Page 6 of Heir of Broken Souls

He tsks. “Say it, Angel. Say I’m a good teacher.”

“Fine, you’re a good teacher. Now what?—”

“Good, because it’s time you learned how to fly.”

It’s the last thing I hear before Knox catapults me into the air.

With a scream of pure horror, I fall, careening for the jagged rocks below. I instinctively reach a hand out behind me, searching for a handhold, only to recoil as my eyes connect with dozens of demonic creatures, frothing at the cave mouth, forced to halt lest they fall into the ocean.

I scream once more as my back connects with something hard and warm. A huff mixes with the rushing wind trying to rip my hair from its braid. Twisting onto my stomach, and trying to regain my breath, I right myself atop Aurora, whose feelings of amusement trickle down our bond.

Sliding my hand through her thick raven fur, I lean forward. “You wouldn’t be the one laughing if Knox threw you off a cliff.”

Knox’s boisterous laugh comes from beside me. Aurora and I turn to find his magnificent black wings flared, flapping leisurely as he rides a strong current of air.

“I could have died!”

Humor dances in his eyes. “You certainly don’t look dead to me.”

I huff out a laugh devoid of humor and face forward. It isn’t long before Aurora lets out a low grunt as Knox joins me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

It takes everything within me not to elbow him.

“You could have flown,” he teases in my ear.

“Don’t remind me.”

His low chuckle reverberates all the way down to my toes.

“You’re not that horrid at it,” he drawls.

Now I elbow him in the stomach, grinning as he grunts. “You know very well I landed squarely on my face that last lesson.”

“Eleven times.”

“Don’t remind me.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Gods, that was a horrid lesson.”

Knoxisa fabulous teacher for magic, as loathe as I may be to admit it now. But still, I’ve yet to master flying, and I fear I may never at this rate.

“You’ll get there soon, Angel. In no time you’ll be flying faster than Lenox.”

My shoulder blades tingle, the skin burning as if my wings have become conscious of our discussion. It takes all my willpower to keep them from flaring.

“I know I will.”

Because I have tois what I don’t say aloud.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Knox says softly, repeating the words that he has whispered many times over the passing weeks. He knows. Of course he knows why I’ve demanded in any free time we can find that he and Lenox teach me how to fly.

The only reason we rode horses that horrid night all those weeks ago was because I was the only one who couldn’t fly.

The memory leaves a sour taste in my mouth, one that brings forth tears that I furiously blink away.

Clenching my teeth so hard I’m surprised I don’t hear a crack I shove all thoughts of Ace’s throat being slit like Easton’s, and Hazel’s traitorous face, from my mind.

I try not to think of that night, yet it’s hard.

How can you not relive the evening that changed everyone’s lives for the worse? The very moment that altered the trajectory of our fates? That night has left its mark on all of our hearts, in more ways than one.