My eyes don’t leave the ground as I swallow hard.
He steps closer to me, and I instinctively take a step away from the edge. “I’m nae going to push ye!” He laughs and the rich timber of it dulls the edge of my terror. “But my best piece of advice right now. Before the fear truly grips ye, is to jump.”
I whip my head towards him, my braid flying around me and thudding against my chest.
“Jump? That is your best advice?” My brows raise, and he smiles with encouragement.
“Ye willna die. It might hurt a bit, but magic is restored, so you’ll heal. But ye ha’ to master your panic. Ye canna let this stop ye from learning. Ye never know when it will mean the difference in saving or costing ye a life.”
Lachlan steps back up to the edge and juts his chin towards the drop-off. “Come on, Key. I’ll jump with ye.” He holds out a hand behind him. I stare at the offering for a few moments, gathering my confidence before I place my hand in his.
“Ye can do it,” he murmurs. “Together on three. One.” I inhale a deep breath. “Two.” I hold it. “Three.” I blow the air out and lunge off the side, squeezing my eyes shut.
My stomach surges into my throat before plunging down with me. A scream rips its way out of my lips. Lachlan tugs on my hand as his wings stretch out wide, catching the air and gliding.
My wings, however, do not. My grip slips on his hand and I plummet straight for the ground.
I land flat on my stomach, the air is snatched from my lungs. Vanishing my wings away and rolling over, a groan slips out of me. I gaze up to see Lachlan flying in small circles, lower and lower, until he’s gracefully landing beside me.
“Are ye alright?” He squats down beside me, brushing sandoff my face. His mouth is set in a taut line as he bites back a smile.
“No.” I groan, raising my head off the ground. “You let go of me.”
Lachlan raises his hands up between us. “Ye were supposed to glide down, not tuck your wings in tight and fall.”
“You didn’t tell me that!” I sit up rapidly and push him. He loses his balance and falls back into the sand. Laughter bursts from his lips.
“Ye use your wings to fly!” He says in between rumbles of laughter. “How else did ye think ye were going to do it?”
I roll my eyes and lay back against the sand, rubbing my chest. “It’s scarier than I thought it would be.”
Lachlan rolls onto his side, facing me. “Aye. But it’s fun. And in your case—necessary.”
I close my eyes, letting his words settle. The sand shifts and I blink my eyes open to see him standing over me with his hand out.
“Come on. Up ye go. Try again.”
I brushthe sand off my face for the tenth time and struggle to pull myself out of the side of the dune. From high on the pillar, Lachlan’s laugh floats down to me.
“You’re still nae spreading them wide!”
I slam a hand down on the sand next to me and mock his words before yelling back, “It hurts when I fall with them still open!”
Lachlan launches himself off the rock, flaring his wings out to soar down effortlessly. He lands with a small oomph and tucks his wings back into his body.Showoff.His bare skin has asmall tint of red to it from the blistering sun. We’ve been out here baking for a while.
“They need to be out to catch the current.” He stretches out a hand and pulls me up before dusting the sand off my backside.
I slap his bare chest and instantly regret it as my palm stings from his hardened muscles. A pale white handprint lingers against his skin, before turning a darker shade of red.
“I got it,” I grumble and wipe more sand off of me with my free hand.
“How’s your back feeling?” He asks, standing behind me and squeezing my traps.
“It hurts.” I pout, turning out of his grip and facing him. He taps a finger to my bottom lip and I suck it back in.
“You’re so close. A few more tries and we’ll give it a rest, alright?”
I nod unenthusiastically. Lach sweeps me up in his arms and launches us into the sky, flying us back to the top of the rock. I’m extremely grateful he gave up on making me climb up after every fall. My palms are still raw and stinging from the third time.
