Page 106 of Heir of Broken Souls

A growl leaves her this time.

“She doesn’t need to know that,” I whisper out the side of my mouth. Shaking my head, I try to steer us back to the topic at hand. “What do you mean, though?”

“When you’re riding Aurora you lean slightly in the opposite direction she turns, naturally, to stop yourself from falling. It’s usually only your lower body that shifts the weight, hence why your body moves the way it does.” He shrugs. “You need to train your body to shift the entirety of your weight to the left, not half in the other direction.”

Training, training, training.

I feel like I’m always training for something.

“That almost feels too easy,” I say.

He grins. “I never said the hard part was over. Go on, try and fly without twisting in the opposite direction of your wings.”

I’m half tempted to call it a day, but after what I saw last night…

Steeling my spine, I step up onto the railing of the ship, not daring to peer below at the chilling water and pod of mermaids snickering at my demise. Nor do I look behind me at the numerous sets of eyes upon me.

Before I can think better of it, I bend my knees and jump. My wings flap furiously, the muscles in my core and my back working overtime as I dangle in the air.

“Tighten your core and move with your body,” Lenox calls out.

Move with my body.

Sounds simple enough. Just movewithmy body.

Of course I’m right.

The sound of Knox’s deep drawl almost makes me tumble, and the resulting dark chuckle has me sending a vulgar gesture over my shoulder.

Listen to your body, Angel,he purrs.

Closing my eyes, I put the entirety of my attention on my body and dutifully ignore Knox and his teasing. I veer to the right cautiously. A smile blooms across my face as my legs follow my wings, staying in line.

A burst of shocked laughter reverberates in my chest as I open my eyes to find I’ve turned around and am now facing the ship, along with Knox’s proud look.

Except with my gaze lost in his, when my wings go to veer left my knees twist in the opposite direction on instinct and I fall. I only have a second to wrap my arms around my head and put my wings away before I crash into the ocean.

White and red tails glide toward me and pull me to the surface.

The relief that courses through my body as I break the surface and inhale a deep gulp of air is like no other. I tip my head back and float, taking a moment to calm my shaking hands.

“Almost had it!” Lenox calls out.

Almost isn’t good enough.

Not with what’s to come.

Letting my legs drop, I begin treading water, but come to a hard stop seeing Naia’s cunning gaze on mine. Time seems to still around us, the water rippling slower than usual, the waves crashing against the ship in slow motion.

And the only two who are aware of it is us.

She knows.

Before I’m even done thinking it, time resumes and Naia lifts her hands above the water, bringing me back to the deck within a tail of water.

Lenox begins to instruct me, going on and on about balance and muscles and positioning. I can’t help but tune him out. I can’t concentrate, not with Naia’s eyes still on mine, as grave as I’ve ever seen them before.

“Delilah?”