The sound of Golden Imperial Scalers snoring echoed through the halls of the palace louder than ever before. I was very much aware of their presence as I tiptoed out of my bedroom and into the quiet. The floors were cold against my bare feet as I clutched my sandals. I couldn’t wait until I reached the courtyard. This wasn’t even the hardest part. Getting over the wall without my wings?

I shook the thought from my head, telling myself I’d figure it out once I got there. For now, I just had to weave my way through the palace without being spotted or sniffed out. Dad always had guards on patrol. He wouldn’t tell me why, but I’d heard guards talking about how things used to be. Something about a guy named Ozzy, but I didn’t care about some dead guy who used to live here. All I cared about was getting to this raging party in Black Harbor.

I had plans on meeting Mig there, and he was … just sexy in all the ways I couldn’t find here in the sky-high city. Not to mention Dear Dad wouldn’t let any guy come close to me. It didn’t matter that I was over the age of 20. He didn’t care, and my mother? Well, she never strayed from his decisions. She found herself becoming the mediator between the two of us. And even though she always agreed with Dad, she didn’t do it without explaining my position to him first. I assumed she’d talk him down later, not in front of me to show themselves to be a united front. I wanted that. I wanted someone I could unite with too.

Flashes of Miguel’s alluring smile sailed through my memories. I couldn’t wait to see him. We’d only met a few times, but I could just tell there was something between us. From his beautiful indigo eyes to his platinum blonde hair, and the way his wings draped over those broad shoulders… He was the only Onyx Skull I ever paid attention to.

The palace remained quiet as I crept inch by inch, foot by foot … until I made it down to the ballroom. It was the only room without walls. Just outside of it was the courtyard that connected to the mountainside. My stomach churned, and my heart sank as I imagined climbing down the thing without the use of my wings. I didn’t want to risk alerting Dad’s guards. However, just as I summoned the courage to perform the monumental task, I heard someone coming.

The soft grunts accompanied by the sounds of something huge being dragged into the room found me as I scanned the room looking for a place to hide. There wasn’t any, but fortunately for me, it was only Mona. She had red hair down to her shoulders with streaks of grey and a face that showed the harder years of her life.

“What are you doing down here, Lorna?” she asked with beads of sweat pooling across her forehead. Whatever she was pushing was as heavy as it sounded. She didn’t wait for me to answer as she hunched her shoulder down to continue pushing the object toward her destination. A velvet tarp covered it, making me wonder what was underneath, but her eyes narrowed onto me as she got closer. It made me fidget. Shuffling my feet side to side, I knew I had to come up with something and quick.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I blurted out.

“Couldn’t? Or didn’t want to?” she snickered.

“Seriously, I couldn’t,” I giggled. “What’s that?”

Shaking her head, she knew I desperately wanted to change the subject, “It’s a project that I’ve been working on for your mother. I’m installing it for the celebration.”

“The celebration’s not for a few days,” I told her. I’m certain she was aware, but any diversion off of me sneaking out was good.

“Yes, but we all know how Lavender gets. I need to set it up so she can see it and I can make any adjustments if necessary.”

“Can I see it?” I asked moving my hand to lift the cover off of it.

Mona quickly slapped my hand away. It stung as I tried to shake it off while pulling it into my chest.

“Fine, I can wait to see it until then. So I guess I’ll let you go and get out of your way,” I told her heading toward the courtyard again.

“Isn’t your room the other way?” she asked folding her muscular arms across her chest.

“I want to head out and see the moon,” I replied quickly.

“Just be back before dawn,” she huffed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I told her while poorly hiding the grin spreading across my face.

Mona sighed and looked at me, “I love your mother dearly. She saved my life, both of them did. So if they ask me if I’ve seen you or know what happened when they discover your empty bed in the morning, I will not lie for you. However, I remember a time long before I even entered this palace that there’s a certain fun in the danger of Black Harbor. I know it’s not anywhere near what it used to be, but still, I understand the appeal. Be careful sweet Lorna and be home before dawn.”

I just nodded not wanting to lie to her anymore. She already knew I would be if I told her anything but good night. So I headed out of the courtyard and over the wall. The method I used was difficult, but it was sure to get me out of there without being seen. My heart pounded against my chest as I lodged my tiny foot into the small holes I’d chipped out of the perimeter wall. Whenever I heard anything remotely like a growl or flamed throat, I pressed my body as tight against it as possible. My sun-kissed glow seemed to blend well enough with the beige hues around me. After my paranoia passed, I pushed myself over the edge.

