“You,” he breathed as he stepped up to me, wrapping one arm beneath my thighs and the other around my waist as he lifted me into his embrace.
Numerous giggles left me, mixing with his own laughs as he carried me to our wyvern. Once he stepped up to Nox’s side, he pressed his lips to my forehead before carefully setting my feet back on the ground.
“I want to bring you somewhere very special, a place I’ve been meaning to tell you of for months now,” he said as he gestured to the saddle atop Nox.
My eyes narrowed in on him as I let out a hum, and he raised a brow in response, as if expecting a retort.
Instead, I turned to Nox and climbed into the saddle as I was told.
“Good girl,” he cooed, earning a wicked smirk from me.
He climbed up and positioned himself behind me, ordering Nox to take flight once we were both settled.
“And the others aren’t expecting us for dinner as well?”
“No, they won’t be. I made sure of it,” he admitted, and my eyes flared in surprise.
And with those words, we rode off into the sky, away from the city at our backs, and deeper into the heart of Alaia.
A forest appeared beneath us after flying for nearly a half hour, and Nox landed in a small clearing. My gaze lifted to the tops of the trees, where the sky now displayed vast swirls of orange and purple from the setting sun.
“A forest? And here I thought you had enough of exploring unknown trees with me,” I taunted him as we jumped down to the ground.
“These trees are only unknown to you, but I’ve been exploring them since I was a boy.”
Nox let out a growl of annoyance behind us, and we both turned to find him glaring at Jace. I lifted a brow in response and turned to my mate.
“Any idea what that’s about?”
“This gods-damn wyvern,” he grumbled as he reached into the satchel at his side and pulled out a dead fish, tossing it in Nox’s direction. “I said you get it after we’re done. You still need to bring us back!”
Nox caught it in his maw and swallowed it whole, letting out a purr-like sound of approval.
I didn’t even bother trying to hold in my laugh. “You bribed him. It all makes sense now.”
He shook his head at me, his lips pressed together in a thin line, trying to hold back a smile.
Jace reached for my hand, and I placed mine in his as he moved to guide me through the wood.
“Our destination is just beyond these trees,” he said, and as the words left him, the air filled with the sound of rushing water.
Recognition instantly flared within me, and I became giddy with excitement—his own tumbled with mine down our tether, making our steps quicken in unison.
My rushed strides turned into a full-on sprint as we raced through the trees together, our laughter filling the crisp forest air.
Our hurried steps halted as a vast opening appeared, and a hidden, serene waterfall emerged as it poured into a tiny pool that awaited only yards from our feet.
“Jace,” I breathed, my eyes wandering up and down the falling cascades.
“Surprise, my Lia.” He pressed his lips to the back of my head as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, holding me close to him.
“This is so beautiful,” I whispered.
And it was.
Among the ancient trees of Alaia's foliage, this paradise remained hidden. The air was thick with the sweet fragrance of nearby flowers and the scent of slick, moss-covered stones.
The waterfall was half the size of the one we fell from in the Sylis Forest. It was still framed by vibrant greenery, tumbling calmly over weathered rocks, while fragile ferns sprouted from their crevices. The last bit of light from the setting sun filtered through the dense leaves above, casting mirages on the water’s surface.
