Heroes and Wolves [book 1]

Chapter sixty-eight

Layla

It's getting colder now. The night time wind nips at my thin pyjama sleeves, nipping at my bare skin underneath and I shiver.

     "Hey" Maylock unzips his jacket and hands it to me.

     "No, you'll be cold" I rebuff his offer.

     "You're the one who just shivered. Take the jacket you stubborn so in so"

     "Fine" I laugh and before I can grab it, he wraps it around my shoulders. "Thanks" I embrace the sudden warmth and smell of fresh pine and moss that rifle up my nose. The smell of the Folklore woods. The scent of Maylock. I shake my head and pull the jacket together.

The path ahead is lit with beaming spotlights from the streetlamps compared to the darkened sky above with twinkling stars that shine through. Light and dark. A contrast of two halves that compliment each other perfectly.

Maylock stretches his arms out as well as his legs. He looks like an elongated starfish.

     "I like the quiet. It's..."

     "...Peaceful" we both say together, our gazes entwined with one another.

I look away as warmth floods my every nerve and its not because of this jacket, its something else.

     "We should head back." Maylock reluctantly gets up and I follow suit. "Press the main button on your angel to make your wings pop out" I press the button but a spark comes from my watch. "That isn't supposed to happen" he frowns.

     "My angel has been playing up ever since Mechon got hold of it"

     "And you tell me now?" he raises an eyebrow. "Mechon must have damaged your angel more than Zack realised when he fixed your angel. I can set you to auto pilot. May I?" he holds out his hand. "I'm asking so you don't punch me in the ribs again" he smirks and I roll my eyes as I show my arm for him to set and he holds it lightly.

It's just sudden movements that cause me to react like that. I always need to know what people's intentions are.

     "Doesn't that get exhausting?" I hear Maylock and it takes me a moment to realise that I just admitted that out loud.

     "I-I didn't mean for you to hear that. I don't want to talk about it" the warmth I feel boils to embarrassment as I recoil my arm away.

     "Okay" Maylock simply responds and indicates to give my arm back which I do after a short pause.

He soon busies himself in fixing my angel and I smile from the respect he gives me. He twists the main button of my angel three times clockwise and once anti-clockwise.

     "When we get back, if Baymin says anything then I'll take the fall. I should still be on scout duty"

     "Technically you are scouting the city" I swivel my hand to show where we are and he laughs.

     "That's true. You on the other hand miss Layla Taylor, will need to sneak back into your room." His comment takes me by surprise and causes a fluttering feeling to flow around me. "Also, I actually didn't ask" he looks at me.

     "Ask what?" I frown, my heart is beating wildly as I meet his warm gaze. I'm still reeling from the sparking sensations caused by his comment.

     "Do you even want to fly back?"