Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

My evening run had taken me out towards the edge of Air Territory and I pounded the track along the cliff above Air Cove with the heavy bass of my music thumping through my headphones and my focus on banishing my thoughts. Thoughts of Dragons and secrets, lies and heartache, Orders and shadows. Most of all shadows.

The whispers were growing louder. They found me in the quiet spaces of my mind, urging my attention to them even when I fought to ignore them.

We were meeting with Orion and Darius again in a few days to work on our control over them. But last night, when they’d woken me and their voices were echoing through my skull, promising me things I knew I shouldn’t want, I’d done something which was probably more than a little foolish. I’d given in to their call.

Alone in my room with no one there to pull me back if I fell too far, I’d let myself sink into the darkness.

The rush of dark magic had bled through my veins, the whispers had grown louder, begging, pleading, demanding – and then I’d silenced them. I’d taken the darkness into my grasp and forced it to bend to my will. And it had felt good. Worse than that, I’d gone further still, calling the shadows to me the way I had the other night, letting them coat my flesh and imbue my skin with power.

I stopped at the top of the cliff, looking out over the sea as I caught my breath and 99 Problems by Jay Z rang in my ears. Wasn’t that the truth? In fact, ninety nine problems would barely touch the tip of the iceberg for me right now.

I hadn’t told Darcy about my time with the shadows last night and the worst part about that was the reason for it. I was ashamed. Not because I’d broken Orion’s rules about risking the shadows without his supervision. But because I liked the way they felt beneath my skin. I wasn’t an idiot, I hadn’t suddenly started to believe that they weren’t all kinds of fucked up. I was just starting to wonder if accepting their magic might not be so bad after all.

I glanced around, making sure I was alone up here before dipping into their dark power yet again. The rush of ecstasy I got from them spilled through me and the whispers got louder for a moment before I commanded them into silence. My heart beat faster as they bowed to my command and a heady sense of satisfaction filled me.

I directed them to gather in my palm, smiling as they circled between my fingers before getting the ball of darkness to rise up and hang in the space before me for a long moment. I ached to go further, do more, but with a force of will, I banished the shadows again and they dispersed.

A dark smile gripped my features as the shadows bowed to my commands and I released a slow breath as the touch of that tainted power slid from my veins. I drew on my water magic instead, sighing at the gentle embrace of my true power and using it to cool me down and clean my skin after my run.

I pulled my Atlas from my pocket, checking the time. I was meeting Darcy and Professor Nox back at The Orb at seven so that we could have our first official Order Enhancement class and to say I was excited about that was an understatement. The Phoenix beneath my skin was aching to be set free and I wanted to learn how to fly more than I thought I’d ever wanted anything in my life before now.

It was a quarter to six so I still had over an hour to burn, but I decided to make the time to tell Darcy about my experiments with the shadows before we set off. I sent her a quick message asking her to meet me fifteen minutes before we were due to meet Nox so that I could tell her. We didn’t do secrets and I wasn’t about to start keeping them over something this important. I would be honest about my trials with them, but I was also pretty sure I wasn’t going to stop. Darius and Orion were teaching us how to use them but they were learning at the same time. So was Lionel. It was a race to find out which of us could claim dominance over them the fastest and I sure as shit wasn’t going to let Daddy Acrux beat me to it. The next time I came across that asshole I’d be powerful enough to keep him away from me. Which meant I’d be working as hard as I could to harness all of my magic. My Order, water, earth, fire, air and the shadows. The combination of our strengths would make us unstoppable once we’d learned how to use them, so that was exactly what I would do.

My Atlas pinged and I looked down at it, expecting a message from Darcy confirming our meet but finding one from Caleb instead.

Caleb:

I’ve been watching you, sweetheart. Want to try a new game?

My heart leapt and I looked around at the open plain behind me which ran the length of the cliff. The long grass which covered it swayed lazily in the breeze but I couldn’t spot a sneaky Vampire anywhere. Shit, did he see me wielding the shadows?

