Page 126 of Black Wing and Shadows
“Ah, who's your friend?” Sadie asked.
“Someone I knew from Zion Outpost.”
He gave them all a smile then said, “hmmm a little more than just knew.”
Micah cringed and locked his eyes behind me. I didn’t need him to say anything to know Zane was approaching—
A hand interlocked with mine. Orrin's eyes dropped down to our hands.
“Oh, I see. I guess asking if you wanted to throw some drinks back and have some fun is out of the question,” Orrin said. He was so fucking cocky.
My cheeks rushed with flaming heat, heart beating faster. I am sure everyone around us could see my bright red cheeks against my pale skin. Anger coursed down the bond, and it wasn’t mine.
“Yeah… no. She will not be having any fun with you,” Zane said. His voice steady, cold, calculating. No one here would guess that his anger was surging between us.
“Sorry. No disrespect. I’ll see myself to my duty,” Orrin said.
“See you around,” I said.
“Yeah… I am also going to go, this is not the conversation I am staying for. I have witnessed thiswaytoo many times,” Lili said.
“Wow. Thanks…” I said.
She turned and headed out. Sadie, Micah, and Thora took that opportunity to also leave.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just pulled me into him, his arms closing around me in the middle of the storm. His chest was solid against mine, the steady thrum of his heartbeat grounding me when everything else felt like it was unraveling.
“You know, I am not a possession. I have a past, as do you.”
“Sorry if I overstepped. You are happy to get drinks with him, but the fun he was insinuating won't be happening. And yes, I am aware we both have a past. I have to see yours every day.”
“I have never hidden that I was wild before… You and I are real. So very fucking real. I would never do anything to disrespect you. No one will have my eyes the way you do. You have to trust that.”
“I will try to do better and give you that autonomy. Sometimes my jealousy takes over. I never had a problem with sharing before, but you… I don’t want to share. I love you, Auri.”
“I also don’t want to share, the thought of another female swooning you makes me nauseous.”
“Well as you said, no one will or has ever had my eyes the way you do.”
The flood of cadets shoved past us, their voices echoing down the halls, footsteps pounding down each side of the hallway. It already felt different. Thinner. Unsteady. Like the bones of something hollowing out from the inside. And I couldn’t shake the thought that we’d just been left behind in a game no one else wanted to play. After what felt to be a hundred heartbeats,he let go of his grip on me. He rested his lips onto my forehead, both of us soaking in the moment before we carried our day on.
“It will be chaotic today, but I will find you. Stay safe, my Anam Cara.”
“I love you, Zane.”
***
By afternoon, the campus felt half-dead. Chamber doors gaped open, shutters banging as cadets hauled trunks down stairwells. The echo of hurried boots and carriage wheels still carried from the outer gates as Feather Wing trudged onto the flight field.
Professor Hildegard was already waiting, broad-shouldered, arms crossed, his pale hair bound in a tight braid that snapped in the wind. His voice carried across the field like a whipcrack. “Mount up. No excuses. The sooner you learn to fly, the sooner you can leave the ground when danger finds you. Today, we test your grip and your stomach. You can use your pommel. We will work on core strengthening when you all return.”
Esme crouched low as I cinched the saddle straps. Her silver eyes glittered with anticipation, her amusement curling through the bond. “Tight banks. Tight circles. Excellent. I’ll enjoy this.”
I groaned,“I was afraid you’d say that.”
He whistled, which had to be part magic, making my head twitch.
Feather Wing launched in a storm of beating wings and sparks. Sera blazed, Micah laughing like it was the greatest day of his life. Korra cut arcs sharp enough to shear the wind, and Sadie pressed low, fierce and steady. Orix dove into wide spirals that tightened without warning, forcing Akira to cling like a ragdoll.
