“Once airborne, I can fly?” I tilt my head, trying to figure out exactly what I need to do. My mind is already racing through possibilities.
“Yes. But not in your human form yet—the bones are much thinner than when you’re shifted.” He says with a smile, then his expression turns serious. “I know that look, Raven. Don’t risk re-breaking your wing. You were lucky the first time. A second break in the same place could ground you permanently.”
The warning sends a chill down my spine, but Tom softens it by booping me on the nose like I’m still a hatchling. The gesture is so familiar, so comforting, that I can’t help but smile.
“I know, Tom. Thank you.” I hop off the table and grab Keir’s hand, lacing our fingers together. His palm is warm against mine, grounding me. “Let’s get changed and have that date.”
As we walk out of the clinic, I fire off a text to Corvis with my free hand:Need your wings to get airborne. After that, it’s all me. Meet at the coastal cliffs in two hours?
The response comes back almost immediately:I’ll be there. Be careful.
The sky is calling, and finally—finally—I can answer. But even as excitement bubbles in my chest, making my steps lighter, part of me remains vigilant. Now that I’m healing, now that I’m getting stronger, they might make their move.
I just have to be ready when they do.
I squeeze Keir’s hand tighter, drawing comfort from his presence. Whatever comes, I won’t face it alone anymore.
Chapter 41
Raven
We reach the apartment,and I run to my room to get changed, my heart already racing with anticipation.TonightI complete the bond with Keir. The thought sends electricity dancing along my spine. The easiest thing to put on is my sundress that ties behind my neck. I slip into the soft cotton flowered knee-length dress and smile, loving how it wraps around me without putting pressure on my healing wing. The fabric is cool against my skin, light enough that I barely feel it. I brush my hair until it shines like polished obsidian, then slip on a pair of flats before checking my reflection again.
My cheeks are flushed, my sapphire eyes bright with excitement.Why am I so nervous?I already bit him... But this is different. This is the completion.This is forever.
My wing twinges slightly as I move, a reminder that I’m still healing. I adjust the dress strap carefully, making sure it doesn’t pull on the sensitive area where the bone knitted back together.
Stepping out, I find Keir in a white shirt and a male corset, and my heart damn near stops. The matte black of the corset matches my scales perfectly, and the boning appears to have scale stitch work thatcatches the light—did he have this custom made? The details are exquisite. His slacks are perfectly pressed and black to match the corset. “Wow.” It’s all I can get my short-circuiting brain to say. The way the corset makes his shoulders look even broader than they already are boggles my mind. He looks dangerous and elegant at the same time—like a warrior dressed for a formal occasion.
A low whistle escapes his lips as he looks at me, his storm-gray eyes darkening with appreciation and something hungrier. The broadest smile graces his lips, transforming his entire face. “I am one lucky male.” He bows formally at his waist and extends a hand to me. “Shall we go?”
I honestly don’t know what the hell to do. My hands are trembling slightly as I reach for him. Corvis was easy—the bond was so strong between us from all the years together, we fit together like puzzle pieces. Our bonding had been natural, inevitable, like breathing. Hemlocke was patient and kind and asked what I wanted, giving me control when my dragoness was still learning to share. Here’s Keir blowing both of them out of the water, being the definition of a gentleman, and I’m at a loss for words. “Yes, please.” With him, I can be soft and delicate. Mainly because his temper rivals my own, and he can get us to safety in the blink of an eye if something goes wrong. With him, I don’t have to be the strong one every moment.
Keir pulls me into his arms and sips at my bottom lip for a moment, the gentle pressure sending warmth through my chest and lower. My dragoness purrs at the contact. Then he presses a kiss to my forehead, between my eyebrows. “Close your eyes. I want where we’re going to be a surprise.” I feel him smiling against my forehead, his breath warm on my skin.
