Page 122 of Wings of Betrayal

I giggle, and a few minutes later, Kyle’s ready to go again. We make love twice more until we’re both exhausted and sweaty messes, and I drift off to sleep in his arms, feeling more content and happier than I ever have before.

The following morning, I wake to a gentle, warm breeze blowing in my face. I open one eye to find Kyle standing butt naked on the balcony overlooking the ocean. It’s a good view, I must say. The ocean isn’t too bad, either.

I slip out of bed, walk over to him, and wrap my arms around him from behind.

He takes hold of my hands and gives them a squeeze. “Morning, my mate.”

I love how he calls me that. “Good morning.”

He turns around to face me and cups my face in his hands then presses his lips to mine. “Are you ready for Galespo?”

I think on that for a moment. It’s a risky task to undertake, but I know we don’t have a choice. We have to get that weapon and save Astelle. Grazen, the watcher I met, comes to mind. If I saw him again, would he help us? I’d hate for him to get into trouble for that, but it would also be incredibly helpful to have a watcher on our side.

Kyle raises his brows at me. “You good?”

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking. I’m ready.”

He tilts his head as if he doesn’t believe me. “Why don’t we head back to the training grounds and visit the lost one again?You need to practice your ability. We’re going to need all the help we can get in Galespo, and your ability is important.”

He slips past me, patting my bum on his way inside, and I giggle.

He’s right. I do need to practice my ability. If I look deep within, I can sense it, just idling away inside me, ready to be unleashed. But this ability is closely linked to my ability to open portals, and the idea of accidently opening a portal and being sucked back into the Realm of Lost Souls is a daunting thought. If I can learn to control this ability, I can make sure that doesn’t happen again, though.

After I’m dressed in my leathers, Kyle and I fly over to the training grounds, where we find the others are already in preparation mode and training with one another. Finlay and Nilo are fighting when we land on the sideline. They stop once they spot us.

Morning,Finlay says.

You know you can talk out loud, right? It’s not a secret to say good morning,I reply, and he laughs.

Kyle gives me the side-eye, and I bite my lip.

“Sorry, force of habit,” I say.

“Hey, Zarla?” Nilo says and jogs over. “Want to spar with me?”

“Yeah, why not? Let’s do it.”

Kyle shoots Nilo a warning glare, silently telling him to be careful, which I find amusing. I can hold my own, and Nilo knows it, too.

We spar for a bit, and he shows me some impressive moves I haven’t seen before. By the end of it, I’m a sweaty mess.

I look up just as Em lands near Kyle, and I try not to give her the reaction I know she’s looking for. She tries to hug him, but he takes a step away from her. I smile at that, glad he’s setting clear boundaries with her. Em heads over to us then, and I bitethe inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying something I shouldn’t.

“Getting ready, I see,” she says in a somewhat mocking tone.

I slide my sword back into the holster on my back. “Just practicing. I am ready.”

Who’s that?Finlay asks, leaning up against a sandstone pillar, staring at Em.

I roll my eyes.Don’t go there. Trust me.

He pushes off from the pillar and heads our way.

Bastard.

Hey, no name-calling,he complains.

“Hey, I’m Finlay,” he says, holding his hand out to Em.

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