Page 156 of Heir of Illusion

“I don’t think I should say.”

I trail a single finger across his shoulder. “But I want to know.”

“You see, if I tell you, I’ll have to show you.” His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer. “And then we won’t be leaving this room tonight. Is that what you want, Ivy?”

My heart gallops as my breathing turns heavy, this time having nothing to do with the collar. A shiver skips up my spine in anticipation, but I force myself to step back. His arm falls away immediately.

My shoulders slump as I heave a regretful sigh. “Later?”

“Always,” he promises.

Taking my hand in his, he leads me up the stairs. As we make our way to the roof, I send silent prayers to the Fates that “later” will still exist for us after tonight.

Chapter

Forty-Three

Wind blasts against us as we circle above the city. The roaring sound of it makes speaking to each other impossible. Thorne’s arms are tight around me as I cling to him with all my strength. The other times he took me into the sky with him, I was too weak and disoriented to really appreciate the experience. This time, I find myself wishing that was the case.

I squeeze my eyes shut as Thorne takes us higher. The air is thinner up here, making it difficult to breathe. Cracking one eye open, I glance down and immediately regret it. Solmare is barely visible beneath us. A thick layer of fog hovers over the city, distorting everything. The moment I realize how far off the ground we are, my entire body tenses, and I shove my face into the crook of Thorne’s neck again.

His body shakes as he laughs against me. I want to smack him, but I don’t dare move at this height. My indignation is slightly mitigated by the feeling of his large hand gently rubbing against my back. Dampness settles in my eyes, and I tell myself it’s just a side effect of the wind as I nuzzle deeper into his warmth.

“There,” he says directly into my ear.

Before I can ask what he means, we’re suddenly diving toward the city. My stomach falls into my throat and I can’t stop the scream that forces its way out of me. Black feathers curl around us, tickling my nose as we fall through the sky. Each second brings us closer to the hard ground. Just as quickly as it began, our steep decent screeches to a halt as Thorne spreads his wings wide.

“Don’teverdo that again!” My throat burns as I shout over the raging wind.

“No promises, Angel.” His lips brush over my ear, and a shiver passes through me that has nothing to do with the chilly night air. “Over there.”

Pulling my face out of his neck, I scan his features and realize he’s staring at something below us. I swallow my rising fear and peek down. Squinting through the fog, I catch a brief glimpse of horses galloping across the bridge that separates the Dockside District from the rest of the city.

“It’s time,” I whisper, too quiet for even my own ears to hear over the heavy breeze.

Thorne carries us lower—thankfully, not diving this time. His wings glide gracefully over the currents of air as we descend, coming to a stop in an alley between two brick buildings. The moment his feet land on solid ground, I release my death grip and unwrap my legs from his waist as I throw myself onto the cobblestone. I’ve never been so grateful for the existence of gravity.

“Not a fan of flying?” Thorne asks, an undeniable edge of humor in his tone.

I narrow my eyes. “I wasn’t built for the skies.”

“Really?” He arches a playful brow. “I rather enjoyed the way you clung to me.”

I open my mouth to respond, but the biting words die on my tongue as footsteps pull our attention to the left. The others appear at the mouth of the alley, silently filing into the narrow opening.

My brows pull together. “Where are the horses?”

“We figured they’d be too conspicuous, so we left them a few blocks away,” Fia whispers, her eyes scanning for threats.

“Glad to see you survived the flight.” Griffen grins in my direction as they all join us in the back corner, Della and Darrow appearing slightly out of place among the odd group.

“It was a close call,” Thorne answers for me, earning him a scowl.

“It will be a close call foryouif you ever take me up there again,” I grumble.

“Please settle down,” Darrow says, his lip curling with disgust at the sight of mud staining the hem of his velvet trousers. “I don’t want to have to be the responsible one here.”

I roll my eyes. “Trust me, no one thought you were.”

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