Page 102 of Demon's Beauty

“Really?” she asks with a nervous squeak in her voice. “Is that safe to do with a passenger?”

I lift her into my arms, and she squeaks again as she settles herself against me. “You’ll always be safe with me, sunshine. I promise.”

Soleil looks up at me, and it’s like a kick in the chest every time those emerald eyes meet mine. Still a little nervous, but with plenty of trust there too as she nods.

“Okay. We can fly.”

It’s all the permission I need.

With a hard kick-off and a mighty beat of my wings, I launch us toward the night sky.

30

Soleil

Flying with Finn is exhilarating.

Wind rushing around us, the entire city spread out wide below, it’s something out of a dream as he swoops us down from where Lynore’s house sits high above the sea.

Lights from all the homes and businesses below pass in a blur, the faint strains of music and conversation only barely audible above the rushing of the wind.

It’s so wondrous, I forget to be afraid.

I should be. Way up here, with dozens of meters between us and the ground, I should be terrified.

But with his arms around me, holding me close, with the warmth of him against me and the steady pulse of magick thrumming in time with the powerful beats of his wings, I feel entirely safe.

Safer than I’ve felt in a long, long time.

“I’ll land us there,” he says over the wind, nodding to a long pier at the base of the city, sticking out over the water. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

His arms squeeze tighter, and I brace myself for landing, but I don’t need to.

Finn brings us down easy, with a few graceful strides down the pier to slow us as we reach solid ground again.

But he doesn’t put me down right away.

“Are you alright?” he murmurs, and I nod as I catch my breath.

After a few long moments, he eases me back to my feet, and though I’m a little knock-kneed as I get my land legs back, it’s nowhere near as bad as portalling.

Finn keeps a close watch on me as I recover, with one hand at my waist and the other lifting to cup my cheek and turn my face toward him as he studies me, like he’s reassuring himself I’m okay.

Strangely, it makes me want to cry.

All his tenderness, his care, it wells up in the back of my throat until I can barely breathe around it.

Blinking rapidly, I take a step back and force myself to smile.

“Show off,” I say with a smirk, hoping it hides all that emotion

Finn, ever shameless, just grins. “For you? Always.”

He offers me his hand and I take it, grateful for the distraction the city provides as we walk down the pier toward the water. The wooden planks transition into a boardwalk that runs along the seashore, edged by more shops and restaurants that are bustling even at this late hour.

For a few minutes, we stroll in companionable silence.