Page 129 of Wings of Ash & Flame
Alaire curled her fingers into her chest. She shouldn’t miss the heat of him.
“I’ve learned there’s no stopping your unique brand of chaos. But you can’t outfeel or outfight everything. Control is sometimes the difference between surviving and winning. That’s what I’m training you for—to win.” His smirk tilted devilishly. “Of course, I’m sure you’ll ignore all that until it gets us both killed.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
“Thought so.” She smirked back. “Let’s go.”
Their breaths and blows echoed through the clearing.
After what felt like an eternity, Dawson finally said, “That should do it for a warm-up.”
Sweat trickled down her face, sliding into the hollow of her throat. “A warm-up?” She panted. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I assure you, I’m not.”
She stalked to her pack, chugging water like she’d crossed the Scorched Marsh.
“Overall, your sparring wasn’t bad,” he admitted. Was thatapprovalin his tone? “But you need to be faster. Anticipate my strikes better.”
Above, Solflara’s fiery plumage shimmered in the sunlight while Beck’s black feathers seemed to drink in the refracted light.
“What are you two doing here?” Alaire asked. “I thought you were flying overhead.”
Solflara gave her a sharp look, and only then did Alaire realize she’d been too consumed with Dawson to notice their descent into the clearing.
“More like drooling over the princeling,” Solflara said smugly, feathers wiggling.
Alaire shot her a dirty look.
Dawson cleared his throat. Alaire turned her attention to him. “This is what I meant by doing things a bit differently. I want to get in some aerial practice before they eat. Since Beck is the best there is.”
Solflara tutted indignantly. “What he means to say is Beckwasthe best there was.” Flames singed the ground a few inches from Dawson’s feet.
“Whoa, whoa.” Dawson jumped back.
“Correction—you and Beckwerethe best.” Alaire grinned. “But that changed the second we bonded.” Sometimes Solflara’s cocky personality worked in her favor.
“Only one way to find out.” Dawson lifted his chin. “Mount up, Firework.”
Alaire turned to Solflara, who was swatting Beck away as he tried to approach her. “Ready,Solf?”
“Absolutely.The lovesick griffin needs to learn he isn’t enough to satisfy the entity that is my greatness.I prefer solitude over suffocating affection.”
“O-kay.”
“Also,must you insist on using that nickname when you know I despise it?”
“And that right there is the reason I use it.”
“The audacity.”
“Let’s show them how it’s done.I plan to rub this in Dawson’s face until the end of time.”
Solflara released a melodic trill, amber eyes gleaming with anticipation. Reaching up for her phoenix’s braid, Alaire swung on as Dawson simultaneously mounted Beck.
“We’re going to simulate a high-stakes aerial battle. Use everything you’ve learned. The goal is to outmaneuver and tag the other with a simulated hit. Got it?”