Tory:

What do you mean, you’ve been watching me?

Caleb:

Have I ever mentioned how hot you look in your running stuff?

Tory:

Oh yeah, sweaty chic is my go to look just for you. Why don’t you come out if you’re here?

Caleb:

Is that a yes to my new game?

I narrowed my eyes at the long grass around me, wondering what the hell kind of game I was letting myself in for as I typed out a single word answer.

Tory:

Yes.

A blur of motion shot towards me from the long grass and I shrieked in fright half a second before Caleb collided with me.

He swept me into his arms and leapt straight over the cliff edge.

My stomach lurched, my heart flipped over and I screamed as we began to free fall straight down towards the sandy beach far below.

“You gonna save us, sweetheart?” Caleb yelled as we plummeted towards the ground and panic bled into me as I realised what he meant. Caleb had earth and fire magic, he couldn’t slow our fall and he was relying on me to do it for us.

I threw my hands out in desperation as the beach sped ever closer and air magic burst from me in a torrent, wrapping us up in it and flipping us around as I formed a whirlwind in my panic.

Caleb’s laughter found me amid the chaos as my hair whirled around us and I fought to wrangle the magic so that we were deposited on the beach.

We fell back into the sand with a thump, the grains welcoming us in a soft embrace that almost felt like falling into water before pushing us back up again and leaving us panting on the surface.

Caleb’s laughter burned through my terror and I stared up at him as he pinned me into the sand.

“What the hell?” I gasped. “You’re insane!”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I had control over the sand, we were never in any real danger.”

I gaped at him as my thundering heart tried to adjust to the fact that I hadn’t just gone splat. Before I could think of anything to say in response to his insanity, Caleb leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

Adrenaline coursed through me in an unstoppable wave and at the touch of his mouth, I melted, needing some way to expel the energy he’d awoken beneath my skin.

I yanked my headphones off of my head, tossing them beside us with my Atlas which I’d somehow managed to keep hold of in our fall.

Caleb growled against my lips, his hand sliding down the side of my body and heat pooling between my thighs at his touch.

His fingers made it to my waistband and I caught his wrist to halt him.

“We’re out in the open,” I complained breathlessly.

Caleb groaned, taking his hand off of me and pressing it to the sand beside us instead. A deep rumble shuddered through the ground as he wielded his earth magic and rocks burst free of the sand, rising up to create a wall to our right. Once they’d made it a few meters out of the ground, Moss and vines sprung to life all over them, taking root in the stone before reaching out above us, forming a roof then spilling down to the ground until we were encased in a cave created solely for us.

“Better?” Caleb asked as I stared at the incredible magic he’d just created.

“Yes,” I breathed, unable to come up with anything more eloquent.

It seemed to be the only answer Caleb wanted though as his mouth instantly found mine again and his hand returned to my waistband.

This time I didn’t complain as he tugged my leggings off of my body, removing my socks and sneakers in the same move.

He reared over me again, claiming my mouth and pressing his tongue against mine.

I groaned hungrily, wanting more of him, needing to take the pleasure his body could give me and banish some of the darkness which was hanging over me far too much since the horror that had taken place on the Lunar Eclipse.

I caught the back of his shirt in my grip and tugged, yanking it over his head and tossing it aside as my fingers skimmed the tight lines of his body.

The sand shifted beneath me as he pressed me down into it and I gave in to the demands of his flesh.

Caleb’s hand shifted to my sports bra and he tugged it up, drawing it over my head. Cold air spilled across my flesh and a gasp escaped me as my nipples hardened in response. His mouth trailed down my body, sending shivers through my skin. He kept going until he drew my nipple between his lips and a sigh spilled from me at the gentle torment.

His tongue moved over me and his fangs lengthened with desire, scraping against my nipple and making me gasp.

His mouth continued to suck and tease at my breast as his hand made it to the top of my panties and he slowly pushed his fingers beneath them.

