Page 89
“Xan’s only dropped a few people before,” Kato adds with a lazy grin. “But that was years ago.”
I blink at him, caught somewhere between annoyance and a reluctant laugh.
He winks, then launches into the sky. Rhaya follows, and they, too, vanish beyond the clouds. The silence left in their wake is cavernous as Lyxander turns, his silver gaze finding mine through the dim light.
“Is this the part where you tell me not to be reckless?” I say before he has a chance to approach.
Lyxander’s head tilts. “Do you need the reminder?”
“One can never be too careful.”
He shakes his head, stepping closer.
“How is this going to work?” I ask.
“A cradle carry is the easiest way. And, just so you know, Kato was lying.” He takes another step, his presence filling the space between us. “Are you ready?”
I bite my bottom lip, then nod. But he doesn’t move, his gaze holding mine with an intensity that makes my pulse quicken.
“I need you to say it.” His words are like stepping stones, laid out before me, inviting me to cross.
“I’m ready.”
Lyxander doesn’t hesitate. Before I can second-guess my response, he closes the distance.
In one fluid motion, he slides an arm beneath my legs and another around my back, lifting me effortlessly. The swiftness of it pulls a soft gasp from my lips. His grip is firm, and I’m acutely aware of the strength in his arms, the way his muscles shift beneath the fabric of his tunic as he holds me.
My body tenses instinctively, and I cross my arms over my chest as if it might balance my weight. But it does nothing to ease the rush of sensations coursing through me. His warmth seeps into me, and the pine and petrichor scent of him perfumes the morning air.
I glance up, my gaze catching on the sharp line of his jaw, the faint shadow of stubble there.
“Comfortable?” he asks, one sharp canine making an appearance as amusement skims his mouth.
Cursed Anemoi, what is wrong with me?
I wrench my gaze away and clear my throat. “I’m fine.”
A low chuckle rumbles through him, a sound deep and warm, vibrating against my side. “You might want to hold on, little bird.”
After a moment of hesitation, I uncross my arms and loop them around his neck. My fingers graze the base of his wings as I adjust my hold, their texture impossibly soft against my skin. At the contact, a shudder ripples through him. His step falters, an indiscernible emotion flickering across his eyes before vanishing into the silver.
“Sorry,” I murmur, a flush prickling my skin. Surely, I’ve broken some unspoken Harpaurai boundary, a rule I had no way of knowing existed.
His gaze sharpens, but the corners of his mouth soften.
“Don’t let go.” The words are edged with a roughness that sends an unexpected shiver through me.
His wings snap open with a sound like distant thunder. And then, the world shifts.
For a heartbeat, I’m rigid, my body frozen as we tip forward, the platform falling away beneath us. The wind finds me instantly, wrapping around me, rushing through my hair, urgent and relentless in its embrace. But, unlike the first time, when Lyxander caught me mid-fall, only a flicker of panic stirs in my chest.
His hold tightens, drawing me closer, and the fear dulls enough for me to turn my head. The clouds part as we bank west over the ridge into the valley that cradles Aerilos in its hollow. In the distance, the palace crowns the northern mountainside, a bright diadem cut against the stone. Below it, white villas scatter thinly down the high slope, then gather and thicken as the grade eases—terraces and cliff-hewn houses knitting closer together until the city densifies around an ice-bound river.
The cold air nips at my face, but there’s a familiar exhilaration in it, a wild energy that thrums in my veins. It’s swiftly chased by an ache so fierce it takes my breath away.
I’ve never felt so insignificant, yet so immense.
We land with a jolt in one of the palace courtyards, a sprawling expanse of pale gray stone streaked with silver veins that gleam like trapped moonlight. Lyxander’s wings snap out once more before folding neatly behind him, leaving a lingering vibration in the air.
