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“I was hardly in the right mind to appreciate it then. This is incredible.”

I smiled, closing my eyes to cherish the moment. This was better than I had even hoped. “The First Kingdom is breathtaking. Actually, all of the Twelve Kingdoms are.” I banked away from the city, turning toward the mountains.

“I want to see it all. No wonder you love to fly.” She leaned over, throwing us off balance.

I had to quickly bank the opposite direction so she didn’t tumble off my back. “Woah, there! You need to keep your center of gravity over me so you don’t fall off.”

“I thought you said it was your job to keep me on,” she said in a teasing tone.

“With your help. Goddess, help me.” I stretched my wings out to soar, riding the thermals. “I can’t keep a girl with a death wish on my back if she doesn’t will it.”

Zaria laughed musically, much more amused by the idea of falling than a new ryder should be. “What would you do if I fell?”

“Nose dive and catch your arse.”

“Could you really catch me?”

“Yes.” I would not admit that I’d never expected her to hold on so well. I thought she would inevitably fall, and then I would simply catch her and carry her like I had when I brought her here. She would curse me all the way to the Shadow Valley, but she would never be in any real danger. But she was continuing to surprise me.

“How do you know?”

“Practice. We’re born with our wings. I’ve been flying since I could walk. A falling fae is easy to catch. Just ask my brother.”

“You’ve dropped Kol?” She sounded horrified.

“Sol, think about what kind of trouble a wild adolescent boy can get up to when unsupervised, then add wings and a playmate. I’vedropped and caught many a thing. We came up with all sorts of games when left to our own devices.”

“By the Goddess!”

“It also made us two of the best flyers in the Twelve Kingdoms. Probably part of the Goddess’ divine plan, and why dragons are sometimes blessed to be twins.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Be thankful. It was also good practice for catching foolish ryders who unseat themselves to get a better view.”

She made a little harrumph sound.

We flew in silence for a while. She wasn’t using words, but her awe was palpable. I took us to the ridge of the mountain range that sat beyond the city, and once we crested it, I fell into a dive into the valley.

Zaria startled, but her body didn’t seize like it had when we launched. She just held on tighter. I could feel her trust growing in me, and she let out a shriek that was a whoop of excitement rather than fear.

This was just what we needed. I could feel the bond between us strengthening.

I leveled out and soared low over the tranquil lake on the valley floor, the water stirring as we rushed above its surface. The valley was stunning at this time of day, the sun casting half of it in shadow and half in intense afternoon light. It was like two worlds, dark and light, existing side by side like oil and water. A stark contrast, the strength of the light not diluting the darkness but rather sharpening it.

“Beautiful,” she sighed softly in my mind. I felt her wonder. For the first time, I was starting to feel…maybe not happiness, but definitely sparks of it. It was positive energy where my soul met hers. Hope filled me, but I pushed it down. There was so much resting on this plan, and I had to get her to agree first.

I wouldn’t break her joy yet. She was ryding like a natural, even without magic assisting her. We had time for some fun before I had to ask her to trust me on a whole new level.

TWENTY-SEVEN

ZARIA

Flying felt like breathing for the first time. It felt like freedom and tasted like a life just out of reach. But maybe, just maybe, if I stood on my tiptoes and grasped, I’d get a hold of it.

Nyx flew in a wide circle over the lake. We soared in the sun, his wing tip slicing through the water when he flew us low and switched back so that we raced headlong into the darkness. This was pure joy. There was no other word for it. It was the rightest thing I had felt in my life, and I couldn’t control the way it lit me up inside and spilled out into occasional sounds of exhilaration and a huge smile.

Guilt threatened in passing moments, but the feeling of rightness fought it away. There was time for grieving, but this was right, and I wouldn’t keep holding myself back.