would think he was supposed to catch me. I shake my head and smile. “No worries. Stone is a good shock absorber.”
He laughs. “No, it’s not.”
“No, it’s not,” I agree, brushing the grass off my fleece pants. “But I swear it didn’t hurt. I’m all right.”
“Good.” He nods to the railing. “You want to try it again?”
“Not even a little bit.”
He lifts a brow. “Going to do it anyway?”
I lift my chin. “Abso-freaking-lutely.”
63
There Aren’t Enough