“Okay.” I close my eyes and snuggle in close, pressing my eyes and the bridge of my nose against his throat. His pulse beats steadily beneath my nose, and I can feel the mate bond humming between us—incomplete but growing stronger. I draw in a slow, deep breath—hot chocolate and marshmallows—and feel the moment he blinks us towherever he was planning on taking us. Reality folds around us like fabric, and when we solidify, the first scent that hits me is the ocean—salt and seaweed and endless water. Then the scent of cooking meat—charred and savory—making my mouth water.
“There’s someone I want to introduce you to.” He whispers against my cheek as he guides me with my eyes still covered, his hand warm and reassuring on my lower back. After several moments, he stops, and I can smell a lot of other creatures close by—the pack, their scent similar to Keir’s but distinct, each one unique. “You can look now.”
When I lift my head and open my eyes, I see a little old woman sitting in front of me. Her skin is weathered like old leather, marked with age spots and fine lines that speak of countless smiles and sorrows. Her hair is as white as snow, pulled back in a simple braid that hangs over one shoulder. “Raven, this is the matriarch of our pack and my grandmother, Maeba. Grams, this is my mate, Raven.” My eyes dart between him and his grandmother, and I smile, feeling a sudden rush of emotion. I didn’t get the chance to meet either set of my grandparents—both were dead long before I was born. But now I have Maeba, and the thought makes my throat tight.
“The honor is mine.” I raise my fist to my chest and curtsy low, spreading my wings the best I can despite the lingering stiffness. The movement pulls at my healing wing, sending a dull ache through the bone, but I hold the position because respect matters. I remain bowed until she touches the top of my head, her palm warm and calloused from years of life.
“Child, I am no noble, nor do I deserve such honor from a dragon.” She smiles and pats the bench on either side of her. “Tell me how you met my Keir.”
“You are an elder and deserve respect.” I say softly before sitting next to her, being careful how I angle my wings so they don’t crowd her. “The first time I saw Keir was in Shadowcarve when we were being called to order.” A smile crosses my lips, and I laugh a little at thememory. “I got to truly meet Keir after he saved me from drowning in a lake. I had fallen from the sky, and the impact of hitting the water broke my right wing.” I unconsciously touch the healed area, feeling the slight bump in the bone under the scaled leather—a permanent reminder of that day. “He saved me. He didn’t have to, but he did.” I look across at Keir on the other side of his grandmother and smile at him, feeling the bond pulse with warmth. “When I woke up, he was the first face I saw. I realized right then and there he was my mate.”
A single tear rolls down Maeba’s weathered cheek, catching the firelight like a diamond. “That’s definitely something my sweet grand baby would do.” She pats him on the thigh with obvious affection.
Several of the shifted males bark at him—sharp, mocking sounds that cut through the peaceful atmosphere and make my blood heat. My eyes widen as I translate word for word their jeers about him bowing to an outsider, about bringing a dragon here. “Why don’t you shift and say that to my face, cowards.” I stand up, allowing my talons to extend with audible clicks as I stare at the males that were making fun of me for lowering myself to show respect to Maeba.
One male shifts, his form blurring and expanding until he stands human before me—tall, muscular, covered in tattoos. He steps up toe to toe with me, close enough that I can smell his breath—meat and aggression and challenge. Maeba holds Keir back with surprising strength, her weathered hand on his chest. “There’s no way you understood me, dragon.”
The angrier I get, the more I feel my throat shift, bones, and muscles rearranging in ways that should hurt but don’t. I growl out a threat to his manhood in his language—the words rolling off my tongue like I was born speaking them, each syllable dripping with venom—as my eyes shift to my dragon’s. He takes several steps back, his confident posture crumbling like sand, looking from me to Keir, then to his grandmother with wide eyes.
“How is that possible?”
I step back and sit next to Maeba again, forcing my breathing to slow, forcing my dragoness to settle. My wing aches from the sudden tension coursing through my body. “I am a wyrm black dragoness. I’ve already received my gift that comes with wyrm status.” Smirking, I flex my wings a little, watching the male’s eyes track the movement with something like fear. He eventually lowers his head and backs away, submission clear in every line of his body.
