In one swift motion, I had her on her back, pinned beneath me. I rolled my hips against hers, eliciting a soft gasp. Then, I let my head drop to her ear. “Don’t play like you don’t love when I command you.”

Desire swept down our bond, and when I pulled back, Assyria’s pupils had darkened. My dick throbbed against her thigh. But now was not the time, or the way, I wanted her. So with a groan, I forced myself to put space between us.

Yet when I sat on my heels, my cock still pointed straight to her. She raked her gaze hungrily along its length before propping herself up and reaching for me. I caught her hand before she could touch. “Not now. I have plans for us.”

She tilted her head to the side, ebony hair spilling over her shoulder and concealing one of her flawless nipples. “And what’s that?”

“We’re going to the beach,” I pronounced.

She looked at me like she didn’t believe me. “There’s a beach? Isn’t it cold?”

“There is, but it’s hidden and you have to fly. Figured it would be a nice time to practice that too. As for the weather, yes it will be chilly. I suggest you dress accordingly.”

She rolled her eyes. “Because I definitely need you telling me what to wear too.”

“Technically, you’re now a member of this army, and I am your superior officer. So if I say put on this leather, you put it on. If I say put on this helmet, you put it on. If I wanted you to wear a collar and leash, you’d bark at my feet. No matter what I want, you have to do it.” I couldn’t help the wicked grin that curved up the corner of my mouth.

“How do I remove myself from this situation?” she sighed, looking at the ceiling like she was asking the Weaver for assistance.

I tugged her ankles, bringing her closer to me and flat on her back once more. Then, I knelt between her thighs. The scent of her arousal flooded my nostrils before I blew across her cunt. “Are you sure you want to?”

“This is so not fair,” she said, her tone all breathy need.

I retreated again, this time fully off the bed before I could disregard my plans and take her right then and there.

“What about breakfast?” she asked, pushing herself upright.

I pulled on a pair of previously discarded pants and fastened them. “I’ve ordered it to go.”

She arched a brow. “So you’ve been planning this?”

“Aye,” I said, finding a tunic and buttoning it up. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Uh, yes,” she replied, sliding from the bed. On her side of the room, a chair—completely covered in her half-worn clothes—waited. From the pile, she yanked out her warmest leathers. I’d had more made for both of us after our arrival since we would be in residence for months. No sense in rewearing the same two sets of clothing when we had ample space for more.

At least the clothiers had been cooperative since I threatened one of the elder ones.

“I make lots of plans,” I pointed out. “I am, in fact, in charge of the army.”

She tugged on tight pants that drew my attention straight to her ass.

“But none of them have been romantic ones,” she quipped. The swell of her breasts disappeared as she pulled on a shirt and then fastened a high-collar leather jacket over it. All our new clothing was shadow-woven, which allowed our wings through. That way, removing it for training would be unnecessary—or in the event of an attack.

“That you know of,” I shot back as I found my dagger sheaths and strapped them on.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. Smugly, I waited for her to offer me a reasonable response. Rather than admitting defeat, she huffed. “Okay, I’m ready. Show me this romantic plan you have.”

OceanofPDF.com

30

We entered the sitting area, and there, a basket of food waited for us. Grem and Zeec were nowhere to be found, likely having slipped out with whomever delivered our meal. The two knew where to source their own breakfast. While they wouldn’t stray from the academy, they did love to wander the grounds on their own whenever we were here.

Grabbing a blanket from one of the couches, I tossed it at Assyria. “Here, carry this.”

She caught it in midair and tucked it beneath her arm as I made the final preparations for our departure. Finally satisfied that I had everything, I jerked my head for her to follow me. She paused when she realized I wasn’t headed for the main entrance.

“Wait, where are we going?” she asked.

I shoved my back into a round part of the wall beside a painting of a long-dead Demon. The stone rolled back with a groan. “To the roof. We’ll fly from there.”

Her mouth popped open as she beheld the secret staircase. “Has that always been there?”

“Yes?” I replied. “Now come on.”

Shaking her head, she followed me into the passage and up the stairs. A short jaunt later, I was shoving open the door to the roof of this tower, a small space hardly big enough for four people. But it wasn’t made for a group watch like the other towers; no it was made for escape or a moment of privacy.

Wind buffeted us the moment we stepped outside, whipping a few tendrils loose from Assyria’s braid. In front of us, the ocean stretched endlessly, a blue so deep it was nearly the color of twilight. Only small whitecaps dotted the surface today, swelling and easing with the force of the breeze. Yet the sun was strong, heating my skin as I tipped my face up to it.

Then, I dug into the well of shadows in my chest and tugged my wings into existence. The black, membranous expanse settled behind me, adding extra weight to my frame. In a breath, Assyria did the same, though she kept hers tucked close.

I stepped forward and ran a finger along the hard ridges at the top of them. A shiver wracked her frame as more desire flooded our bond. “Sensitive?” I rumbled, loving the way her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as I did it again.

“Yes,” she breathed, almost leaning into my touch. “It’s like you’re caressing my magic.”

“I plan on caressing many parts of you later,” I told her, my tone gravelly. “But for now, we will fly.”

Dragging in a serrated breath, she nodded. Taking a step back, I flexed my wings, ensuring there was enough space to take off. Then, I half-squatted and leaped into the air. The wind caught the underside of my body and carried me away from the tower.

Hovering, I waited for Assyria. After shuffling the blanket to her chest, she took a few bounding steps, wings flapping. Her bow-shaped lips flattened as she readied herself. With a cry, she launched off the side of the tower. The air battered her from the side, and she struggled for a moment to find the right draft.

But then, she found her lift, and a giddy laugh escaped her. Angling herself, she sailed straight toward me, a wide grin splitting her face. “Come on, let’s go!”

I drank the sight of her flying in for a heartbeat longer, then banked from my position and led her out toward the ocean.

As we soared over the edge of the cliff, her awe and wonder trickled down the bond. While the water typically crashed violently below, today it was calm, almost as if it too knew we needed a moment of peace amid the chaos. We dipped below the ridgeline, and the whistling in my ears lessened. The rocky ridges blurred by, the limestone carved by the places where the ocean sprayed against it.

A few smaller beaches appeared along the way, the coastline in those spots bowed in. One was already packed with males, and still more spilled out of a tunnel in the rock that had existed long before I attended the academy.

We flew by fast enough that none of them spotted us.

“You okay?” I asked Assyria, checking her position behind me.

“Fine,” she replied, but there was a slight strain to her voice.