Page 166 of Psycho Pack

Before I can protest, he's already swinging his leg over the balcony railing. My heart leaps into my throat as he balances precariously on the edge.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hiss, grabbing for his huge arm.

He just laughs, the sound carrying on the night breeze. "Live a little, Doc. Or should I say,Prince?"

With that, he launches himself off the balcony. I watch in horror as he sails through the air, landing hard on the stone roof of a lower building in a semi-crouched position. He straightens, rolling his shoulders until they pop, and turns back to me with his arms spread wide, that cocky grin still plastered on his face.

"You coming or what?"

I hesitate for just a moment, years of careful control warring with the reckless impulse to follow him. But maybe that's exactly what I need right now.

To let go.

To remember what it feels like to be free.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I'm climbing over the railing. The stone is cool beneath my bare feet as I gauge the distance. It's not an impossible jump, but it's been years since I've done anything like this.

I take a deep breath, bend my knees, and push off.

For a heart-stopping moment, I'm flying. The wind whips through my hair, and I feel more alive than I have in years. Then I'm rolling across the rooftop, coming to a stop at Whiskey's feet.

He reaches down, offering me a hand up. "Not bad for a pampered prince," he teases.

I take his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. If only because he'll be more insufferable if I refuse. "I'll have you know I'm far from pampered."

"Oh yeah?" His eyes sparkle with interest. "Do tell."

Instead of answering, I take off across the roof, my feet finding familiar paths I thought I'd forgotten. Whiskey chases me, his raucous laughter echoing in the still night air.

And I'm laughing, too.

We pass over courtyards filled with impossibly delicate crystal trees, their leaves chiming softly in the breeze. Fountains that seem to defy gravity, water flowing upward in glittering arcs. Gardens bursting with flowers that glow from within, painting the white stone in a rainbow of soft colors.

It's breathtaking.

Magical in a way I'd almost forgotten.

We slow to a stop on a wide, flat roof overlooking the central plaza. The massive marble statue of the Heavenly Mother dominates the space, her slender beak turned down toward thebalcony, gilded eyes shining in the soft moonlight as her wings spread wide as if to embrace the city.

As if to embraceus.

The view is all too familiar.

This is where it happened.

Where I killed Adiir.

Where everything changed.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Whiskey says as he joins me at the balcony, gesturing at the view. "This place is pretty fucking spectacular."

I nod, a lump forming in my throat as memories wash over me. Memories I don't want to dwell on right now. "I used to come up here all the time as a kid. It was my secret hideaway when the pressures of being a prince got to be too much."

Whiskey's quiet for a moment, studying me with those honey-brown eyes that always seem to see right through me.

"Must've been lonely," he says softly.

The words hit me harder than I expect. "It was," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "I had everything I could ever want, materially. But I always felt... apart. Different."