Page 47 of Wings of Betrayal

She folds her arms across her chest and narrows her eyes at me. “Is it true a lost one almost killed you?”

“It is,” I say.

She tilts her head to the side. “So then why should we take your advice? You’re no expert.”

The others gasp and whisper amongst themselves, but I can’t help but admire her confidence. She has a point.

“You’re right. Believe me, I wish there were someone else for the job. Lost ones are terrifying creatures, and you never want to encounter one if you can help it. But as a survivor of an attack, I may have some pointers for you all that could help save your lives.”

She continues to stare at me. “How do we know you survived an attack, and you’re not just making it up?”

I raise my brows. “I suppose that’s a fair question.”

Zarla, you don’t have to prove shit to any of them,Finlay says.

I know,I reply.

I spin around and lift my leathers up to reveal the scars from the lost one’s attack, and they all gasp.

Lowering my leathers down, I face the female. “Satisfied?”

She drops her arms to her sides and nods.

“Now, for those who are up for a bit of danger, follow me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The group of twenty angels follow Finlay and me as we fly over the Kingdom toward the Dark Forest. Most of the Zelons are spaced around the borders, guarding the perimeter of the Kingdom, but many are still within the forest.

We glide down and land near the edge of the trees, deciding it’s probably best not to take twenty angels who have never been there before. I whistle, and moments later, Keva bounds out of the forest toward me.

All the angels gasp and take several steps back. Smiling, I walk up to meet Keva, and we rub faces before Keva licks my cheek. I giggle and wipe his slobber away while the group of young angels all stare in shock and awe.

So cool,Finlay says.

“Hey, boy, how are you doing?” I ask.

He grunts and excitedly nudges my shoulder with his nose, and I laugh.

“These angels are all students from the academy, and I want to see if we can pair them up with their own Zelons, just as I have with you. Can you help us?”

He shifts his focus to the group and then cautiously pads across the grass toward them, licking Finlay’s cheek on his way past. I raise my hand to ensure none of them move. Keva won’t harm them—I know that. But he needs time to assess them and understand that they aren’t a threat to him or the other Zelons.

He circles the group, sniffing them and nudging them with his nose as they nervously wait for his approval. Once he’s satisfied, he moves back to my side and then releases his wings.

“Can he really understand you?” one of the young males asks.

“He can. And that’s something you will experience with your own Zelon, in time, once you’ve earned their trust.” I release my wings, and the other angels do the same.

Keva takes to the skies, and we all follow. He leads us over the Dark Forest toward the mountains.

Where is he taking us? I’ve never flown this far, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t worry me, taking these young angels this far out. But I trust Keva, and I know he would never lead me into danger.

You sure this is safe?Finlay asks.

I glance at him and am surprised to see the worry lines etched across his face.I trust Keva.

We near the base of the mountains where it’s much cooler, and there’s only a small amount of snow covering their peaks. The rest has melted beneath the sun’s rays. A wide river cuts through the landscape, swirling from the mountains down through the forest below. Keva glides down to a clearing near the bottom of the mountain that’s teeming with Zelons.

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