The artwork above is not mine.

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    Mornings in the Illyrian Mountains were much colder than Mikael anticipated. His breath frosted in the air as he stood outside the training rings, waiting for his turn to spar. He'd fluffed his feathers out and tucked his wings around his shoulders in an effort to stay warmer.

    "It'll warm up later," Lysander chuckled, stepping closer to him. "We could always find you some Illyrian leathers too."

    "Are they insulated?" Mikael asked, his scholar's curiosity getting the better of him.

    Lysander nodded. "Estelle mentioned she was getting some for Celeste and Sienna later. We might as well help you and Calden fit in."

    "What are we doing?" Calden slung an arm over Mikael's shoulders.

    "Lys is offering to help us track down Illyrian leathers. They're supposedly warmer than our own," Mikael explained.

    Calden shrugged. "Why not? Illyrian leathers are functional, and I've heard plenty of females admiring them."

    Mikael rolled his eyes with a laugh. "I'll take that as a yes."

    "I'll find you this afternoon and we'll pay a visit to my Aunt Emerie," Lysander promised.

    "For now..." Mikael let his hands grow warm with magic. He reached across his chest and gripped Calden's wrist that lay against his shoulder.

    Calden gave a contented sigh. "Having friends with magic really comes in handy sometimes."

    Mikael tensed as Umbra slid down his arm and dangled just beyond the cuff of his sleeve. The shadow brushed against his hand. He watched Umbra curiously. Can shadows get cold too? He wondered. I wouldn't think things like temperature bothered them.

    His gaze drifted across the cluster of warriors to where Estelle stood beside Celeste. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she had her eyes closed. She looked tired. Mikael narrowed his eyes. Had his presence prevented her from sleeping or was there something else bothering her?

    An Illyrian came flying out of the training ring, catching Mikael's attention. Another male leaped over the fence and stared down at his defeated opponent. There was a cruel smirk on his lips.

    "Come back when you know how to fight like a warrior," the male spat. He straightened and his gaze landed on Estelle. "Well, well, well. Look who's back. It's been about four weeks since I last saw you, Bitch. Did these feathered cowards teach you any new tricks?"

    By now, Mikael recognized the way Estelle's wings tucked against her back and how the shadows coiled around her limbs. She was angry, despite the cold mask shrouding her features. Corbin reached for her a moment too late. Estelle approached the male, her head held high.

    "If they did, wouldn't that mean I possess more skills than you?"

    Mikael's eyes widened. Mother above, even her voice was layered with ice. Maybe she can teach me how to do that, he thought.

    "And in turn, wouldn't that make me a better warrior?" Estelle continued.

    The male bared his teeth in a snarl. He lunged and Estelle's foot collided with his chest. The male crashed backwards into the ring. Estelle gave a flap of her wings and cleared the fence. She prowled around the ring, waiting for him to right himself.

    She had a history with this male. Her anger towards him ran deep. Mikael could see it in her eyes. Eyes that were glowing with fury. Devlon landed near the ring. Lysander ran to him.

    "Aren't you going to stop this?" He asked.

    "If she tries to kill him," came the clipped response.

    Estelle's opponent scrambled to his feet. He rushed at her again. Estelle ducked beneath his fist. She came up, ramming her head into his gut. The male gagged, but didn't falter. He grabbed Estelle by the belt and hauled her over his head. She cried out as her wings folded beneath her.

    Mikael started forward on instinct. Calden still had an arm around him and held him back. Estelle lay still, the shadows swirling around her anxiously. The male stalked towards her. Estelle braced her hands on the ground and flipped onto her feet. Her fist collided with his jaw. She grabbed him by the shoulders and drove her knee into his gut repeatedly.

    The male retched as she kicked him away. He was still retching when he caught her next kick with his forearm. He grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her off balance. Dust rose as Estelle collapsed. She drew back her free leg and kicked his face. Mikael winced, hearing a sickening crunch. Blood spurted from the male's nose.

    "He'll yield now," Calden whispered.

    He didn't. The male jumped up when Estelle did. They began to trade evenly matched blows, dodging, punching, and kicking faster with every hit. Mikael watched in shock. Estelle had been going easy on him when they trained. That much was obvious. Her lips moved with inaudible words and the male responded.

    He twisted out of her grasp and snagged her by the hair. He wrenched her head back and punched the underside of her chin. Estelle's teeth clacked together and she tripped over her own feet, stumbling backwards. She spat a mouthful of blood as the male stalked towards her. Mikael pulled against Calden again. His friend held him in place.

    Estelle swiped a hand across her mouth and stood. The male lunged. Estelle sidestepped and hooked a leg atop his shoulders, then swung herself on top of him. Mikael's heartbeat quickened. At that angle, she could snap his neck and the male could do nothing. She'd pulled that same move on him in the Dawn Court. He hadn't realized how dangerous a move it was. Estelle gave a sharp twist of her hips and let herself fall, pulling the male down with her.

