Dove
Pop.Aquicksprayof salty water rains down over us. Before we left, I gave Calypso a rough estimation of where the island was. It was enough for her to find her way here.
Now that I’m not looking between curved water walls, I can make out the sooty dunes and rough hills of the island Fury is imprisoned on, the smell of ash on the wind hard to mistake. It’s like all life comes here to die, or it never had the chance to flourish.
That’s what happened to Fury. He was brought here to perish. To never be seen or heard from again. A familiar sharp pain moves through my chest. As much as I hate him, no one deserves to be forgotten about.
Death would have been a kinder sentence.
A high-pitched squawk comes overhead.Solen.His wide wings cast a shadow on the ground below, circling us. Rivern’s bond is brimming with newfound excitement at seeing his friend, who was separated from us the void.
Feeling Rivern’s joy makes me think of Saff and her baby. Rhythm was so deceiving in the mers’ underground grotto.How many turns have passed since I saw my friend?Has her egg hatched?
As if I have summoned a wayward toddler myself, a tiny purple dragon crests the black sand dunes before us, smoke spilling from its nose, gangly wings extended like it has no idea what to do with them. Upon laying plum irises on us, it yaps, beelining straight for our party.
Muscular arms come around me just when we witness the baby dragon trip, rolling in on itself and tumbling down the dune. It’s hard not to let out a laugh at the display of clumsiness.
Red wings top the sand dune before I see her face. When her eyes land on mine, it’s an instant connection of souls.“Meet my youngling, little human. He’s only a turn hatched, and thinks he’s ready to take on all manner of creatures, big and small.”
I can feel through her words that she’s proud of him. This little dragon who was a creation of the mated male she lost centuries ago. It’s a long rhythm to wait for a child to be born, for your heart to be put back together again. And she never lost hope. Saff never forgot her strength. Everything she did was for that stumbling baby dragon edging closer to us, curiosity plain on his face.
Saffis next to him in only a few short strides, her legs moving with precision.
“He’s beautiful, Saff. Does he have a name?” I reply, staring into the brilliant ruby eyes of my intimate.
“His name is Oro,”she answers, bringing her wide wing over the floundering set of small purple wings before us. Oro is about half the size of me, with eyes that take over his whole upper face.
His wide plum orbs eye us with curiosity—especially the two males on either side of me—sniffing the air with his cute little snout.
The temptation to pat him is there. I know he’ll come to me when he is ready. The baby dragon sticks close to his mother for now, blowing the occasional plume of smoke our way.
“Have youbrought our guests,pet?”Fury asks.
“Yes. You couldn’t come down to greet them?”I spin to find Calypso and Moyrie standing together, gazing quizzically up at the black tower in the distance.Something seems to have changed between the two women since Moyrie disappeared in the mer caves. Even the way they stand now shows a closeness. Together, they represent two feuding kingdoms, yet they have put their differences aside to move forward. Well, it seems like they have. It makes me question how we will move forward with the king of Haven—until I’m interrupted.
“I am the God. They can come to me.”
Self-absorbed much?
“By the sounds of it, someone is looking to be put in her place.”His tone is clipped. I ignore him,gesturing for our party of five to walk towards the tower.
Stepping my real feet—not just my dream feet—on the top step of the inner tower landing of Fury’s room, I come upon wide-set black wings stretched over taut, grey skin. My bonded stands before the stained glass windows, overlooking the expanse of the barren land below.
Rivern is attached to me at the hip as I walk to stand at the base of the bed. The last rhythm I was in this room, Fury and I made a deal—a deal that would forever tie us together by a God bond. It was hard to imagine the consequences of those actions at the time. Now, I stand staring at the back of my God, fully bonded to Rivern and potentially in another relationship with one of his created shifters. This bond feels bigger than I ever could have imagined.Maybe I should’ve thought more about the side effects of my actions instead of being swept away in the deal of the century.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gideon move towards the fire, Moyrie and Calypso following to stand by the wing-backed chair.
“You have us all gathered here, Your Godliness. How would you like us to proceed?” There’s some mirth to my tone when I address him. I won’t admit that the cut of those black leather pants is doing things to me. Besides me, he is the only other one who is clothed. Mers don’t wear clothing—it inhibits their ability to swim—and the rest of mycompanions are still naked, which has become the norm among our entourage.
Turning around, Fury locks black eyes on me, drinking me in. I can feel his need through the bond like a battering ram. It steals my breath away.
“Stop that!”I all but scream in his head.
It’s heady. It’s undeniable. My body needs him. I need him inside me.
No. No.No.
“We are bonded, Dove. The bond wants our bodies connected. It is what must be.”
