Myles felt his consciousness slipping away. The world around him fading into blur. Howevere, just when he thought he was about to succumb to the darkness, a soothing voice pierced through the haze.
At first, he thought that its just an illusion. Like a final trick of his mind before the end. But the voice grew clearer. It was warm and oddly comforting. Myles barely registered it. Then he feels that finally, he was lost in the swirl of pain and exhaustion.
But then, his eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was a beautiful face hovering inches from his own, smiling down at him with an expression that looks kind and mysterious.
"Am I... dead?" Myles mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. Is he just seeing an angel that will take him to the afterlife now?
The woman’s smile widened, amused. "Almost. If I hadn’t come in time, you would be dead for sure," the woman replied.
Myles blinked, struggling to process her words.
"So... I’m not dead?"
He glanced down at his left arm, half-expecting to see it ruptured and gone like the man he had seen before. But to his surprise his arm was still there, whole and intact. The sting mark from the wasp was still visible but it had dried like an old wound.
"I’m... not dead," he thought, the realization sinking in slowly. "But who...?"
He turned his gaze back to the woman who had now stepped back and giving him a full view of herself. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a pale face that seemed to glow. Her hair is shiny and dark, cascaded down her back framing her features. Her eyes were deep and hypnotic, drawing him in with their allure.
She wore a tight black gown that clung to her curves, accentuating her figure in a way that made Myles’s jaw dropped. The skirt had a daring slit that revealed her pale, slender thigh and the gown’s neckline dipped low showing off an ample cleavage. Myles couldn’t help but instinctively notice the fullness of her chest, thinking she must have G-cup breasts.
A part of him felt a strange even almost primal attraction to her. But he quickly pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the more pressing question of who she was and how she had saved him.
"Who... are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The woman tilted her head slightly in alluring way, exposing her neck, "You may call me Lilian, and I believe we have much to discuss."
Myles’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of everything. He had been on the brink of death a moment ago yet here he was, alive, with this mysterious woman standing before him. He was sure that this woman was not a human bring. That both frightened and intrigued him.
Lilian extended a hand toward him, her fingers delicate and pale. "Come," she said softly. "There’s more for you to see."
Myles hesitated for a moment. His mind whirled with conflicting thoughts as he stared at the woman who called herself Lilian. She was too powerful to be trusted. He couldn’t ignore the possibility that she wasn’t human and her reasons for saving him were anything but a kind act. No one, especially in this kind of world, did something like this for free.
She must want something.
His eyes narrowed as he weighed his options though he knew there weren’t many. His body was battered, his mind was still a little bit foggy and this woman had just pulled him back from the brink of death. Still, he couldn’t let himself be led around blindly.
"I can’t trust you," Myles said. Then he added. "No offense but... In the world that had become like this, yeah. I can’t just trust you."
Lilian tilted her head slightly, then a soft giggle escaping her lips. The sound was light and melodic and for a brief moment Myles found himself captivated by it. There was something undeniably charming about the way she laughed and despite his reservations he couldn’t help but feel admiration for her.
"That makes sense," Lilian replied. "But consider this, I just saved your life. Isn’t it only fair that you return the favor?"
Myles’ heart sank as the reality of his situation hit him. She was right. He was in no position to bargain.
With a resigned sigh he reached out and took Lilian’s hand. Her fingers were cool and soft, sending a shiver through him as their hands connected.
Before Myles could say another word Lilian spread her wings, black, and feathered, unfurling from her back gracefully. Myles’ eyes widened in shock.
Lilian didn’t give him time to react further. With a powerful beat of her wings they were soaring into the sky. Myles gasped, his stomach lurching as the ground fell away beneath them. He clung to her body instinctively, feeling a mix of fear and awe as they ascended higher and higher.
Myles could barely comprehend what was happening. He was flying—being carried by a woman who was clearly something more than human.
"Where are you taking me?" he managed to ask with trembling voice.
"Somewhere a little bit more private," Lilian replied, her face just an inch from his and Myles can smell her lovely breath. "Where you’ll learn everything you need to know."
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