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M y shadows catch me, the wings on my back opening so that I’m soaring through the night sky instead of falling to my death.

Somehow, I’ve come up behind the south tower that Garrett’s room is in.

The shadows are thick back here; the tower blocking out most of the moonlight, but it only takes my eyes a moment to adjust.

About a million questions run through my mind, but I push them aside to focus on my surroundings.

My shadows clearly know what they’re doing, but they often know before I do.

I might be getting better with them thanks to the training I’ve been doing every night, but I’m far from in charge.

They used to scare me, back before I knew what they were, but now I can’t help but trust them.

Once upon a time, they saved not only me, but this kingdom.

While I once was afraid of the dark, now I find a peace in it that I never would have thought possible.

The forest is dense. Even with the ability to see in the dark, I can’t make out anything below the branches.

On the rare occasion that I can, it’s only because of a break in the leaves, and even then, there isn’t much going on down there this late.

The most I hear is the occasional owl; it’s too late even for Mother Nature, apparently.

I don’t fly for long, maybe ten minutes out from the castle, but flying isn’t the same as hopping, and the distance I’m able to cover is shocking.

One second I’m flying, the next my body explodes in pain and I’m falling. I hit the ground hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs, but not hard enough to do any real damage, thank the gods.

It takes me a second, but I peel myself off the ground as the pain subsides, and I take a second to look around.

The ground is wet from the rain the last few days.

I swear the last few weeks have been mostly gloomy and depressing.

Even when it isn’t raining, it’s dark and dreary, which is fine by me.

I don’t care to leave the castle, and it gives me the perfect excuse to stay in.

At night, I have no issue training in the rain if I’m alone or if one of the guys joins me.

They love to show off their new skills and control over the elements, keeping us warm and dry.

I have no idea why the hell I’m here, though.

“What the fuck?” I mumble under my breath to nobody because there’s nobody but me here, not another living soul.

My heart picks up speed until it’s beating so hard it feels like it might very well break free from my chest.

I can feel him.

Lyle was here.

I don’t know how I know, but I’m positive of it. I can feel him, or something that tells me he was here; I don’t really know what the fuck it is. The whole bond and how it works is confusing, but I know better than to question it.

“You missed him by about three minutes.”

I whip around so fast I almost fall over with the extra weight of my shadow wings. I’d looked around not thirty seconds ago, and not only had I not seen him, but I didn’t feel him either. Still, there’s no denying he’s here with me.

Despite not spending a lot of time with him, I know his voice.

My heart picks up its pace as I rake my eyes over the shadows that were at my back a moment ago. I know I heard him, yet I don’t see him.

Am I losing it? Maybe I imagined it?

No. I know I heard him.

I take a step toward the trees, drawn to where I heard him, before I remember his little disappearing act the night I met him.

“Ryker?”