“Black dragons stand out in the daytime.” Klauth points out, his ancient voice carrying concern and something else—respect, maybe, that I’m willing to take this risk.
“We do, and that’s half the point.” I meet his gaze steadily, refusing to show the fear churning in my gut. “The other is our breath weapon will penetrate the deepest parts of the caverns. The gas is heavier than air—it will move along the floor, seeking the lowest point, filling every crack and crevice.” I look over at Klauth, then back to Mom and Dad. “Either Mom or I will ignite it once Balor and my siblings are clear.” I lower my eyes, staring at the rocks under my boots. The reality of what I’m proposing settles over me like a shroud. I’m planning to turn that cave into a crematorium. I’m planning to kill everything inside. And part of me—the dark, primal part that my dragon controls—is looking forward to it.
Before I can process it further, before I can second-guess myself, Corvis is crushing me against his chest. His heart pounds against mine, both racing so fast they seem to merge into one. “Be careful.Come back to me.” He whispers next to my ear, his breath warm against my skin, his voice breaking on the last syllable.
“Always.” I kiss the tip of his nose, drawing in a deep breath that carries his scent—fresh baked bread and cedar and home and safety. Everything I might not get to smell again. “Twenty minutes and we leave...” Twenty minutes longer I get to hold my mate before I go on my first mission into enemy lands. Into the unknown darkness beyond the Velician Mountains, where things Mom warned me about in childhood nightmares wait in the shadows with teeth and claws and hunger. Twenty minutes before I have to let go and become something harder, something colder, something capable of what needs to be done.
Twenty minutes before I discover what lurks on the other side of those forbidden peaks, and whether I’m strong enough to face it. Whether I’m strong enough to kill for my sister. Whether I’m strong enough to die for her if it comes to that.
My hands tighten on Corvis’s shirt, bunching the fabric in my fists, and I allow myself this moment of weakness, this moment of fear, before I have to become the dragon heir who never falters. Before I have to become the Queen who makes the hard choices. Before I have to become the monster that saves her family.
Because on the other side of those mountains, in the darkness I’ve never dared explore, in a cave filled with enemies who think they can take from us without consequence, my sister is waiting. Isolde is waiting for someone to come for her. And I will burn the world to ash before I leave her there. I will cross into forbidden lands, face ancient horrors, and paint the sky black with smoke before I let them keep her.
The wind picks up, carrying the scent of snow from the mountain peaks and something else—something that smells like decay and old blood. Like the mountain itself is warning us away. But warnings don’t matter anymore. Nothing matters except bringing Isolde home.
I close my eyes and count down the seconds, feeling my dragon coil tighter inside me with each heartbeat, ready to be unleashed. Ready to show the world what happens when you take something precious from a black dragon.
Ready to discover if I’m truly my parents’ daughter, or if I’ll break under the weight of what’s coming.
Twenty minutes.
Then we fly into hell itself.
Chapter 36
Raven
“A word?”Klauth says and offers me his hand. I glance at it for a moment, seeing the ancient scars that crisscross his knuckles—each one a story of survival. After kissing Corvis one more time, breathing in his scent like I’m trying to memorize it, I step away. I accept Klauth’s hand, his palm rough and warm against mine, and follow him away from the others. My feet feel heavy, like I’m walking toward something I can’t take back.
“You needed me, Father?” I look up into Klauth’s crimson-flecked amber eyes, and I can see the concern flickering there like flames beneath ice. There’s something else too—fear, maybe, though I’ve never seen Klauth afraid of anything.
“I am very proud of you, Raven.” He pulls me close and hugs me, his massive arms engulfing me completely. His skin is warm from the morning sun. “Do not take any risks that you can avoid. Those things on the other side of the mountain will not show mercy. They will not care that you are a female.” His voice drops lower, more urgent. “They will not care that you are my nest daughter.” He presses his lips to my forehead, his dragon purring softly for me—a sound that rumbles through his chest and into mine. It’s rare for Klauth to show affectionto someone other than Mom. The fact that he’s doing it now makes my stomach twist with anxiety.
