Page 80 of A Sky of Storms
Oh gods. He was such a tease, and I freaking loved it. I supposed I kinda deserved it, but the endless back and forth without ever getting the goods was giving me whiplash.
He was right though, now wasn’t the time. My sister had captured Noah and was most likely hurting him too. I didn’t fully trust him yet, but so far, he’d proven a good asset and a reliable ally. He didn’t deserve Victoria’s brutality. No one did.
I huffed, staring at Zane’s ass as we stalked towards the garrison looming into view. Fine, if I had to wait, I would, and next time it would be on my terms … though if he meant what he said I certainly wouldn’t be turning down his offer.
He was so hot. I would savour him like the last square in a block of chocolate, and there would be no holding back.
“Starfish,” Zane whispered, jerking me from my fantasies and ushering me forward. “Look.”
The garrison lay just ahead. There weren’t as many Potentials guarding it, given we’d captured several of Victoria’s people, but the place was lit up like a Christmas tree with the amount of torches staked around the grounds.
“It will be difficult to get in unseen,” I said with a frown. “But I might be able to manage it if we fly up?”
Zane looked at me uncertainly. “Are you sure you can carry me?”
“Nope. But there’s no way in hell Victoria would be keeping Noah on the ground floor. We’d either need to sneak past the guards and everyone inside or take them out directly.”
“It’s risky either way,” Zane agreed, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Let’s go with option one, but be warned, Starfish, heights aren’t my thing.”
I smirked. “I promise I won’t drop you, but let’s get a closer look first, see if the guards patrol or stay stationary.”
He nodded, slapping my ass as we crouched low and scampered through the trees. I bit back my surprise and smiled, shaking my head. Only Zane could make me grin when we were about to walk into the devil’s dungeon. We could die trying to save Noah, but I wasn’t afraid. My body hummed with energy and anticipation. It felt good to do the right thing, to help save someone from my family’s clutches for a change.
“We’re coming, Noah,” I whispered in a quiet promise.
The guards had a predictable patrol. They walked the same path once every five minutes, which gave me ample time to fly up and duck into the entry on the top floor where Noah would most likely be. Victoria might be expecting me to fly up, but I just had to hope she was preoccupied with other matters and wasn’t in the middle of interrogating him.
The question was how to get down? Going through the garrison meant we’d for sure come across other Potentials. Noah could be injured, which meant we’d be vulnerable if we had to support him. I told Zane as much, and he sucked on his lip while he thought.
“What if we found some rope?” he asked. “You could fly him down and I’ll rappel.”
I nodded. “That will work if you can find some. And if not…”
“Then we’ll take them out quietly,” Zane finished, his face grim. “I’m all for second chances here, but these people knew what they signed up for. We’re doing what we must to get him back Starfish.”
I sucked in a breath. It’s not like we both hadn’t taken lives today. We were survivors, and Zane was right. We’d do what was needed to get through these trials. But even so, I didn’t feel right about killing someone like that. In a fair fight, I’m game, but this felt cowardly.
Eyes on the prize. Get in, get out, get the job done.
“You’ve got this,” Zane said, tugging on the front of my jumpsuit with a smile. “Ready?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
My wings burst from my back, and I wrapped my arms tightly around him, cradling his ass as he circled my calves with his legs. It wasn’t ideal, but I wasn’t strong enough to carry him like a baby, and my wings were powerful enough to compensate for the imbalance of weight in front.
“It’s a good thing … you’re not … super muscled and all,” I huffed, hefting him up more comfortably and waiting for the prime moment to fly.
Zane nuzzled into my neck. “Could be worse,” he said. “I could be Kayden.”
I could only grunt in reply, taking off just as the Potentials were both standing at the edge of the ramparts, overlooking the grounds. I had around twenty seconds to get us in that door, or it was all over.
Sweat beaded on my temple as my arms quivered beneath Zane’s weight. My wings flapped furiously as I soared towards our goal. The Potentials below were facing the other way, so I had timed it perfectly.
One of the guards on the ramparts started turning early, and my heart jumped into my throat as I forced more power into my wings. Shit, shit, shit! I swooped into the room in the nick of time, skidding along the floor and somehow managing not to crash into a stack of crates in the corner.
I knelt double, panting for a moment to catch my breath. No one was in this room, thank fuck, but I had to hope Noah was nearby and that the guards hadn’t heard us. Zane slipped into a crouch, drawing a knife from his pocket. I slid mine from my boot as well.
Warily, we approached the doorway to the next room, and Zane ducked his head through. “Clear,” he mouthed, gesturing for me to get behind him.
