Page 32 of Flight Risk

Kier sucked in a breath. “I will be able to fly so soon? I just thought I would get my wings and the flying would come later.”

I gripped his hand and lifted it to my lips. “Yes, mate. You will be able to fly probably the first time your wings come out. You can get some liftoff. Then later we’ll go on longer journeys.”

“Oh, wow, I don’t even remember flying with you when we went to the cabin.”

I couldn’t wait to fly with my mate. I hadn’t had much of a chance to spread my wings since being mated. I was waiting for my mate to be able to fly. “You will fly with me again.”

“Today. Do you think we can do it today?”

I raised a brow. “Do you think you want to?” It had already been an exciting day since he had just laid our eggs this morning.

“I can help,” Thorne said. “I was there when my sister’s mate took flight for the first time, and when my stepfather did. If you need help bringing your wings out, I know a few techniques.”

I looked to Kier to make sure he was good with the idea. He nodded. “We’d love that. But let’s go. Let’s get started. We should do this outside since we don’t know how large your wingspan will be.”

“I can stay with the eggs,” my father said, without ever looking up from the nest. He had his head rested on the pillow as his hand stroked first one egg and then the other, paying them all an equal amount of attention.

Kier clapped his hands. “Let’s do this. I don’t have to be naked, right?”

Thorne laughed. “No, shirtless would help. You don’t want to rip holes into all your shirts.”

“Will I get to breathe fire?”

“No, that skill is reserved for only the strongest dragons. The best most of us can do is spit out sparks,” I said.

“Oh, how did I not know that?” Kier asked. He was bouncing on his toes, and the energy radiating from him was electrifying.

“The only one I know who can actually breathe a steady stream of fire is Shane, and he is ageless.”

“Ageless?”

“He was born before time was recorded properly. The best he can tell was that he was hatched sometime in the spring.”

“Oh, wow. All right, let’s get started.”

My father stayed with the eggs, sitting on the edge of the nest and gazing at them affectionately.

After one last touch to each of the shells, Kier and I went outside to the backyard. The sun shone brightly. The wind was light and out of the north. A perfect day for a flight.

“Are you ready?” I asked Kier.

Kier tugged off his shirt and steadied himself. “I think so. How do I start? Do I just... will my wings out?”

“Kind of. Stand straight, be aware of your stance and your center of gravity. When your wings emerge, that will all shift, and it can be jarring. When you’re ready, close your eyes and imagine your wings.”

“I don’t know what they look like.”

“You do, you just don’t realize it.”

Kier took a deep breath. The concentration was etched on his face with the pinch of his lips. His eyes closed. “My wings are the same color as Tav’s scales. Almost translucent on the interdigital membrane between my talons. The color is so vibrant.”

As Kier described his wings, the air behind him shimmered, and then his wings were there, protruding from his shoulder blades. They were magnificent.

“You did it!” Thorne shouted. “That was so quick!”

“They’re beautiful, mate. Truly. Open your eyes.”

His eyes opened, surprise in them. Then he focused. At first his wings twitched. Then they fluttered. Within moments they were full-on flapping. His feet hovered about the ground. I held his hands to keep him from taking off or falling flat on his face.

---