    She flipped off him and reformed her fists, taking up a fighting position. "That's enough," Devlon called. Estelle didn't back away. She glared at the male, her limbs shaking. "Estelle."

    She lowered her fists and left the ring, not meeting Devlon's gaze. Calden let go of Mikael. He hadn't even realized he was still pulling against Calden's grip. "Wow," Calden said. "I've never seen a female fight like that."

    Estelle shouldered past Celeste and Sienna, even though they reached for her. Mikael couldn't tear his gaze away from her receding figure. "Neither have I."

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    Estelle braced her hands on the rim of the sink, forcing herself to relax her jaw. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue over her teeth. Both were stained red. She'd barely avoided biting her own tongue off when Ze'ev punched her chin.

    Estelle switched the faucet on and swished a mouthful of water around before spitting it out. She repeated the process until the water was clear instead of red. She turned the water off and pulled a wing over her shoulder, wincing in pain.

    There were no physical marks on her wings, but she'd landed on them wrong during the fight. She attempted to lift them. Pain raced down her spine and she gripped the sink again, fighting back tears.

    Her ears pricked as the door of the hut closed. The Prince of Sunrises approaches, the shadows said.

    Estelle didn't look up, even when Mikael appeared and leaned against the doorframe. "Aren't you supposed to be training?" She rasped.

    "I thought I'd better make myself scarce before Devlon got pissed."

    "Why would he be pissed at anyone other than me?"

    He gave her a sideways grin. "You broke that male's nose. I hit him again just to make sure."

    Estelle glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Were you sparring?"

    "No."

    He reached for you, the shadows murmured. He would have come but the blonde male held him back.

    "Who is he?" Mikael asked.

    "A pain in the ass. His name is Ze'ev."

    "You have a history with him?"

    "Not one I plan on sharing." Estelle attempted to lift her wings again. She let out a gasp of pain and lowered them. Mikael reached for her. "Don't," she snapped. "Do not touch me."

    "The way your wings folded might have caused rips along their central tendons. I can locate and heal them."

    "Did you learn that from your books, Feathers?" She asked with a wry laugh. "Illyrian wings are different from Peregryn wings."

    "It's a gift I inherited from my father. We possess healing magic. I have researched both of our wings, although I have practiced on Peregryns more."

    Estelle didn't reply. She tried to raise her wings again. The pain was sharper and she clutched at the sink, barely managing to hold back a cry.

    "You're going to make it worse," Mikael said. "If you won't let me handle it, at least go to another healer."

    Sweat dotted her forehead as she loosed a pained breath. Estelle ran the water again and rubbed her wet hand against her forehead. It ran down the sides of her face, past her collarbone, and beneath the neckline of her tank top. "Fine. Do it."

    "I need more room than this."

    Estelle shouldered past him and entered their bedroom. Mikael gestured to the floor and she sat down. He crouched behind her. "Touch me only where you have to," Estelle growled. "If you've researched this, then you know how sensitive Illyrian wings can be."

    "I do know." Mikael's hands hovered near the base of her wings. He didn't touch her, but she could feel him nonetheless. "Although the outer parts of your wings are less sensitive than the inner. The inner parts are where your nerves are clustered together. That's what makes them so sensitive. The membrane is thin and the nerves are compact. The outer parts of your wings are covered in thicker membrane. Still sensitive, but not nearly as much as the inner part."

    "I'm glad you're such an expert on these things."

    "Hold onto the bed."

    "Why?" Estelle asked, even as she obeyed, gripping the bed frame tightly.

    Mikael rested his hands on the curve and behind the horn of one of her wings. "This will hurt."

    His hands seemed unusually warm. Estelle glanced over her shoulder. Golden magic flickered around his fingertips, reminiscent of her own. Mikael pulled her wing up and extended it, suddenly. Fire scorched through her shoulder blade and down her back. Estelle couldn't hold in her scream.

    "How the hell is that fixing my wing?" She shrieked.

    "Just trust me, Batsy."

    "Trust you? When it feels like you're trying to tear my wings off my back?"

    He pulled again and her wing was fully extended. Estelle screamed again, clutching at the bed frame. Her arms shook with pain and she blinked back tears. Estelle focused on measuring her breaths, sucking down long draughts of air. What she wouldn't give for a stiff drink right now.

    The pain dulled gradually as Mikael ran his hands over the length of her wing's central tendon. Estelle began breathing a little easier. "How does that feel?" He asked.

    "Better." Heat flooded her face. Her voice sounded raw and small.

    "Do you need a few minutes before I start on the other one?"

    Estelle shook her head. "Just get it over with."

    Mikael gripped her other wing. "For the record, I screamed much louder the first time this was done to me." He lifted and stretched her wing. Estelle didn't have time to shriek. Pain spasmed down the length of her spine. The bed distorted before her eyes and everything faded to black.