“How long does a treasure haze typically last?”I ask Xander.
“Mine was three days,”Xander says.“But Aurelia has four treasures, and she killed for hers. So I don’t know if that will extend it.”
“I’m enjoying it,”Savage says.“She’s so cute and powerful. But if she wants to wash us all every single night, that might get difficult.”
“Agreed,”Lyle says.“For her sake, I hope she comes out of it soon.”
Aurelia huffs beneath us, probably aware we are conversing without her. She is a seasoned flier, and I marvel at the command she has over her own unique body. Her ability to shift into different beasts and seamlessly adapt to them in essentially no time is astonishing. It takes beasts of regular orders a while to learn how to use their animal body, and Aurelia looks like she was born to be a dragon. She had fought as one not long after shifting into one for the first time. And then what had happened on the riverside bank of Katerina’s property…
Xander flies on ahead as if he’s scouting for us, no doubt listening for any sign of a faraway helicopter or anti-dragon weapons. There is little chance anyone knows where we were for the last two days, but the closer we get to the academy, the closer we get to visibility and predictability.
We reach the dark turrets of the academy deep into the night. I never thought I’d feel glad to see the place. Guards move in their towers, and I sense Aurelia’s telepathic communication with them as she circles the perimeter of the academy grounds in a wide arc, as if looking for signs of anomaly or enmity. Once she completes her circuit, I expect her to veer towards the animus dorms, but she doesn’t. Instead, she angles her nose towards the road before the front gates.
Her landing is slightly different from Xander’s, her newest leg unable to take the full brunt of the required weight. But we’re only jostled a little before she commands us to the ground. To my surprise, she shifts into human form. I watch her long-limbed figure kissed by the light of a gibbous moon, her eyesglinting with something wholly primal. Something that makes my primitive shark gnash his teeth and pay attention.
All four of us follow our regina’s every movement as she takes Katerina’s head from its plastic bag and walks up to the front gates of the academy. When I see my regina levitate upwards and slam the head of our enemy onto the central spike of the school gates, the only appropriate thing to do is smile.
Chapter 42
Aurelia
Iusher my four treasures into our nest. My wolf sighs deeply when he returns to the familiar rooms, the sound of a tired male coming home. I allow them only a moment to appreciate this before bustling everyone into the bathroom to ensure they clean themselves properly in the shower.
They can look after themselves. They can clean their hair and wash their bodies, but I cannot stop my need to oversee it and take care of them. While they finish up with fresh clothes, I clean up the nest—changing out the sheets and fluffing out the pillows. I even spray the eucalyptus oil I found in the cupboard because I know Savage likes the smell and it calms Lyle’s animus. I place a glass of salted water on Scythe’s side because I worry he’ll dehydrate, and I even find Xander’s stash of cigars and put them by the single bed he used to sleep on.
The rest of the academy is quiet, with only snores and occasional coughs sounding on the levels beneath us. Yet my blood is agitated. I step from foot to foot as my mates file out of the bathroom, and I only stop a moment to inspect their condition before nodding my satisfaction and heading back out to the roof.
Enemies may try to find us. Enemies always seem to be after us. With the death of one enemy, others may follow, and this nest, filled with so many of my other charges, might not be safe. The wall around the academy is strong, filled with my own energy, but there are always many strategies, many ways to attack a nest.
“Regina.” Scythe’s quiet voice stops movement, his eyes tired but alert on me. “Where are you going?”
“Patrol,” I say simply, climbing up the stairs to the roof.
He follows. “You need not do that. The guards will keep an eye on the sky and road.”
The night is cold on my skin, the smell fresh in my sinuses. All is quiet, but I need to make sure it stays that way. I turn around to find they have all followed me out here. They need to understand. “I am responsible for themallnow. This place is mine.”
Lyle steps around Savage. “What do you mean, angel?”
He thinksheis guardian of the school. Perhaps he can still be guardian of the education of the students. There are lots of beasts here who need him and his teaching after all. “Celeste Agnis is gone,” I say clearly. “I am appointed guardian now. The school is loyal to me.”
Understanding comes over them, especially my mate with the glowing eyes. Impatient now, I step away from them and shift into dragon form.
My wedge-tailed eagle form will always be my favourite, but there is something in my spirit now that craves the draconic power. The covetous, greedy for blood and hungry for flesh part of me still calls to my anima. Into the night again I fly, the wind no longer cold on my scales, but instead something like an invigorating bath in the sky. Rather quickly, I sense a second presence join me, and it is not Beak, like I’m used to.
I ignore him at first, executing my usual circumnavigation around the academy as I survey the roads leading in and out of the area. Nothing unusual moves between the trees that speckle the land between the human-made paths. It soothes my heart a little to see all is safe and the rapid racing in my chest slows down. The black dragon with the glowing eyes follows my movements like a monstrous shadow, and at times, over the past few days, it’s been hard for me to believe he is one of my treasures. That a beast of such power and heat belongs tome.
I make an abrupt turn, rounding on him. He mirrors me, and it’s like a dance where we perform in a tight circle. I break away, tucking my wings and shooting towards the ground. He pursues me. Metres before the tree line, I snap my wings out and glide over the highest branches, before angling my nose upwards and beating powerfully to gain height.
Xander chases me, copying my every wing movement and following my climb towards the stars. But he gains height faster, and now we’re both vertical, belly to belly with our wings beating downwards. We twine around each other, and having never done this before with a mate or other avian, I’m mesmerised. It’s a delightful new dance. And maybe, a new hope.“I dreamed of this,”he says, breathless in my mind.
I veer away, blinking hard, shaking my head as the open sky suddenly seems like a new thing altogether. Pointing my nose toward the nest, with its magical lights only I can see, my blood heats up, but not in the same way as before, and a tingling in my chest makes me take a deep breath. I come to land just outside the academy gates, stretching out my right leg as I do.
Xander lands behind me, the ground trembling in fright under his heavier weight. I tuck my wings in and turn to look at him. A stunning creature made of night, his eyes are like the glowing stars themselves. Like he’s a piece of the puzzle of midnight, and in his eyes, I see one simple wish.
I stalk forward and he meets me, lowering his head to mine like he’d done once before while I sat on the academy wall. I raise my long neck to meet his face and gently press my snout to his. A low, gravelly rumble resonates from his chest, soft and yet hard. Like rocks groaning under the ancient earth. He slides his snout against the side of my face, and it’s so warm on me. He nuzzles down the slope of my neck, and I chuff in response to the sensation. But there’s something sad in his movements. Something that still feels like loss.“You will be okay,”I say to him.“We will all be okay.”
He doesn’t reply, instead stepping away from me and shooting up into the night as if he weighs nothing at all.“You rest, regina. I will patrol until dawn.”