Caleb groaned as he lowered his hand, his fingers grazing through the centre of me and finding me ready for him. I panted with need as he stroked up and down, teasing exactly where I wanted him and making me roll my head back in the sand as I begged him for more.

He finally gave me what I wanted, pushing two fingers inside me and growling with satisfaction as I bucked against him.

He started up a torturous rhythm with his hand, pushing his fingers in and out while rotating his thumb in the perfect spot to drive me insane.

I gripped his broad shoulders, my nails biting into his flesh as he pushed my body on, his mouth still worshiping my breasts and his hand making me groan with desire.

Tension was coiling through me, aching for a release as my flesh bowed to his commands and he pulled me apart piece by piece.

Just as I was sure the world was about to come crashing down, Caleb released me, withdrawing his hand from my underwear and pulling it off of me instead.

“Wait,” I gasped but he only laughed knowingly, pushing his pants down and releasing the smooth, hard length of him.

I bit my lip as he moved over me, pushing myself up onto my elbows and placing a hand on his chest to move him back.

Caleb growled but I wasn’t just going to bow to his desire. I pushed him hard enough to make him roll onto his back and he yanked me over too so that he was pinned beneath me.

The ache between my thighs was demanding satisfaction and I lowered myself onto him with a moan, rolling my head back as I bathed in the feeling of him inside me.

Caleb pushed himself up so that he was sitting with me in his lap, his hands moving to grip my hips as he pressed his mouth to mine.

I melted against him and let him guide my movements as I slowly began to ride him, the ache in my body sharpening as he gave me what I craved.

We found a rhythm which sent pleasure spilling into my body and we started moving faster, his thrusts getting harder and my moans breaking free between our kisses.

Caleb cursed as I moved even quicker, his grip on my hips punishing, demanding, driving me down firmly as he gave me more and more.

I was climbing, my body tightening and my back arching as I danced the edge of ecstasy, building towards it with each passing second.

Caleb kissed me again, pulling back as my name tore from his lips and he spilled himself inside me, breaking the dam on my own pleasure as I followed him into oblivion.

I cried out as he gripped me tightly and I fell forwards, pressing my forehead to his shoulder as my muscles shook. My hands fisted in his hair and I rode out the wave with my chest heaving and our breaths coming fast and heavy.

Caleb’s grip on my hips slowly loosened and he pressed a kiss to my neck, his fangs grazing my skin.

I turned to look at him, his navy eyes lighting with a different kind of hunger and I brushed my fingers along his jaw.

“What do you want most?” I breathed. “My body or my blood?”

He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes trailing down to take in our naked bodies still pressed together.

“Both?” he teased.

“What if you had to pick one?” I pushed.

“I’ve never tasted blood like yours before, it’s like a drug in its own right. You’re so powerful, so…it’s just so fucking addictive, Tory. Even the other Heirs don’t taste as good.”

“So my blood then?” I asked, my fingers trailing down his chest and over the hard curves of his abs.

“No. I just want you to know what I’d be giving up if you made me pick,” he said. “But I’m a selfish creature so I want both. If you forced a decision on me though I’d have to take your body. And I’d have the rest of you too if you’re offering it?”

I scoffed lightly and he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.

“Besides,” he breathed. “I could always just challenge Orion and take your sister’s blood instead.”

I laughed. “Good to know you’ve got a back-up plan.”

“Every good politician always does,” he admitted.

His mouth caught mine again but this kiss wasn’t as hurried as the last, the strength of his lust burning low for a while. His fingers trailed through my hair as his other hand drew a line down the length of my spine, causing me to arch into him, my chest brushing against his.

His tongue moved against mine and I felt as far from the shadows as I’d been since coming back to campus after the Eclipse. There was something about him that just made me feel calm and kept a smile dancing around my lips. He was unpredictable, funny, sometimes annoying as all hell and a total jackass too but most of all, what we had was simple. And I had far too many complications in my life most of the time.

