The fact that he said all of us, and not just me, said a hell of a lot about him.
“I would love that,” I admitted as Ronan nodded at the same time, seeming completely on board.
“And if Kieran is going, I am as well,” Bastian agreed easily as he offered Niz a hand to sniff.
The wyvern offered him a speculative look before burrowing further against me, causing Bastian to scowl as if he was offended by the snuff. I had a feeling it was because the wyvern wasn’t accepting his show of friendship, which was pretty damn funny.
“Let me get ready real quick! I need about five minutes and then I’ll be good to go.” I stood up, and Niz made a noise of complaint, flying through the space and going to land on Ronan’s shoulder as I moved around the room.
Walking toward the attached bathroom suite, I heard the others get up and leave, my door closing behind them as I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste. Trying to not think about the possible morning breath I had while kissing Ronan, Iquickly braided my hair to the side and pulled on a pair of dark jeans, a comfortable black sweater, and socks. My dark boots were still downstairs where I slipped them off last night.
I tucked my bag with all of my possessions under the bed, wanting to keep the dagger safe and hoping like hell it stayed put. I eyed myself in the mirror and offered a small nod, knowing this was as good as it was going to get today. I didn’t have any makeup to cover the bruises like yesterday, but that was probably for the best. I didn’t want to interrupt how the salve worked, but I had to admit, they weren’t looking very good right now with their mottled purple edges and dark centers.
One day they’d be gone, and hopefully so would the memories.
Stepping out of my room, my gaze darted to Steele’s closed door to the right. I had a very strong suspicion he wouldn’t be joining us today, and I had to admit I wasn’t mad about that. I just wasn’t sure how the man planned to avoid me while living under the same roof—there was no way that would last.
Right?
Wrong.
Apparently Steele wasextremelytalented at the art of avoidance, considering I didn’t see him throughout the course of the next three days.
To be fair, the days passed in a blur. The four of us—five, including Niz—grew accustomed to our own little schedule of waking up each morning and coming back late each evening after having explored the hundreds of acres that the Rebellion camp owned. I suppose it was completely possible that he wasaround the house more than I realized and that maybe we just weren’t there at the same time.
Either way, I hadn’t seen him or Amelia in the days that passed. So I kept my focus fully on learning about our new home. After three days, the Rebellion camp was starting to feel a bit more like that—home. I guess a routine helped solidify that feeling.
Gabe showed us everything, from the collection of large warehouse buildings—much like the training center we landed in originally—that featured places like the central marketplace, the administrative center, and the security center, to the residential section of the camp that I was eager and curious to see.
On the night we first arrived, I noticed the area, but in the light of day, it was obvious that the series of smaller, more modern glass and metal buildings were a hub of residential activity. I’d even noticed that each hub contained different shops, restaurants, and cafes, all nestled safely between the larger warehouses.
Exploring the residential area was where we got the most attention from the citizens, most likely surprised to see us with Gabe. There was no doubt the word of our arrival and initial disturbance had spread throughout the camp. That was evident in the critical and cautious gazes we were met with that first day. But after two more days of being shown around? I noticed the faintest shift—the looks we were being offered were becoming more curious than anything else. A few polite nods were even thrown our way in passing on the third day. The motions weren't exactly friendly, but they weren’t hostile either—almost as if there was a tacit acceptance of our presence growing within the population.
I was at the point now that I felt like I could find my way around the camp if needed, as well as procure anythingnecessary from groceries to clothing. I felt like I could be independent and live here without being coddled after the three days of exploration, and that was a relief. I didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, especially knowing how big of a risk they were taking by accepting us all here.
The excitement that came with flying over the camp and spreading my wings were my favorite moments. Not only was the dense forest beautiful, but the flights left me exhausted and melting into my mattress at the end of the night. The fact that the exhaustion left me unable to spend any considerable amount of time overthinking anything was an added perk.
Flying for the first time since falling had come with its own initial surprise, though. Somehow, I’d forgotten that there would be a pretty massive change to my appearance.
“You haven’t seen your wings since falling?” Gabe asked curiously, looking a bit surprised.
My gaze was skyward as I watched Niz in his full size circling above us in dynamic aerial movements, trilling with excitement. His black and green form was sleek against the gray clouds that seemed like a permanent fixture in this area.
When Gabe mentioned flying over the camp this morning, I was concerned—not only because of how that could draw attention to Niz, but to us too. What would stop a human from seeing us? Let alone our wyvern? Luckily, Gabe was quick to assure me that the entire Rebellion camp had a barrier over it to conceal them from view and that it created the illusion of one massive, forested landscape. It went a long way in making me feel confident about our safety in general, let alone in the sky. The only thing we had to make sure of was that we didn’t go too high or we’d risk seeing something called a plane. Apparently, it’s the way humans flew through the sky without wings.
“No,” I shook my head, looking at both Bastian and Ronan, who seemed to be considering what Gabe was saying. Then it hit me.
Our wings would have changed color—trading a pure white for a dark onyx shade.
“Lets see what they look like, Darling,” Bastian cooed, rolling back his shoulders before letting his own wings explode from his back through the slits in his shirt.
My lips popped open in surprise, not only because of his impressive wingspan, but also because Bastian’s wings weren’tjustblack. No, there were certain feathers in them that seemed to sparkle in different hues, like an undertone of blue or purple. He made a pleased noise, examining them momentarily before taking off skyward, Niz darting out of his way quickly.
“Unusual,” Gabe murmured as he watched the Caster’s trajectory in the sky.
I was fairly certain everything to do with Bastian was unusual—but in the best way, I was coming to realize. He wasn’t going to conform to what anyone expected of him. He was utterly himself, and it honestly inspired me to give a little bit less of a shit about what others thought of me, especially with the dirty looks we’d received at the market that morning.
Ronan released his wings next, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by how massive they were, the dark feathers glinting dangerously under the stormy daylight.
