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I approached the waterfall, feeling its mist on my skin, and swiftly shed my bodice and pants. Standing under the cascading water, I worked to rid them of the clinging mud, wringing them out under the waterfall.

Damian came up to me and did the same. He took off his clothes bare to his undergarments. Holy scales. His body was ripped from head to toe, not a muscle missing. I had to look away before he saw me staring intensely at his fit body. My cheeks went warm and the deep gold flooded them.

I hastily yanked my clothes into place, smoothing out the deep creases and adjusting the fabric with hurried movements. The material was still a little damp in some spots, but at least it was mostly free from the mud that had a mind of its own.

“Should we try again?” I found it impossible to quell my exhilaration as I was so excited to get back on Belle’s back and to soar through the sky.

“Are you crazy?” Damian emphasized, his chest heaving. I could tell that Damian felt the opposite. Why was he so nervous around Belle? Glancing at his hands, they appeared clammy, his face also white.

Belle was right next to me, and I grabbed onto one of the small horns that protruded from her back, slinging myself to saddle her as I slid to fit comfortably. Impressed with my quick mounting, I shot a look toward Damian.

“Crazy enough to leave you if I have to, yes.”

“You’re insane.”

“Insanely excited to be with one of my kind? Absolutely. Get on.”

Belle’s pink wings glistened as they waved in the air, slowly flapping upward. She raised off of the ground just a tad, tempting Damian to hop on before we left him. The power of her wings was kicking up dust, sending the whirls of it into Damian’s face, making him close his eyes in response.

“You getting on?” I questioned, concealing the smirk that was threatening my lips. He crossed his arms over his body, glancing at us through the flurries of dirt that covered his view.

Rolling his eyes, Belle lowered down, knowing that he was about to give in. Damian followed after my steps, grabbing onto one of her small spikes, and flipping his body over, finding the spot behind me.

He was so stubborn; it was driving me crazy.

His body was warm against my own as he wrapped his arms around the center of my stomach, clenching tightly. My body tingled from his touch, trickling up my spine. Shaking the spark away, I grabbed onto two evenly placed spikes on Belle’s back, signaling to her that we were ready to go.

Chapter twenty-four

DAMIAN

As we soared through the air, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

I hated every moment. Touching the dragon only reminded me of Sebastia and what they did to her–what they took from me. However, the thought of taking the Scaleborne didn’t make me feel any better. I knew they would kill her, and I felt guilty knowing this. I was sending her to her death sentence by taking her to Tybalt.

Despite the circumstances, I found myself curious and drawn to the liveliness of the Scaleborne.

The dragon was also not as bad as I thought.

She quickly turned, yanking to the left side, dipping down low.

Gliding in and out of the black trees, each of the branches sticking out barely missed us as we soared past. As we swooped through the tall branches, looming high above the forest, we watched the Forbidden Forest beneath us crackle andmove, shifting. The trees slowly moving themselves, changing locations, branches reaching out to grab us, to take us back in.

I wished it wasn’t the only way toward Evler.

The Scaleborne and the dragon soared upward, banking sharply to the left. I clung to her with all my strength, the rush of wind threatening to pry me loose. Shutting my eyes tightly, I repeated to myself, "This is just a dream," the words barely audible over the rushing air. Despite the darkness behind my eyelids, I sensed her watchful gaze upon me.

Blinking my eyes open, her smile lit up her face as she urged the dragon to ascend even higher into the sky. The rush of wind grew stronger, filling my cheeks and making it difficult to draw in a steady breath.

“AHHHH!!!” someone screamed.

As she glanced back at me again, I realized with a start that it was my own voice. My mouth hung open in shock before I hastily shut it, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over me.

We surged upward, soaring high into the open sky. With a swift descent, gravity seized hold, pulling us toward the Earth. Just as it seemed we would plummet, the Scaleborne deftly propelled us upward once more, defying gravity's relentless pull.

By the end, I found my lips curving in a subtle tug at the corners.

For a second I caught myself smiling, completely forgetting that I was going to have to send Aurelia to her death sentence. For a second, I forgot she was a Scaleborne–that her kind took away Sebastia. For a second I thought of her as Aurelia, as her name, and not asthe Scaleborne.I thought of how she had saved my life.