A low growl escaped him as our kiss deepened, his mind clearly lingering on the desire he’d yet to act on with me. His teeth caught my bottom lip, his fangs almost breaking the skin as he dragged them across my tender flesh.

His grip on my hair tightened as he pulled it into his fist.

“Ask for it,” he breathed against my mouth, his other hand splayed at the base of my spine. I still sat firmly in his lap, my legs wound around his waist and nothing dividing our bodies.

“Why?” I asked, drawing back just enough to look into his navy blue eyes.

“Because,” he said, winding the length of my hair around his fist at an achingly slow pace. “Your blood gives me more pleasure than I can easily put into words. And the one thing that could make it even better, would be knowing that you want to give me that pleasure just as much as I want to take it.”

The heat in his eyes was enough to make my heart beat harder, my pulse spiking and drawing his gaze to my throat. He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he watched the hammering beat in my neck.

I’d never thought of his bites as something that I could enjoy. They were just a part of the package, a little painful, a touch humiliating, a dash annoying. But maybe that wasn’t the only way to look at it. Maybe I should have thought a bit more about the fact that one of the most powerful Vampires in the whole of Solaria wanted my blood above all others. He could have his pick, there were plenty of Fae who would literally give anything to be his Source. And all I’d ever done was complain about it. If I was being honest, the bites didn’t even hurt that much. They damaged my pride more than my body. But that was only because I wasn’t giving him permission to do it. If I asked him to bite me then he wasn’t doing anything against my will. It wasn’t humiliating. It was my choice.

Besides, as his gaze stayed fixed on my thumping pulse, the darkness in it called to a primal part of me. He was a monster. And sometimes I was too.

“Caleb,” I breathed, drawing his eyes back up to meet mine. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his once more, my hands sliding over his broad shoulders. “Bite me.”

Caleb groaned, his grip on my hair tightening as he yanked my head aside and drove his fangs into my neck.

My nails bit into his shoulders as he pierced the barrier of my flesh and my magic simultaneously and instead of waiting for it to be over, I let myself appreciate the moment of this strange connection between us and I dragged him closer. 

Power slid from my veins alongside my blood but I didn’t look at it as a theft for once. I looked at it as a gift. Just another form of pleasure I was willing to offer him. And as his muscles tensed beneath me, his grip on me tightening even further, I had to wonder which one of us was really at the other’s mercy.

He drew back and I couldn’t help but smile at the heated look he gave me.

“Fuck, Tory,” he groaned. “I’m never going to figure you out, am I?”

“Hopefully not.”

I smirked at him and pushed myself out of his lap, standing as I started hunting down my clothes.

I dressed myself and tried to shake the sand from my hair as Caleb pulled his clothes back on too.

I found my Atlas and checked the time, biting my lip as I realised I was going to be late to meet Darcy.

“Any chance you’re feeling generous and want to run me back to The Orb so that I’m not late for Professor Nox?” I asked.

“You’ve got a class with Gabriel now?” Caleb asked in surprise. “What for?”

“Order Enhancement,” I replied. “He’s a Harpy so he said he’d give us private lessons for a bit to help us adjust more quickly. How come you call him Gabriel?”

“Oh, he’s family,” Caleb explained with a shrug. “And he’s also half transformed into his Order form at practically every opportunity so you’ll be in good hands with him teaching you.”

He waved a hand, dispelling the earth magic he’d summoned into being around us so that the vines fell apart and the rocks crumbled back into sand like our temporary hiding place had never existed at all.

The sound of crashing waves filled the air and the briny tang of the sea filled my nostrils.

“Hop on then little monkey, we can’t have me making you late,” Caleb offered.

I grinned as I moved towards him and jumped up onto his back. Caleb caught my thighs as I locked my ankles around his waist and he took off towards The Orb.

The world blurred around us and I squealed as the wind tore through my hair and we shot down pathways, between buildings and around students.

We came to a halt outside The Orb and I slipped from Caleb’s back with a shaky laugh.