I hug Klauth back and purr for him; the vibration easing some of the tension in my chest. “There are three reasons for me to come back, Father. You can bet your scaled bottom I’m going to fight like hell to make it back to my mates.” I smile as I see Ziggy phase Hemlocke here, the air shimmering and folding before my mate materializes.
“Go see your mate before you have to go hunting.” Klauth says before releasing me, though his hands linger on my shoulders for just a moment longer than necessary.
I sprint across the open space, my wings spreading slightly for balance, and leap into Hemlocke’s arms, clinging to him. His muscular arms band around me below my wings, holding me to him like I’m the most precious thing in the world. Before I can say anything, his mouth crashes down on mine, kissing me thoroughly, desperately. I can taste the fear on his lips mixed with something sweeter—love, devotion, the promise of tomorrow.
When we eventually break apart, both gasping for air, his unicorn vocalizes for me for the first time—a sound like wind chimes mixed with distant thunder. Love is all I see in his magenta gaze. Love as pure as the freshly fallen snow on the mountains behind us. “Kill anything that moves and make it home to me.” He’s fighting his unicorn for control, and I can see it as plain as the two black stars on his forehead—the way his pupils contract and expand, the slight tremor in his arms.
“That’s the plan. I have to make it home to you and Corvis and my cursed egg.” I sip at his bottom lip, feeling the soft fullness, until I feel Corvis behind me—his presence like a warm shadow. Flexing my wings, I open them wide and lean back to kiss Corvis while Hemlocke holds my hips firmly against his. The sensation of being held between them grounds me, reminds me what I’m fighting for.
Someone clears their throat, and I laugh before looking at my brother Orpheus. “Someone’s been watching a little too much ScaleHub...” He waggles his eyebrows at me and laughs, breaking some of the tension that’s been building.
“Oh please, we didn’t see you for a week after you found your mate.” I laugh as Hemlocke sets me back on my own two feet. It’s now that I notice he has the egg carrier on his back so he could hold me. The thought makes my heart swell as I look at Orpheus. “Where is Ianthe?” I step away from my mates and take my brother’s hand, his skin cool beneath my fingers.
“She’s with Lily and the twins. The physician is coming today to put the implant in her arm. We want to wait until we’re older to have a clutch or two.” He says with an easy smile, then smirks. “The terror twins are at it again!” We fist bump, the gesture so normal and familiar it almost makes me forget what’s coming. We look at my father, who’s trying not to laugh at our antics, though I can see the worry lines deepening around his eyes.
“Remember to click like we used to do when we practiced with the hatchlings about what to do when there’s danger. She’ll close her eyes or lower her head to hide her eyes.” I swoop in and hug my brother tightly, breathing in his scent—earth and stone and safety. Before looking at Balor, I hold on just a moment longer than necessary. He nods at us, his expression grave, and then I look to my parents and the other parents of our nest. Two of their hatchlings are going on a rescue mission for another hatchling that we don’t know if she’s alive or not. The weight of that uncertainty presses down on all of us. Tilting my head, I nod at Ziggy, and he shifts on the spot, his form blurring and expanding. Then Balor follows suit, his basilisk form uncoiling with deadly grace.
Without another word, I turn and walk away from everyone before shifting. The transformation takes me fast—bones cracking and reforming, my body expanding outward in waves of power and pain. Orpheus shifts and slithers up my body, his scales rough and coldagainst mine as he wraps around my horns with his head resting on my forehead. He’s prepared to use his stone gaze to protect us. Balor and Ziggy take position on my back, their weight settling between my wings. Before I stand up, my father waves his hands to stop me, his expression shifting to something like awe.
“You have some white scales on your face, Raven.” Thauglor reaches out and touches the scales with reverent fingers. I know I saw at least three about a month ago—I guess there are more now. The white stands out stark against my black, marking me as something more than I was.
“I don’t even have white scales yet.” I hear Abraxis say in that spoiled brat tone he takes every time I’m ahead of him on something. The jealousy in his voice is almost palpable.
“You’ve hit wyrm status, Raven,” Mom says as she looks up at me, and I realize she’s right—they are further down now. I look at my taloned front hands, seeing how much larger they are, then back over my body. Ziggy and Balor would never have both fit back there two months ago. I’ve grown without even realizing it.
