Moonbound and Undying

Chapter 7:Growing Danger

The night was quieter than usual, the air thick with anticipation as Amaris stood in the grove, waiting for Michael. The stars overhead seemed to glow a little brighter, their light casting a soft glow over the clearing, but the usual calm that surrounded their meetings had been replaced by a sense of urgency.

Amaris' heart raced as she thought about what was to come. She and Michael had danced around their feelings for weeks, aware of the dangers but unable to deny the connection that had been growing between them. Now, they had reached a point where neither of them could hold back any longer. What had begun as curiosity, then fascination, had grown into something deeper—something neither of them could control.

She heard the soft rustle of wings before she saw him, and her pulse quickened. Michael stepped into the clearing, his wings folding behind him, his expression troubled but determined. His eyes found hers, and in that moment, the distance between them seemed to vanish.

"Michael," Amaris whispered, taking a step toward him.

His gaze softened as he moved closer, and she could see the conflict in his eyes—the war between duty and desire, between the rules that bound him to Heaven and the love that now tied him to her. But as their hands met, fingers intertwining, she felt the decision already made. Whatever consequences awaited them, they would face them together.

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Michael stood before her, his heart pounding in his chest. Every instinct told him to pull back, to protect her, to stop this before it went too far. But he couldn't. Not anymore. The bond between them had already been forged, and it was too strong to break. He had tried to distance himself, tried to resist the pull of his emotions, but it was futile.

"I can't keep pretending," Michael said, his voice thick with emotion. "I can't keep telling myself that we can stay apart. I... I love you, Amaris."

The words hung in the air between them, a confession that had been building for so long it almost hurt to say. But the moment the words left his lips, he knew they were true. He had been denying his feelings for too long, trying to suppress the depth of his emotions in favor of his duty. But now, as he stood in front of her, he knew there was no going back.

Amaris' eyes filled with emotion, her hands tightening around his. "I love you too, Michael," she whispered. "I've felt it from the beginning. I don't care about the consequences. I don't care about the risks. I just want to be with you."

Her words were a balm to his soul, soothing the turmoil that had been raging inside him for so long. He had always been the protector, the guardian, the one who never let his emotions get in the way of his duty. But with Amaris, it was different. With her, he felt something he had never felt before—something he couldn't ignore.

Without another word, Michael closed the distance between them, his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. The world around them seemed to blur, the tension that had been building for weeks finally breaking as they gave in to the pull of their connection.

The kiss deepened, filled with a longing that had been simmering just beneath the surface for so long. It was a kiss that spoke of all the things they hadn't said, all the emotions they had been holding back. Amaris' hands slid up to his shoulders, her fingers tangling in the soft feathers of his wings as she pulled him closer.

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The air around them grew still, as though the world itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was about to happen. Michael's hand rested gently on Amaris' cheek, his thumb tracing soft circles against her skin as he gazed into her eyes. The love and longing that had been building between them, unspoken and yet undeniable, now burned brightly in the space between them.