He turned to face me, grinning as he ran a hand into his blonde curls and I backed up with a smile.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said.

“Which one?” he teased and I couldn’t help but laugh again.

I turned away from him and headed inside to find Darcy, straightening out my hair as I went.

I spotted her by the drinks chiller and headed over before she could make it to our usual spot with the Ass Club so that I could talk to her alone.

“Hey,” she said brightly as she spotted me. “Did you have a good run?”

“Oh…yeah. Well I kinda got jumped by Caleb half way through it but I guess exercise is exercise right?”

“So he’s back on the menu then, is he?” Darcy laughed and I grabbed a bottle of pink lemonade with a shrug.

“For now,” I agreed before leading the way to a small table at the back of the room. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something before we head off.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” I paused to cast a silencing bubble around us and Darcy raised an eyebrow as that got her attention. “So it’s…I mean it’s no big deal but I thought I should tell you that I’ve been practicing with the shadows a little. On my own.”

“What?” Darcy gasped, leaning towards me as she lowered her voice even though my spell made it unnecessary. “But Orion said it’s too dangerous for us to-”

“I know what Orion said,” I agreed. “But he’s Darius’s little buddy, isn’t he? He doesn’t want us to realise our full strength, he doesn’t want us to pose a threat to Darius’s precious throne.”

“I think he’s just trying to help.”

“I know he is,” I agreed. “But I also think he’s probably helping Darius more. Making sure he learns how to wield the shadows better than us so that he can be sure he’s still the strongest. And I’m sick of always being on the back foot with him and the other Heirs. We’re more powerful than them, Darcy. And I’m ready to start proving it.”

She pursed her lips like she was unsure but I knew the truth of my words had hit her. “I’m sure Orion really is trying to help…but maybe you have a point,” she conceded. “Though I still think it’s dangerous to mess around with the shadows alone.”

“The shadows are inside us, Darcy. We’re always messing around with them now whether we want to or not. I’m going to be careful about it but I’m not going to hide from them. I want to master this darkness in me before it has the chance to take the lead.”

Darcy opened her mouth to reply but her gaze slid over my shoulder and she shot me a meaningful look. I glanced around too, spotting Professor Nox as he strode towards us through the thin crowd. His shirt was off, revealing a myriad of tattoos all over his flesh and his giant, black wings were tucked tight to his back. He was drawing a lot of stares but he didn’t seem to have noticed.

I dropped the silencing bubble as he approached, a small smile pulling at his lips. “All ready to go?” he asked and we got to our feet, excitement dancing between us.

“Yes,” Darcy said enthusiastically and he led the way outside as we hurried to follow.

I eyed his huge, feathered black wings as we walked, remembering the weight of my own wings on my back as a line of heat shivered along my shoulder blades like they were aching to be set free.

As soon as we made it outside, he stopped and turned to face us, pulling a small, silk pouch from the bag he held.

“We’re going to take these lessons off campus,” Nox explained as he held the stardust out between us. “Away from prying eyes.”

We didn’t get a chance to object before he’d tossed the glimmering black stardust over us and the academy disappeared as the stars tugged us away to our new destination.

Darcy caught my arm as we landed, almost sending us both flying and I laughed as I fought to right her.

I looked around at our new surroundings, taking in the lush greenery of a huge jungle to our left and the massive ravine carved into the ground to our right.

My gut spiralled with vertigo as I looked down into the enormous fissure which tore the jungle in half beside us. Thick, humid heat sat in the air and the calls of strange birds and animals reached us from the trees.

“Where are we?” Darcy gasped.

“The Baruvian Ravine in south Solaria. No Fae live anywhere near here and we’re thousands of miles from the academy. No one will see us here and as an added bonus the updrafts here are insane. This is my favourite place to fly in the whole world,” Professor Nox said with a dark smile.

“So we’re just going to start flying, sir?” I asked, having half expected a really slow introduction to our gifts.

