I couldn’t help but grin. “Creator help you all,” I muttered, climbing up onto the railing.
The wind met me instantly, cool and bright as it swept through my hair, like she was listening. For a heartbeat, I just stood there, toes balanced on the edge. Then I jumped. The air caught beneath my wings, smooth and effortless, and I let it carry me down in a slow spiral. My feet touched the courtyard without a sound, the twins’ laughter faltering into gasps as they stared up at me like I’d just stolen the entire show.
“See? It works when you jump from high up!” Xavier shouted. “Dad said that was cheating!”
Sylo nodded, looking utterly wronged as he scowled at Ronan.
“Cheating?” I feigned innocence, folding my wings in. “I’m just getting my morning exercise.”
“See, boys?That’show you fly,” Niz said, pointing at me with a grin before sending an exaggerated wink.
Gabe nodded, trying to look serious. “Impeccable landing, by the way. Ten out of ten form.”
Steele didn’t even look up from the runes he was inscribing. “Eight. She wobbled on the dismount.”
Bastard.I narrowed my eyes at him, amusement sparking across the bond.
Bastian stepped out from the house, a warm smile tugging at his mouth. “Nothing Kieran’severdone has been an eight. Always perfection, Darling.”
Ronan shook his head, a quiet smile curving his lips as he kept his gaze on our sons. “Youstillaren’t allowed to do that, boys. You have to take off from the ground first. It’s good to build the strength in your wings that you will need.”
The boys immediately returned to their attempts as I crossed the courtyard to where Bastian had settled into one of the patio chairs and dropped into the seat beside him. I took the coffee he offered without hesitation. I still gave him blood almost every day, though since I’d slept in this morning, I’d have to offer once we were alone.
“How are you feeling after the trip?” I asked. “Steele looks exhausted.”
“A little tired,” Bash admitted with a smile. “Steele’s exhaustion is his own fault. He did a training session while he was down there with someone younger that kicked his ass. He’s just getting old.”
Steele’s head snapped up as his eyes narrowed, and I couldn’t help but laugh—before wincing as Sylo flapped so hard he stumbled forward, feathers ruffling in every direction. Xavier tried to copy him and ended up rolling into the grass, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. It was only seconds before they stood back up to continue their attempt.
Honestly, I was constantly caught somewhere between humor and concern when it came to the two of them.
Their “flight” was little more than a series of uneven hops and wild flails, all elbows and determination. But every time they managed to lift off, even for a single jump, they shouted with pure joy, unrestrained sounds that cracked something open in me every single time.
“That sounds about right,” I said to Bastian. “To be fair, I’m still exhausted from training yesterday.” So we areallgetting a bit older.
“Need a shoulder massage?” Bastian asked with a wink, and I gave him a curious look—because honestly, that sounded great—but he wasn’t the best at keeping touches platonic, even all these years later.
“I feel like if I ask you for a shoulder massage, we need to be alone.” I mused.
“Good call, Darling.” He chuckled, lifting me out of my chair and into his lap before kissing my shoulder gently so we could watch our sons’ continued flight attempts.
After a few minutes, the twins abandoned their “flying” practice in favor of chasing each other in uneven circles, their laughter echoing through the courtyard.
Above us, the sky was filled with what I’d started calling morning traffic, especially on weekends when the markets overflowed with vendors from both Alfemir and the wyvern mountains.
Wyverns drifted through the upper currents, their wings casting broad shadows as they glided over the rooftops. Angels moved among them, patrols and citizens weaving easily through shared airspace. It was strange to think that not so long ago, the two groups couldn’t cross paths without Alfemir’s angels attempting to “tame” the wyverns.
The wyverns still held their kingdom within the mountains, but there was an open corridor now, a clear stretch of sky and forest path that wound through the cliffs, linking their realm to Alfemir for trade and travel. Precious stones, flowers, silks, and spices—each brought color and scent to the city’s markets until they were as vibrant as the busy skies above.
Niz, naturally, specialized in trade and interactions between the two kingdoms, serving as the council’s lead on relations between Alfemir’s growing population of new citizens and the wyvern kingdom still ruled by his parents in the mountains.
But it wasn’t just commerce that passed through that corridor. Friends did. Families. The few days Alfemir’s civilians had spent hiding in those mountains during the war had gone a long way toward healing the distance that once divided us.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Gabe asked, coming to join us.
My brow bunched together at the question.
Tomorrow, I’d be proctoring the first round of placement tests for the academy this year. It had become my work, the way I stayed connected to what came after the war. Noah had been named an Archangel months ago, and now he handled the dead-affinity assessments alongside me. Still, watching the disappointment in someone’s eyes when they didn’t receive the affinity they hoped for never got easier.
