Page 52 of Horns of Wicked Ebony (Deathcaller Duet #2)

W e entered the sitting area, and there, a basket of food waited for us.

Grem and Zeec were nowhere to be found, likely having slipped out with whomever delivered our meal.

The two knew where to source their own breakfast. While they wouldn’t stray from the academy, they did love to wander the grounds on their own whenever we were here.

Grabbing a blanket from one of the couches, I tossed it at Assyria. “Here, carry this.”

She caught it in midair and tucked it beneath her arm as I made the final preparations for our departure. Finally satisfied that I had everything, I jerked my head for her to follow me. She paused when she realized I wasn’t headed for the main entrance.

“Wait, where are we going?” she asked.

I shoved my back into a round part of the wall beside a painting of a long-dead Demon. The stone rolled back with a groan. “To the roof. We’ll fly from there.”

Her mouth popped open as she beheld the secret staircase. “Has that always been there? ”

“Yes?” I replied. “Now come on.”

Shaking her head, she followed me into the passage and up the stairs.

A short jaunt later, I was shoving open the door to the roof of this tower, a small space hardly big enough for four people.

But it wasn’t made for a group watch like the other towers; no it was made for escape or a moment of privacy.

Wind buffeted us the moment we stepped outside, whipping a few tendrils loose from Assyria’s braid.

In front of us, the ocean stretched endlessly, a blue so deep it was nearly the color of twilight.

Only small whitecaps dotted the surface today, swelling and easing with the force of the breeze.

Yet the sun was strong, heating my skin as I tipped my face up to it.

Then, I dug into the well of shadows in my chest and tugged my wings into existence. The black, membranous expanse settled behind me, adding extra weight to my frame. In a breath, Assyria did the same, though she kept hers tucked close.

I stepped forward and ran a finger along the hard ridges at the top of them. A shiver wracked her frame as more desire flooded our bond. “Sensitive?” I rumbled, loving the way her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as I did it again.

“Yes,” she breathed, almost leaning into my touch. “It’s like you’re caressing my magic.”

“I plan on caressing many parts of you later,” I told her, my tone gravelly. “But for now, we will fly.”

Dragging in a serrated breath, she nodded. Taking a step back, I flexed my wings, ensuring there was enough space to take off. Then, I half-squatted and leaped into the air. The wind caught the underside of my body and carried me away from the tower.

Hovering, I waited for Assyria. After shuffling the blanket to her chest, she took a few bounding steps, wings flapping.

Her bow-shaped lips flattened as she readied herself.

With a cry, she launched off the side of the tower.

The air battered her from the side, and she struggled for a moment to find the right draft.

But then, she found her lift, and a giddy laugh escaped her. Angling herself, she sailed straight toward me, a wide grin splitting her face. “Come on, let’s go!”

I drank the sight of her flying in for a heartbeat longer, then banked from my position and led her out toward the ocean.

As we soared over the edge of the cliff, her awe and wonder trickled down the bond.

While the water typically crashed violently below, today it was calm, almost as if it too knew we needed a moment of peace amid the chaos.

We dipped below the ridgeline, and the whistling in my ears lessened.

The rocky ridges blurred by, the limestone carved by the places where the ocean sprayed against it.

A few smaller beaches appeared along the way, the coastline in those spots bowed in. One was already packed with males, and still more spilled out of a tunnel in the rock that had existed long before I attended the academy.

We flew by fast enough that none of them spotted us.

“You okay?” I asked Assyria, checking her position behind me.

“Fine,” she replied, but there was a slight strain to her voice.

“Not much further,” I promised her.

Then, I turned my attention toward the expanse of ocean to my left, searching for the small island.

It wasn’t like the lush Hatha Islands in the Angel Realm.

No one would want to spend more than a few hours there, in fact.

But it was remote, private, and provided rare solitude.

The water on the west side was calm enough to dive deep and survey the rock formations beneath the surface.