“Can you guys just call me Gabriel?” he asked with the hint of a smile. “I’ve already seen enough of our relationships in my visions to know we’re Nebula Allies and if we’re going to be friends for life I’d rather just cut the shit.”

I barked a laugh and Darcy rose her eyebrows in surprise. “Are we allowed to just be friends with a Professor?” she asked sceptically.

“Allowed? Well, there aren’t any specific rules against it. In fact the two of you should come and hang out with me and my friends this weekend. We’ve got the VIP room at Celest and there’s an open bar.”

I’d heard people talking about the exclusive bar in central Tucana, but as far as I knew it was practically impossible to get on the guest list, let alone into the VIP room.

“How did you manage to get tickets like that?” I asked suspiciously.

“Do you seriously think being Heirs to the Solarian throne doesn’t make you VIPs?” Gabriel joked. “You could get in anywhere you wanted just by flashing them a smile.”

My eyebrows rose at that, I’d never really considered things like that coming with our royal titles.

“I don’t really think it would be acceptable for us to go clubbing with a teacher,” Darcy added.

“Oh come on, Darcy, people do inappropriate things with teachers all the time,” he teased.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Darcy gasped, blinking way too many times as if he’d just propositioned her or something and I snorted a laugh.

Gabriel carried on as if he hadn’t even noticed her reaction. “Besides, I’ve found my Elysian Mate, so you’re safe with me. My eyes never stray from my love and they certainly wouldn’t settle on either of you.”

I laughed, wondering if I should be offended by that statement but not feeling remotely inclined to be. Gabriel was intense and intriguing, there was something about him that drew me in and made me want to spend more time in his company, but there was zero sexual attraction there, even though in a purely analytical sense he was pretty much my type on paper – tall, dark, covered in tattoos and with a glint in his eye that promised trouble. I wondered if it was the mate bond turning me off and looked at the silver ring around his irises with interest.

“What’s it like?” I asked curiously. “Finding your one true love?”

Gabriel’s gaze softened as he thought about the girl who owned his heart and he smiled as he answered. “Like, getting hit with a truck and having it back over you several times while you lay bleeding in the dirt.”

“What?” Darcy laughed.

“Yeah. It takes you by surprise, eats you up, spits you out and keeps you begging for more every single day. And once the bond was sealed between us…I feel like my whole fucking world begins and ends with her. I’ll never get enough, the ache in me will never be satisfied. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

The grin on my face was way too wide to belong to me, but I couldn’t help it. He was totally in love and it was too damn cute not to smile over.

“Anyway,” he interjected. “I’ve got a weird gift for you. And I want you to know that I had no involvement in the purchase of these – you can thank Professor Prestos for that. But I thought this would be preferable to the alternative.”

Gabriel took two small parcels from his bag and tossed them to us. I unwrapped mine quickly and raised an eyebrow as I found a black bikini top inside it.

“You’re going to need your backs bare if you want to set your wings free,” he explained. “And this way you won’t actually have to be topless. So if you wanna change into those, I’ll wait.”

I smirked at that and moved away as Gabriel turned his back to us. I quickly switched out my sports bra for the bikini top, tying it behind my neck and low on my back, leaving my shoulder blades free for my wings.

My heart was pounding faster and I turned back to Gabriel with a wide smile as I waited to find out what was next, finding Darcy waiting eagerly too.

“Okay, so I also brought spare sweatpants in case you accidentally set your whole Order free and burn yours off, but what I’m hoping to do is teach you both how to coax your wings out alone. If you can master that then no one will be able to tell you aren’t Fire Harpies. Flaming wings are flaming wings after all.”

My smile widened at that thought, I loved that we were pulling the wool over Daddy Acrux’s eyes. And if we could do this then we could hide our true nature for as long as we needed while still holding the power of the Phoenixes beneath our flesh.

“How do we do it?” Darcy asked excitedly.

