Page 161 of The King's Man
With a curse, I spread my wings further, keeping my body as still as possible, holding Dee in her furs, and praying they’d catch.
It would be less than a minute before we hit the ground at this rate. My feathers were lightening, shards of ice slipping from them to leave a glittering trail in our wake, but not fast enough.
Then it was thirty seconds.
Twenty.
Please, God.Please.After all this, I can’t be defeated by a fucking storm!
As the words left my mind, my wings caught—and our momentum slowed, lifted. The right side of my back gave a jolt but held, and then I could spread my wingspan all the way… and then we were gliding.
My breath rushed out of me, followed immediately by slightly crazed laughter and panting as I began to float, riding the flows of air, tilting, wobbling once or twice, but now incontrol of a long, slow spiral down over the foothills, and then onto the plains below.
‘Jann… Jann, you did it!’
Diadre peered down at the ground which now approached at a much less deadly pace.
‘Yes,’I sent.‘You’re safe. We’re safe. Thank God.’
My landing was ragged. I was able to backflap, but it hurt, and I misjudged my speed, which wasn’t helped by my frozen and exhausted body. I stumbled on my first step and almost fell before I could make my legs pump. But finally… finally… I sprinted, then ran, then jogged… then staggered to a halt hugging that roll of furs and my mate within it to my chest, panting.
With numb, trembling fingers I quickly unbuckled the straps, then yanked the furs from around Diadre—a touch too aggressively. She staggered and went to one knee before I caught her arm, pulled her back to her feet and took her face in my hands.
“Are you okay? Are you well? Are you—”
“I’m fine, Jann,” she panted. And then she smiled. “I’m fine. The question is… are you?”
I stared at her for a moment, searching her eyes for any hint of subterfuge or deceit, but there was nothing.
Relief saturated me to the bone.
“I think I… need a rest,” I mumbled, then kissed her lips, then with a huge groan of relief, I dissolved my wings and let myself flop backwards onto the ground.
“Jann!”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled as Diadre slid to my side and loosened my clothing. “I’m just exhausted and… my back is still strained,” I said hoarsely.
Diadre pulled the bags off me and found one of the waterskins we’d filled that morning, holding it to my lips as I gulped noisily.
When I was done I lay there for a long time, staring at thecalmgray sky here on the plains below the mountains. From this vantage point those dark grey clouds around the peaks seemed like little more than threatening rain.
Oh, how deceptive they were.
“Jann… you said it was brutal. But that was…”
“I have a confession to make,” I said through thick lips and tongue.
Diadre went very still next to me. “What is it?” she asked breathlessly, leaning over my chest and peering down at me, her eyes round.
I swallowed. “We… don’t usually carry anyone over alone. We do it in teams.”
She was horrified. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because…” I mumbled, then cleared my throat. “I didn’t want to share you… I mean, scare you.”
Her forehead furrowed, then she sat back on her heels. “You’re an idiot.”
“Only sometimes. And you still love me. Admit it.”
