NATALIE TOUCHED DOWN LIGHTLY INTO THE MOONLIT CLEARING deep in the forest, using only a few running steps this time to stop her forward motion. Neither did she have to concentrate hard to fold away her wings, absorbing them into the pouches that melted between her shoulder blades. Just as Simon said, her wings had come to be an integral part of her body—flying, as instinctual as walking. Regrettably, taking to the sky didn’t mean she escaped her worries. Her joy at discovering her newly emerging abilities had waned. The more she came into her Born self, the more withdrawn Rene, her lover, had become. Her bitterness over his abandonment wasn’t something she could deny anymore. Perhaps if she tired herself enough, she could smooth the nasty edge that had crept into her voice whenever she spoke to the others living in the monastery. They didn’t deserve her anger. After another quick glance around, she “popped” her wings again, fanning them wide, intending to take one more flight around the secluded valley.
