Free Made to Love by DL Kopp Page A

like a protective shell. Wings .  I was
stunningly unsurprised.  They fit his perfection.
    Rolling him over gently,
making sure to stretch his wings out so they wouldn’t crumple under
him, I smoothed his black hair off his forehead.  His face was
slack as though he was asleep.  Maybe I should do CPR. 
Did I know how to do CPR?  Well, I had seen a lot of
movies.
    I bent down, touching my
lips to his.
    He moved, his hands coming
up to grip my arms.  I opened my eyes, startled, but his lips
were so soft and gentle.  He was kissing me.
    He’s alive!
    The thought was such a
relief that I kissed him back, tangling my hands in his hair. 
Octavius pulled my over his body, rolling so that he was atop me,
and I continued to kiss him eagerly, like the first breath of air
after suffocating for too long.
    When he pulled back, I
gazed up at him, breathless.  His wings sheltered us from the
rain, leaving us in a dark, private cubby on the beach.  I was
still soaking wet, with both salt water and the monster’s fluids,
but I couldn’t have been happier.
    “ Thank you,” I breathed,
and he winked at me.
    So in
love.

Chapter
Twenty-Four
     
    My dad was standing in the
front door when Octavius and I walked up.  He had his arms
crossed and a glare on his face.
    “ He saved me,” I
spat before he could say anything.  “And I wouldn't have been
in danger in the first place if someone hadn't been climbing on the
roof.”
    That didn't soften his
expression in the slightest.  “I won't kick him off the
property.”
    “ Good.”  I shifted
Octavius's arm on my shoulders.  I wasn't sure if I was
supporting him, or if he was supporting me.  It was probably
both.
    I started toward the door,
and Dad held up a hand.
    “ What now ?” I
sighed.
    “ He can be here,” Dad
said, “but he can't come inside.”
    I stomped my food on the
ground.  “What is your problem ?”
    He blinked.  “He'll
track crud on the floor.”
    “ And I won't?” I said,
using my hand to point all all the gross we were covered in. 
“We need to shower!”
    My dad blanched in
panic.  “ You can shower,” he said, pointing to
me.  “ He can use the garden hose.”
    “ Cal,” Octavius
said.  “It's okay.  Really.”
    I turned to look at
him.  Even covered in white ooze, I had never seen anything
prettier.  I didn't know how he could stand to even peep at me
when he could look in the mirror and lose himself in the best face
the world had ever seen.
    “ Octavius,” I said in a
low voice.  “You're with me.  He has to accept
that.”
    “ No I don't!” Dad
said.  We ignored him.
    Octavius cupped my face in
his hands.  I leaned to kiss his fingers and tasted the salty
goop of the sea monster.  I gagged, and Octavius
laughed.
    “ I'll talk to your dad,”
he said, dropping his hand.  “It'll be fine.  Right,
sir?”
    Dad didn't seem to think
any such thing.  He stormed toward the garage, saying, “Follow
me” in a curt tone.  Octavius shrugged and followed, his wings
drooping slightly.
    I went inside and headed
upstairs.  True to my word, I was dragging all sorts of
disgusting behind me.  I didn't pity the maid in the
slightest, although I did kind of want to see her face when she saw
how the floors looked.  It'd be classic.
    As I went in my bathroom, I
shrugged off my clothes and looked in the mirror.  I seemed
even more blah than usual, thanks to my limp hair and cut-up
body.  And it looked like I lost a lot of weight, too, so I
was probably going to go up another cup size. 
Ugh.  As if this day wasn't rough enough.  Why was eating
so hard?
    I climbed into the shower
and let the water sluice off my body.  It was great to be able
to choose the temperature: in this case, so hot my skin would turn
red.  I didn't care if I looked like a lobster – I needed
everything off me, as soon as possible.
    After a few minutes, I was
pretty clean, so I stepped out of the shower and started
towel-drying my hair.  The last