And to the east, the sand was black, making it unique among the otherwise grayish brown beaches along this stretch of the Demon Realm.

Spotting it in the distance, I altered our course.

The talons of my wing dipped, slicing through the salty breeze.

Assyria followed, using the air displaced by my body to glide smoothly along behind me.

For someone who had been suppressed and not offered ample opportunity to master her magic, she had great control of her flying abilities.

At least that’s one less thing for me to feel guilty about.

A rocky outcropping emerged from the sea, one of the only flat places on the island that was good for landing.

Tucking my wings close, I dropped my legs and hit the ground at a jog.

Like I was snipping off a piece of thread, I released my magic.

Without the weight of them competing with the ocean wind, I turned to watch Assyria.

A small divot appeared between her brows as she focused.

The sun shone through the membranes as she flared her wings, highlighting veins of burgundy.

Her trajectory slowed, and then, her wings disappeared altogether.

The short fall sent her stumbling forward as she dropped to the island, clutching the blanket tight to her chest.

But she righted herself immediately, a whoosh of air leaving her lungs once she was stable.

“Very good,” I praised.

She shot me a grin. “For once, I didn’t need your help.”

“No, you did not,” I confirmed. “Spread the blanket out here, then fetch some sticks for a fire.”

She snapped the fabric out, then disappeared toward a nearby shore where wood often drifted up. We each took to our respective tasks, me removing the packed food and arranging it, her bringing me whatever she could find. On her third trip, I decided it was enough and built a small fire.

It wasn’t overly cold, especially with the cloudless sky, but extra heat was welcome.

Assyria reclined back, letting out a long sigh. “This is really nice. ”

“I’m glad you are enjoying my romantic plans ,” I said, striking a dagger against a rock and sending sparks scattering over the dried wood. “We haven’t even had the food yet.”

After the second strike, the kindling finally caught, and smoke filtered through the sticks to my nostrils. I leaned down and blew on the embers, igniting a small flame. Satisfied it would grow, I returned to the blanket and unwrapped the boiled eggs.

Assyria perked up as I put food on both our plates. With her back to the sun, the golden glow cast her in an almost ethereal air. My chest constricted at the sight.

“What?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

I shook myself out of my reverie. “Nothing,” I muttered, reaching for the butter to smear on my bread. I couldn’t help but steal another glance of her in that light though.

We ate slowly, saving the moment and each other. The fire crackled as it grew, spurred on by the occasional breeze. Most of the wind was blocked by the large boulders on the east side, giving us the peace and quiet I hadn’t realized I desperately needed.

“Tell me a good story of your time in Fured,” she said suddenly.

I finished the wedge of hard cheese, then dusted my hands off. Bracing them both behind me, I leaned back and stretched out my legs. “Discovering this island was a happy accident. Though what prompted me to seek it out wasn’t.”

I paused, trying to think of something better.

“To be honest, most of my happy memories are tainted by other events that happened shortly before or after.”

“Well why don’t you tell me the good part and focus on that without thinking about the bad?” she offered, knocking her foot into mine.

I heaved out a sigh. “I went out flying to cool off after my father departed one time. He’d just done this,” I tapped my slightly crooked nose, “and I refused to see the healers so they could rebreak and set it like they had a dozen times before. I knew he’d only do it again when he returned.”

I stopped, realizing I’d started with the bad anyway.

“Go on,” Assyria encouraged, sympathy dancing in her eyes.

“Anyway, if you saw on our way here, most of the soldiers go to the tunnel beach on their days off. There are a few more further away, but with the limited amount of time they are allotted, that is the easiest and quickest one to get to and from. I was so lost in thought, I flew further than I meant to, and when the fog cleared, here it was.” I gestured around us to the little spot of peace.

“It was like the Giver knew what you needed and offered it to you,” she murmured, chewing slowly on a flaky fruit pastry.

“Are you really going to tell me you believe that?” I questioned.