Deep breath in... deep breath out...

That's how you do it right?

I was thinking to myself as I felt my body lurch forward and I felt as though my wings gone now.

"VAL-" I heard a rushed voice behind me, but before I could turn around to see who it was, I was crashed into the floor harshly as a weight was put on top of me.

"What were you doing!?" Francis asked in a demanding voice making my pupils dilate. I took in my surroundings and realised he now had me pinned to the ground as he was on top of me, hands either side of my head.

"Huh-?" I asked, not fully registering what was going on. But as I looked to myself and pressed my back against the floor harder, not feeling anything under me and that's when I realised that I had did it.

"I did it!" I cheered to myself out loud, and I saw the anger in Francis's eyes faded into confusion.

"What?" he puffed out, almost like releasing his anger as he sat up to let me do the same.

"I contacted my wings just like you did!" I explained and turned to feel my back and saw that there was no sign of feathers on my back.

I looked back at Francis and saw he was dumbfounded by what I had just said.

"You weren't trying to escape?" he asks quietly, almost like it was to himself, but I shook my head, making his eyes light up.

"Why would I? I've learnt from the last two times, you know." I question but instead of an answer all he does was hug me suddenly. It dawned on me that he was so happy that I wasn't trying to escape for once. It saddened me that he was this expectant that I would run away any chance I got.

Looking down at his messy hair, I brushed my fingers through it, making him say something but it came out muffled so I couldn't hear.

As I was about to say something, I exhale out and as I did, I felt a surge go through my body and then I felt soft feathers against my back once again. Breaking myself from the half hug of Francis I stood up and took another deep breath in, thinking of making my wings disappear again, and sure enough they did so.

I felt my back and suddenly realised that my clothes were still in contact with wings shooting out of my back and I looked back at Francis as he got up as he seemed to exactly know what my questions were, am I that readable?

"Our wings are so developed that in human society that they can phase through simple clothing, unlike those chains that I had in prison." he says causally, and I nod my head, as I walked back into the room he followed me curiously and I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?" I ask him but he just turns away, waving his head.

"Nothing. I've just got to go do more work, so you can go see Quinn or something." he said, and I shook my head as I followed him out the bedroom door, but turned a different way, already knowing where she was.

Sure enough, I find my friend in the women's training room, beating the life out of a boxing bag. I laughed as she missed her hit and tripped over from the pull. Quinn flipped her head around and as once as she saw me, she grunted and got up to give me a hug but stopped as she pulled back as she saw that my wings were gone.

"I learnt it from Francis!" I say proudly as I felt my wings pop out again, as she nodded clearly impressed.

"I'm glad you're talking to him again, but what made you do it?" Quinn asked in a cheeky tone, and I smile back, sheepishly.

"We may have.. kissed0" I utter, and she double takes when she looks back at me, jaw dropped open, and eyes widened.

As I told her about what happened in the hospital room and the masquerade party, she was left stunned, and I had to wave my hands in front of her face to wake her of her daze. And once I did, there was a wide grin was left on her face as she hugged me tightly.

"This is so good! I mean, do you know how long Francis has been waiting for this?" she exclaims but I stop her before she could go on.

"He's been waiting?" I ask naively and she gives a duh expression.

"Of course, he has! He fell head over heels for you ever since you were his psychologist, as much as he won't admit it." Quinn says with a soft smile, and I could feel my cheeks heat up at the mention of this, I needed to change the subject before I became a flustered mess.

"Anyway! When can I start learning to fight?" I ask casually, walking over to the knife section but before I can look at them properly, I'm pulled away from them and restrained. Turning my head, I scowl at Quinn who was obviously worried I would hurt myself. "It's fine Quinn! I'll take all the blame if I do hurt myself somehow. " I say but she doesn't loosen her grip on me.

After a while, I managed to convince Quinn to at least let me try out one knife and I chose a slim knife with a pointed edge, which my friend told me was a pointed throwing knife and was small so that it was easily portable.

I lined myself in front of one of the distanced targets and drew back my knife as Quinn instructed me to do. I did so and went to throw it and as I did, there was a loud bang at the door making me let go of the knife too early, but as I looked at the target I saw that it was a bullseye. I was about to cheer but instead of doing so, I was pulled into a hard chest.

