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“When the elders are involved, it does tend to take longer to be called to council,” Andrues answered, snapping his book shut and pushing himself from the grass.

I took a step toward Landers and he wrapped his arms around my waist as I looked up at him, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose.

“Patience, Darkness. They will call,” Landers said softly, his eyes glittering down at me with amusement.

“Well,” I started as I pulled from his embrace, my fingers dragging down his chest. “If it’s going to be awhile, I need to do something to get this energy out of me. My nerves are going into overdrive.”

“How can we be of service, Hyacinth?” Landers deadpanned with a mock bow. I rolled my eyes and a soft chuckle left Andrues’s lips as I glanced toward the cliff.

A grin spread across my face as I slowly looked back at them and folded my arms across my chest.

“How about a little cliff diving?” I asked, my smile growing wider as I backed toward the ledge.

Andrues shook his head at me with a knowing smile as Landers took a small step forward.

“Hyacinth . . .” Landers said, his tone telling me he did not approve. I gestured my head toward Andrues, and with a few quick steps, he was by my side.

“Andrues,” Landers snapped, his tone sharp with warning as Andrues turned to face him, both of us still inching closer to the edge.

Andrues shrugged, a grin now plastered onto his face as he responded. “When was the last time we had some real fun?” Heraised a brow as he spread his arms out to each side. “Live a little, brother.”

Landers groaned, watching as the heel of my boot slid to the very edge of the grass, nothing but open air behind me.

“Ipromise, I will catch you,” I said, my smile deepening as I placed my hand over my heart then leaned back and fell from the cliff.

A shriek of joy flew from my lungs, adrenaline racing through my veins as Andrues and I plummeted down the mountain side, his laugh echoing into the air around me. My eyes snapped open to see Landers taking the jump, finally flinging himself from the ledge to join us.

Shadows flowed from my limbs, creating a canopy under Andrues and me to slow our fall—to give Landers time to catch us. I reached my hand up to him, stretching my fingers out to his as Nithra appeared from the clouds beneath us.

Our bodies collided with her spine and I wrapped my shadows around our waists to hold us in place as she took a sharp turn upward. Andrues flung his arms out and hollered into the sky as the wind ripped through his hair. I had never seen him look so free, look so . . . blissful.

Landers’s arms wrapped around my waist and I could feel the stiffness in the muscles of his forearm as his warm breath flowed over my neck.

“Flying suits you,” he whispered, his voice low as his lips brushed against my ear. I leaned into him, letting my head fall back against his shoulder as I breathed him in.

“More moments like these,” I whispered into the curve of his neck, my lips grazing his skin before letting my gaze drift up to his. “When this is all over, promise me that we can have more moments like this.”

His eyes pierced into mine, so much love and devotion swirling in their depths as he smiled softly down at me.

“As you wish, Darkness. As you wish.” The words were gentle as he said them but there was something in his tone, some uncertainty that I could not place.

And as his lips connected with my forehead, fear clamped around my heart.

Nithra pulled us back to the grassy knoll, her talons digging into the earth as Andrues slid from her back, his hand trailing against her scales lovingly as she nuzzled her snout against him. The bond they had was beautiful. Outside of myself, he was the only one she showed any affection toward.

Landers jumped from her spine, his hand supporting mine as I dismounted beside him. I watched as he dragged a hand through his wind-tousled hair, smoothing it out as he pulled me closer into his side.

“I do not know if anything will ever top that feeling,” Andrues said, the smile on his face radiating pure elation as he sauntered over to us.

“There is a first and a last time for everything,” Landers said, clearing his throat as he glanced back toward the cliff.

“Has he always been this serious?” I asked Andrues, my tone teasing as Landers scoffed down at me with a playful streak in his eyes.

“No,” Andrues started as Landers lifted a brow at him. “That was the symptom of becoming King.” He smirked over at me as Landers shook his head at him with a soft chuckle.

“Uhm . . . excuse me, your highness?” A quiet voice sounded from behind Nithra’s body.

I knew that voice.