Page 75 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

Peering closer, I discover the silver chains aren’t chains at all, but ribbons threaded through tiny holes in the bronze coins. Some appear long enough to wrap around an alicorn’s neck. Sure enough, when I pick one up, I spot the wordFlighthavenstamped into the metal. Score.

Quickly pocketing two, my attention snags on the papers. What could those be? Curious, I stroke the thick parchment with my fingertips.

A hand clamps down on my shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing in my room?”

Air punches from my lungs. This is bad. Very, very bad. I’m going to be in so much trouble.

Nerves mix with the heady feeling from the alcohol as I whirl to face Instructor Thorne. “I…” The words die on my lips.

He’s shirtless, a pair of loose black pants slung low over his hips.

Holy hells.

Heat engulfs me, torching my throat and blazing a trail down to my lower belly. This time, I don’t think I can blame the burn on the whiskey.

Underneath his bronzed skin, honed muscles ripple, displaying every hard plane and line of his body. The faded scars painting his chest and stomach add to his appeal. Two lines near his hips form cut in to form a V shape and dip below his waistband. I follow the trajectory of those lines, swallowing hard. He’s…absolutely magnificent.

“Axton. I asked you a question.”

My head jerks up. “I…um…you did?”

A hint of amusement flits across his face. “I’ll ask you again. What are you doing in the room at this time of night?”

Oh. Right.Thatquestion.

Instead of a suitable response, Abel’s voice echoes in my mind. I try to snuff it out and end up pleading with myself.

Oh, gods, no. Do not say dicking down. Repeat, do no say dicking down.

Perspiration dots my scalp as I fumble for an excuse. What’s my cover story again? The answer evades me thanks to Thorne’s half-dressed state scrambling my brain. Since my thoughts refuse to cooperate, I blurt out the next thing that pops in my head. “I was going for a walk…and I thought I’d visit the alicorns.”

Immediately, I want to go back in time and shove a gag in my mouth.

You? Visit the alicorns, in the middle of the night no less?I suppress a groan at my pitiful explanation.

“Right.” Thorne’s mouth tips up in a smirk. “Because you’re so fond of them.”

I cast a longing glance at the door. “I never said Iwasn’tfond of them.”

“Pretty certain that was exactly what you meant when you fainted and later bailed from Zephyr’s back. And that still doesn’t explain why you’re in my room.”

“Um.” My attention drifts back to his sculpted abdominals, and I lose my train of thought. “Well, I?—”

“Have you been drinking?” Thorne inches closer, dipping his face toward mine and sniffing. “You have.”

I must have ingested more alcohol than I realized, because something is messing with my head. It’s definitelynotthe so-sexy-it-should-be-illegal instructor’s nearness.

Say yes. Tell him you’re drunk and then run away.

Instead, I tilt my chin up, standing on my toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s only one way for you to know for sure.”

He jolts when my lips brush the shell of his ear, and my breath catches in my throat.

Did I really just say that?

Thorne rears back like I’ve burned him, his dark gaze full of shadows and desire.

I lick my lips, and he groans. My stomach dips at the hungry noise.

---