“Focus on the sensation in your shoulder blades and only that. Imagine your wings unfurling slowly, setting them free. Don’t allow the rest of your Order form to take any of your attention. Try to focus on the way they felt when you unleashed them before, the weight of them, the heat…”

I closed my eyes and did as he said, the fire in my back burning hotter as I focused on it.

I gasped as a flare of heat tore along my back and suddenly burst free.

My eyes flipped open as a heavy weight settled on my back and found myself looking at Darcy as her own flaming wings spread out behind her.

“Wow,” I breathed. The only other time we’d been in our Order forms, it had been impossible to process everything properly. But now, in the blazing sunshine, I could really look at the huge, flaming wings which burned in a mixture of red and blue flames across golden feathers. The flames rippled like water, licking along the length of them and trailing behind the movements lazily.

“Are we going to start setting things alight whenever we touch something with them?” Darcy asked.

“Other Orders who wield a living flame are usually able to choose whether or not the flames hurt anything or anyone,” Gabriel explained. “So assuming you maintain control and don’t want to burn anything, you shouldn’t.”

He bent down and hooked a dry branch from the ground, holding it out to touch Darcy’s wing. She flexed her muscles in response to the touch, her wings spreading a little but the stick remained unharmed.

Gabriel smiled triumphantly and looked towards me, tossing the stick aside. He reached out with his bare hand and my heart skittered in response.

“Do you mind?” he asked and I shook my head warily. “Don’t worry, I have seen several snippets of my future, none of which involved me having a burned off hand.”

A breath of laughter escaped me and he stepped forward. His fingers brushed down the centre of my wing and I shivered, the feeling almost like someone running their hands through my hair and yet entirely different at the same time.

“I think it’s safe to say you won’t be burning down any more dorm rooms any time soon. At least not accidentally.”

“Any more?” I asked, my heart leaping. Gabriel might have seemed cool, but he was still a damn teacher and what I’d done to Darius’s room could get me in a lot of trouble if it came out.

His only response was a knowing smirk before he turned and strode towards the canyon beside us.

“Flying is easy once you get a feel for it,” he said. “But the easiest way to begin is by gliding. The updrafts above the ravine will keep you aloft all the time you have your wings spread wide. So the first challenge is to jump. After that you can get a feel for the way tilting and turning your body moves you through the air and try flapping your wings. It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike; once you’ve got a feeling for the motions it’s just natural.”

He didn’t wait for us to respond before leaping off of the cliff and I gasped as he free fell for a moment before snapping his wings out wide and gliding away from us in a graceful arc.

“Holy shit,” Darcy breathed and a terrified yet excited laugh bubbled from my lips.

“Together?” I asked, holding my hand out to her.

She smiled as she took my hand. “Shall we just run for it?”

“On three?”

Darcy nodded and I steeled myself to do this insane thing.

“One, two, three-”

We sprinted for the edge of the cliff, releasing each other’s hands as we dove over the edge.

A scream escaped me as I began to fall and I threw my arms out, urging the unfamiliar muscles of my wings to follow suit.

They snapped out and the wind instantly caught in them, the feeling of the air pressing into the folds of my feathers making adrenaline crash through my body as the updraft caught me and pushed me higher.

Darcy whooped her excitement and I looked up to see her soaring overhead, flaming wings burning brighter than the sun which was heading for the horizon in the distance.

I tilted my weight to the right and instantly turned that way, sweeping over the canyon and following the line of it for a few minutes as I got the feel for directing my movements. Once I felt more confident, I concentrated on flapping my wings. The first powerful beat of the flaming appendages on my back shot me forward at an alarming speed and I shrieked in excitement and surprise.

There was a lightness in my chest and a huge smile on my face as I beat them again, soaring, higher, faster, further. I’d never felt a rush like it, every inch of my skin was alight with power and energy, exhilaration and fire.

I whooped with joy as I spun through the sky, my wings beating hard as I moved faster and faster with my sister beside me.

I was flying, really, truly flying. And I’d never felt so alive or so free in all my life.