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Heat emanates from his body, and my free hand sits splayed wide and flat against his chest, muscles rippling beneath my touch.

My breaths speed up, every inch of me trembling, and it has nothing to do with the drop on my right-hand side. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Told you. Plus, you look gorgeous in that dress. It’s impossible, really, to concentrate on anything else.”

My cheeks blush, and as much as I want to cover myself, I resist. “Do you always speak this way to your enemies?”

One corner of his mouth curls upward. “If they look as good as you, I do.” His hand covers mine again, completely swallowing it. “Let’s move.”

The ledge isn’t narrow, which explains why he travels so quickly, yet I’m still watching every step carefully.

“Now, if you glance over to your left, beyond the glass wall, you’ll feast your eyes on something truly beastly.”

I swing my attention in that direction only to find Corvin sprawled out across the bed in his human form, entirely naked. I gasp, and my world tips. And suddenly, I’m gripping Lian’s hand to hold my balance.

He steadies me with his other hand, reaching back behind him, grasping my opposite arm momentarily. “It’s hideous,” he adds. “Makes me want to leap off the balcony.”

Except, I’m captivated. I stare at this huge man with the most perfect body, lines of muscle along his back, all of him taking up most of the bed, and despite myself, my gaze slides over to his ass. Firm, strong. I’m fanning myself with my free hand.

Fire flares up my neck and crawls over my cheeks. No man should look like that, and yet, all I can think is what it would be like to lie next to him in bed.

“You’re drooling,” Lian declares as we reach the other end of the balcony.

I clear my throat, still unable to glance away even though I’ve seen naked men before in the village. When they’d go dipping in the river late at night, I’d be there finishing my work for the day. But nothing compares to these monsters. “So, did you finally kill him? Is that the view you wanted to show me?”

He pauses and turns to face me. “Trust me, I’d be doing you a favor if I had. But if you want something to really blush over, I can make your dreams come true.” He stares down his body, then looks up with a wink.

Every inch of me burns up. “All right, let’s keep going, as you’re sounding particularly needy.”

He blows me an air kiss. “Let’s get you out of here before you break down that door and mount him like some horny goat!”

“Excuse me? What the hell did you just call me?”

He’s chuckling to himself as he hops down. We cross between balconies once more, and this time when I’m drawn up and into his arms on the new balcony, I can’t ignore how much closer he holds me, how he leans into my hair to sniff it.

“Back in Grimvale, we have a creature, much like your goats, and it eats everything in sight. Plus, the females are super horny in mating season and mount anything that stands too long.”

“All right, no more explaining, but that’s still an insult.”

He laughs as we keep moving across the next balcony, then one more. “Though, you should probably be more wary of Corvin. When he’s excited, he releases pheromones.”

“This sounds worse.”

He glances back, flashing me a grin as he nods. “It’s in his bloodline, and I can’t deny that it’s a good trait to have. The smug bastard can get practically any female he desires with a quick squirt.”

I can’t help but burst out laughing. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Now, how far is this view?”

“Almost there.” We cross onto the next balcony, which folds around the corner, and I hop off the parapet. I hurry forward, Lian behind me.

And the moment I do, I pause in my tracks. “Oh, wow!”

This side of the building faces the blue mountains that surround the city, not the palace. Water pours down the mountain’s face in a huge waterfall. It’s the biggest cascade I’ve ever seen, but what makes it extraordinary is that beneath the sun’s glow, it turns the water into pure liquid gold. Sheets of it rush over the rocky lip of the falls, crashing into a river, where a plume of mist rises like golden glitter. Somehow, amid that watery cloud, there’s a rainbow that arches through it all.

“See?” Lian adds, strolling right past me. “The most beautiful sight.” He climbs up on the parapet facing the view and sits there, legs dangling over the long drop.

I go and sit alongside him. “The illusion is spectacular.”

“It’s why some call this the City of Gold. Was it worth the climb?”