The tops of the trees seemed so far away goosebumps crawled all over my skin. My body was threatening to scale too soon. With a deep breath, I paced myself, forcing only my talons to protrude from my fingertips. The gold claws were vital amongst us Golden Imperials. I remember Dad’s beaming face the first time he saw them. They were just like his.

This time, however, he wouldn’t be proud of what I was doing. I stabbed them into the clay facade and let myself hang by my one arm until I found the next spot I wanted to grab hold of. Slowly, and carefully, I moved down the wall until I could safely fall into the treetops, but that’s not what I did. The moment I saw them, I knew it was time.

I anchored both my feet against the wall and pushed off, scaling mid-air and taking flight. I wasn’t as big as my parents or any other Scaler. It gave me room to maneuver in and around the trees, smiling as I zipped toward Black Harbor.

By the time I arrived, the city was pretty dark and dead. Anthros would usually scurry out of sight by now, and rightfully so. Most of them were being captured to be eaten or enslaved. Dad didn’t like the idea that much, but he didn’t want to rule over both cities, so he let them do as they pleased. I certainly wished he had that attitude toward me.

I continued my flight into Black Harbor until I reached the Onyx Skull headquarters. A battered and broken-down building with about four floors and no roof stood not too far from the center of the city. The structure looked like it had been chopped down by something massive as claw marks decorated one side of the building. The top floor was missing one and a half of its walls, while the third floor only missed a chunk of one. I could hear and see the lights of people laughing and cheering letting me know that’s where the party was at.

A smile crept across my face as I stepped inside the building hoping to see Mig. I wondered if he’d be happy to see me?

Two women made out with each other as I walked down a corridor of party goers. There was a dim red light cast around the entire space. I continued to wade through the people as they weren’t really partying. The parties in Empyrean were filled with music, people singing, and playing instruments. This? This was something different.

My pulse quickened as I suddenly wished I stayed in bed. I still hadn’t seen Mig and he was the one who invited me. At least I thought he did. The last time I was in the city, we ran into each other and I told him we should hang out, go flying or something. He said there’s a party going on, we should hang out there. While those indigo eyes of his were dreamy, they weren’t the most trustworthy pair I ever saw.

I grabbed an Onyx Skull walking by. His long platinum blonde hair shimmered even in the dim light. He practically snarled as he turned around taking me in from head to toe. Once he looked at my hands and my face, his scowl turned into a sly smile.

“Skinner Finch, my dear. And who do you belong to?” he asked delicately picking up my hand. I thought he was going to do something sweet like kiss it, but he stuck out his abnormally long and pointed tongue to run it between my index and middle finger.

Snatching my hand away disgusted, I wiped his saliva on some guy’s vest who wore a collar and a chain. He didn’t move, and he didn’t budge. There was a raven-haired bombshell, holding his leash, who smiled at him, “Very good Ansel.”

She winked at me. They all gave me the chills.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I snapped at Skinner. “And don’t touch me!”

Skinner gleamed, “I do as I like. I do who I like. You’re no exception to that rule.”

I forced my gold talon out of my index finger, hooking it under his chin in the soft palate of his lower jaw, “I am always the exception.”

He put his hands up and backed away, “How nice of royalty to come down and slum it with us. What brings you down here, Princess?”

I could hear the sarcasm dripping through his voice, “I’m looking for Mig.”

“Well, Mig is right through those doors. Have fun, and do me a favor, keep your Dad and his badass temper away from here. I wouldn’t want another incident,” he sneered walking away.

The last time Dad came to Black Harbor was in search of me, and he torched a good quarter of the city in his rage, but that wasn’t my fault. The guards thought they were doing me a favor by telling him I’d been taken and not that I’d snuck out. It fared well for me, but Black Harbor lost its appeal to him. He loved Lucas and Elaina Cane, but that’s the only thing about Black Harbor he cared about. Well them, and something he called Aya.

Skinner was right. No one wanted him to come down here in another display of protecting his daughter. I tried to put the what-ifs out of my mind, along with every sign that I should leave this party, in order to push through the crowd in search of the guy of my dreams. But when I found him… this wasn’t a part of the fantasy I ever imagined.