SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

his lesson. Kept his
hands to himself since then but the injury kept him from going on advanced
maneuvers with Talon and he blames me.
    “ And why the interest in me, all of a
sudden? ”
    “ Well, ” Soar approaches, unsure
what to expect from her. “ I was —”
    “ You were what? ” her voice shakes but at least she keeps
it down. Soar pushes his wings forward, offering her comfort in their folds,
but she takes a step away.
    “ I was wondering what Sky told you. ”
    “ She said if I could prove myself in three
months I might be able to come back, ” Cloud doesn ’ t retreat further, instead she steps in
looking hurt, tired and fragile.
    “ Is that what you want? ”
    She drops her chin in a sharp nod then
meets his stare.
    “ I have an assignment for you, Cloud. We
can help each other out, ” his fingers touch just
below her chin, tipping it up to his before finding his way around under her
ear and toward the back of her neck. She ’ d
let him touch her ear once and in those seconds he memorized every notch in its
scarred, jagged edge.
    Now she ’ s close, too close, and he can ’ t help himself. He avoids the scars but
thumbs the lobe on his way by. “ Hm? ”
    “ Cloud? I missed you at —” Hunter stumbles to a stop at the sight of
her so near his brother.
    “ Hunter, ” she says as she jumps
clear of Soar.
    “ I just came to check on you, ” Hunter says but his light mood has turned
to a scowl for his older sibling.
    “ I...
uh, ” Cloud stammers. She has to
remember Sky ’ s instructions about keeping
her mouth shut for a week. “ I ’ m
going away for a couple of days. ”
    Jesus, the kid ’ s a good actor. With his arms crossed he ’ s the very image of the newly winged,
angry, seven year old gryphon Soar recalls trying so hard to understand why his
favourite brother is leaving and he can ’ t
go along. Hunter keeps his mouth shut and Soar recognizes the flush in Cloud ’ s cheeks. She squirms inside as she comes
up with a plausible explanation for Hunter.
    “ I ’ m meeting Talon for a night exercise. ”
    Good try, Cloud, but he knows Talon isn ’ t here.
    The way Hunter ’ s eyes roll to the ceiling shows he reacts
more to the sight of Cloud and Soar than he pretends to be pissed. What had he
seen? Soar had been reaching for the back of her neck like her lover would.
Instinct made him seek the soft spots beneath her hair where his touch would
calm her.
    “ You ’ re a shitty liar, Cloud, ” Hunter
blurts out. He ’ s jealous and more attached to
Cloud than he ever let on. “ You ’ re
going somewhere with him. ”
    “ No —”
    “ He can ’ t keep a female in his life for more than
a month and when you figure out why don ’ t come looking for me, ” Hunter ’ s arms shake in spite of the
firm hold he has on himself. “ I ’ m
sick of his hand-me-downs. ”
    Hunter spins on his heel so fast he
almost bolts into the wall as he storms from Cloud ’ s
den.
    But Cloud turns on Soar before the
curtain falls shut.
    “ A month? ” she
demands and smacks his wing aside as he tries to draw her near again. “ I gave you two years. Let me correct
that. I gave you two years of nights in your den when you were everything. Two
years of you not having time for me during the day when everyone else was
around and I bet not a single soul knew we ’ d ever been alone together. ”
    “ I didn ’ t come here for you to take your problems
out on me, ” Soar bites out to deflect the
sting of her temper. “ I need a gryphon for a job and
you need to put a shine on your image. ”
    Cloud ’ s mouth snaps shut but the smolder in her
gold flecked blue eyes promises danger, either to him or his heart and he doesn ’ t give a shit which as long as it means
she's going to come at him.
    “ Here, ” he holds out a ring with a key on it. “ My van is fifty miles due north of the
transition house and I ’ ll be there the day after
tomorrow. If you ’ re not gryphon enough for