Page 41 of Resurgent

“Today.”

I look toward the horizon, then back at him.

“You couldn't have led with that?”

“Would it have changed anything?”

“Well, no...”

“Exactly. So get ready to fly. We’ll do a few food and bathroom breaks, but I’d rather be back before it’s too dark, so let’s not waste any more time.”

“According to Kali, this is an assignment. A long one, apparently. A half-day flight to deliver a sealed missive to the military base outside the King's castle, then we’ll turn around and come home.”

“Sounds…fun?” I say, and I mean it. Is it sudden? Sure, but it's something to do, and it feels like it could be a step back toward the life I've been fighting to reclaim.

Or maybe it’s just because I’ll be sitting on Tyr with nothing but sky ahead of me.

Hunter and Kali take a few steps forward, her taking a spot only slightly behind Tyr out of respect for him being of higher power and an alpha.

“Ready?”

I settle my shaking hands against Tyr's neck the same way I did on my first flight with him.

“I’ve got you,” Tyr assures me, and his confidence is all the encouragement I need.

“Try to keep up,” I call through the rune as Tyr launches into the sky, Kali only seconds behind.

The first few hours pass mostly in silence. Not comfortable or uncomfortable…just…silence.

Despite living together, we’ve gotten away with the daily recap and a few short stories filling the air as we eat. With each passing minute in the air though, it becomes painfully evident that this is what happens when two people who don’t know each other well enough are stuck in the same space.

Korr is my instructor. I’m his student. And because of that, every question I’ve considered asking feels like I’m walking through a minefield of what does or doesn’t cross the line…

We’re only halfway to the camp berthing, the makeshift sleeping quarters outside Kilkirk Castle, when the weather turns—the light, fluffy clouds we’ve been flying through becoming thick, as the updraft tests every ounce of my strength.

Korr looks toward the horizon, then back at Tyr and me.

“We’re going north.”

I stare at the storm racing toward us from our right. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. It has the best odds.”

“It’s also the direction with the worst weather.”

“Yup, now stay close,” he says seconds before he and Kali bank straight toward clouds whose coloring rivals the black eyes I used to get not far from here courtesy of my dad.

The wind sharpens as we climb, biting through my gloves and flight jacket despite how tightly tucked I am against Tyr’s neck.

For a while, my thoughts are too consumed by trying not to think about the tiny zaps of electricity shocking me, focusing instead on how I can reposition as I try not to freeze.

Then suddenly we’re touching down on a rocky plateau overlooking the base, another dragon and its rider already waiting.

Chapter fifteen

Annalise

The soldier looks to be about Hunter’s age, maybe a little younger. Dark hair. Crooked grin. He looks like the kind of man that’s permanently only seconds away from saying something stupid, or charming the socks off anyone in his vicinity.