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Don’t ruin this.
I pushed aside the uncertainty, the fear, and just let myself enjoy the moment. I closed my eyes, muscle memory taking over as I settled comfortably into a position I’d taken countless times on horses’ backs. It wasn’t exactly the same, of course. But it was more than close enough.
This sky, this flight, Talga... Errok.
All of them were putting something back together inside me. Something I’d thought was lost forever.
I was glad my eyes were closed when the tears came. I kept them scrunched, not wanting Errok to see that I was crying.
But I didn’t keep them closed for long. I wrenched them open, feeling moisture seep into my lashes and across my cheeks.
This was the kind of moment that could define a person’s life.
And I refused to miss even one more second of it because I’d closed my eyes.
––––––––
WE FLEW FOR THE ENTIREday, passing over the shuttle where it had landed in neutral territory before continuing on towards Errok’s territory. We stopped a couple of times to eat and pee. I couldn’t help but dawdle during those stops, wanting to draw out this day. Wanting to draw out the ease, the joy, that had tentatively grown between Errok and me during the flight. But the closer we got to Errok’s mountain, the more impatient he became. So, I hurried up my peeing and my snacks on our breaks, remembering that he had a whole tribe waiting for him. He hadn’t seen them in days, and I had to remind myself that he actually was an important leader out here and that not everything was about me. Plus, I was excited about seeing Priya.I’m sure I’ll get to fly again soon... At least, I hope so.
The sun had long since set by the time we reached Errok’s mountain. I knew it had to be his – it was the biggest, baddest, pointiest-looking mountain in this area. The stars and asteroids painted its shining crags with luminescence. The sky was like a clear dark pool we dove into as we soared.
It was fucking cold, but flying at night was just as good, if not better, than the day. The darkness, the stars, the shadows – all of it turned the flight into something deeply poetic. I used to get up early and ride before dawn back on the ranch, and this reminded me of those times. The calm, poignant beauty of moving swiftly through a world breathless with quiet dark.
I wondered where we’d land, eyeing the ink-black of the valley below with unease. But instead of descending, we just kept going higher. I soon saw why. Firelight above indicated an entrance into the mountain.
We flew up to what I now saw was a huge cave, completely open to the air. There was no natural stone window, there wasn’t even a guardrail or anything. We flew right into the space and landed.
“Oh my God, Stephanie?!”
I twisted on Talga’s back, searching for the source of that London accent. I grinned, dismounting as Priya sprinted towards me.
“Cor, you did well with that,” she said, looking surprised at how easily I’d gotten down off of Talga. “I pretty much fall flat on my arse every time I try to get off Breena’s back.”
Damn, it was good to see her, alive and in person. Without saying anything, I wrapped my arms around her in a crushing hug. I remembered how worried I’d been when we didn’t know what had happened to her out here.
“You scared the shit out of us, you know,” I said, laughing so that I wouldn’t start crying for the second time today.
She laughed, too, and I could hear the tight teariness in the sound. She pulled out of the hug, swiping at her eyes.
“Well, you can thank this guy for freaking you all out. He’s the one who snatched me.”
I looked at the man who had stepped up to her side and was now draping a lanky arm around her shoulders. My mouth fell open as I did a double take.
He looked so much like Errok that it disoriented me for a moment. There were differences, of course, but the resemblance was jarring. He looked like a younger, leaner, slightly shorter Errok.
I smiled at him, recovering from my surprise. “You must be-”
“Lerokan.” Errok’s voice seethed from above and behind me. At some point during this encounter, he’d dismounted and had decided to loom directly behind me like some kind of glaring gargoyle. I raised a brow at him, then turned forward once more, crossing my arms.
“Welcome back, brother. And Zuh-Tephanie! It is very good to meet you.” Lerokan said, returning my earlier smile. Ah, there was another difference between them. Lerokan had a dimple on one side when he smiled. If he sensed Errok’s near-malevolent mood darkening the atmosphere, he ignored it. As if he’d had lots of practice.
I glanced behind Lerokan and Priya, taking note of the cave we were standing in. This had to be Errok’s version of Thaleo’s Sky Hall. The main social area of the mountain where people cooked and ate together. I noticed a large group of male Deep Sky warriors raising their tails at our arrival, as well as a fire that crackled, sending light skittering up the gleaming blue walls.
Errok spoke loudly, addressing the group of warriors.
“I have returned, and I have brought with me my mate, Zuh-Tephanie. Every respect you show me is to be multiplied tenfold where your new Gahnala is concerned.”
“Your new... Hold on. What?” I said, staring fiercely at Errok. I had not accepted him as a mate, let alone agreed to be the new queen around here! I turned to the warriors, who were all once again raising their tails... Tome.