Instantly knowing who it was I put on an innocent face before looking up to see him scowling.

"I hit the bullseye-" I was going to say before being interrupted by his deep voice.

"With a knife, that you could've hurt yourself with." he states, and I sigh defeated as I tried to push him off me, but he didn't budge and instead glared more when I kept struggling to push him off me.

"Francis, if you're going to keep me here, inside, with these wings, that you forced me to have, you could at least allow me to train myself and be able to use self-defence when I need it." I explained sternly and for a second, I swear I saw some hurt in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced.

He held his stare at me so I did the same with him until Quinn awkwardly coughed so that the awkward tension would be broken. Francis's gaze switches for me, to Quinn and the equipment in the room, until he finally let's go of me.

"Fine. But before you do anything here you have to ask me." he demands and I nod eagerly as I start to walk back to the knives, but I was quickly pulled back by the wrist. "But that's it today, you can do it tomorrow, we're going back to my room for lunch."

As soon as Francis says that my eyes shoot to Quinn, and I see her wiggling her eyebrows at me. I knew she was going to ask me about it later, so I rushed out of the room, dragging Francis out of the room.

"Did you really have to say that in front of Quinn?" I sigh and he chuckles, making me frown even more.

Soon, we arrived at Francis's rooms, and I see that there's two warm bowls of soup sitting on the coffee table in front of the built-in TV.

"I've heard this soup can help with hangovers." Francis said and I felt a smile creep onto my face from the consideration of him. Before I went over to eat it, I peeked Francis's cheek and left him there before sitting on the couch and start sipping the soup.

After a minute I put down my soup and saw that Francis was still standing in the same place where I left him, holding the cheek I kissed him on.

"Are you just going to stand there?" I ask and that snaps the man out of his daze as he quickly walked next to me and gulped down the soup before putting the bowl back down and almost running out the door.

"Need to go do work." Francis blurts out before closing the door and running away. What was his deal?

Finishing the soup, I went to the balcony once again and admired the nature and the soon to be setting sun. I let out a sigh as my skin hit the marble railing, resting my head.

I wonder if I could ever get out of here. I'm getting so attached to the people here that soon I won't want to leave and maybe it's for the better? My old life was boring, and my job was the only inspiration I had, but now I could live on the edge, have some thrill in my life... some love.

I liked it here, but I don't know how long I'll last.

I was woken up to being pressed against a warm surface.

Opening my eyes, I saw Francis's golden eyes staring right back at me.

"Good morning." I mumble sleepily and he just groaned to himself, pushing me into his chest further.

He had refused to let me go back to my room ever since that night I stayed and that was two weeks ago.

Everything was going well, I was getting better at fighting and self-defence, mostly under Francis's supervision since he didn't trust me not to hurt myself. I had beat three of the gang members in a duel and thankfully without getting to hurt.

And today is when Francis says that he has a surprise for me, I've guessed a hundred times, but he refuses to tell me anything which has left me more curious.

Pushing myself out of Francis's grasp, he groaned but remained in his bed as I went to the balcony to fresh air.

I pushed back my hair with my hand and smiled as a gust of wind blew onto my face gently. I didn't know where this place was, but it seemed to always be sunny and warm, rarely cold and raining.

Turning back around I saw that Francis was now up and getting ready in his workout clothes, a sweatshirt, and black shorts. As he saw me looming at him, he shoots out his wings and bushes himself over to me.

"Ready for the surprise?" he asked, and my eyes widened in excitement as I nodded my head eagerly. Raising his eyebrow, obviously amused he lifted me up by the arms and flew over the balcony railing. Instead of moving down he flies upwards, towards the flat roof.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but what I said was barely audible since there were large gusts of wind.

He gestures to the open air and the wind before spreading out his wings further.

"Giving you your first flying lesson of course." he smiles, and I feel my wings pop out of my back in surprise. "Really?!" I question and he nods proudly making me practically jump up and down in excitement.

"What do we do first?" I ask and Francis looks at me and then the drop of the mansion.

"Jump." he says confidently, and I could feel all the energy in my body draining out.

"Jump?"