“To be the dominant dragoness on the continent, you know one day you two are going to battle as your dragons. It’s going to become more difficult for the two of you to be in the same territory soon.” Keir mentions his tone matter-of-fact as he unwraps foil packages. “Your dad filled me in while I was getting the food. He said one of you will eventually have to yield to the other.” Keir passes Raven a bloody steak and ribs, the meat still steaming.
Raven nods slowly as she stares at her food, not eating yet. I can feel the tension through the bond—tight, anxious, building. “I never asked for this.” She says softly before picking up a rib and taking a bite. Juice runs down her chin.
“In a way, I’m glad I have so many brothers older than me. I’ll never have to fight my dad for control of the herd.” I cut a piece of steak with my knife, the blade slicing through the tender meat easily, and pop it in my mouth, savoring the flavors—salt, char, blood.
“I had no choice if I wanted to become Alpha or not. It’s passed down through the bloodline.” Keir mentions, waving a rib bone around like he’s conducting an orchestra. Bits of meat still cling to the bone.
“If Allister wasn’t such a menace, I wouldn’t be facing a double whammy. Flight mother? That comes naturally to me. Queen? Ugh, I hope Mom lives forever. That’s one title I am not looking forward to.” Raven almost violently stabs her steak before cutting a chunk off, the motion aggressive enough to make me flinch.
“You have us, Corvis, and eventually Solaris with us.” Keir says before kissing Raven’s cheek, leaving a small grease mark from the food.
“And a mysterious mate number five. I felt him the day I went to the cursed egg chamber.” She bites her bottom lip and furrows her brow, thinking hard. “Well, now that I know what a tether feels like, I felt the tether. I was drawn deeper into the halls of Malivore. Then nothing.” She turns and looks at me as if searching my face for the answer, her sapphire eyes intense.
“I can locate a list of everyone who was in that hallway for the drawing?” Keir offers, and I arch a brow looking at him.How would he even do that?
“Finlay keeps meticulous records of everything he’s a part of. Phoenixes are mysterious and the most powerful shifter on the planet.” Keir says, and that makes Raven turn to face him fully, her entire body going still.
“Mom said phoenixes are secretive creatures.” Raven bites her bottom lip and narrows her eyes, looking at Keir with sudden intensity. “Leave him alone. I don’t need you roasted on the spot.”
There’s a tick in the corner of Raven’s eye—the tell that means something’s happening—and I can tell something is up. The way she’s staring blankly at Keir, her eyes seem distant, unfocused. It’s like she’s looking through him rather than at him. “Hmm...” She looks awaysuddenly, breaking whatever connection she had. “Let’s finish dinner, then head back.” Raven bites her bottom lip again.
Something is on her mind, and I don’t think she’s ready to discuss it. I’ll wait for now. But just in case, I fire off a text to Corvis with one hand while eating with the other, warning him about what’s happening while he’s teaching. The phone screen glows in the fading light.
His response comes back quickly:I’ll talk to Balor, then Thauglor about what’s happening. Not close enough to Klauth for that conversation yet.
That makes sense. He’s building those relationships, but they take time. Worst case, we bust out both sets of big guns and involve both great wyrm dragons. But something tells me Raven already knows who mate number five is.
She just isn’t ready to tell us yet.
Chapter 47
Raven
One week later…
I move like a wraith through the halls, my boots silent on the polished stone floor as I head toward my spy craft class. My gut tells me all is not how it seems—a prickling awareness that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I’m early to class and take a seat in the back where I can see the entire room, my wings folding tight against the chair. But something deep down is eating at me like a phantom limb that, for a brief moment, I can feel, then it’s gone. The sensation makes my chest ache with longing for something I can’t name.
“You okay?” Ziggy asks as he walks into the room, books stacked high in his arms. The leather-bound volumes smell like old paper and ink.
“Yeah, just a lot of pressure. I don’t want to fight Mom. But I know it’s going to get harder to stay in the territory with her.” I pull out one of the knives Corvis gave me as a mating present—the blade etched with silver patterns—and start cleaning under my nails, needing something to do with my hands.
“I don’t want to see you two fight either. Hell, both ancients are afraid to get between the two of you. Father instinct versus mate instinct istough.” He offers me a small smile, and we both sigh at the same time. “On the bright side, I have cookies.” Ziggy pulls out my favorite almond cookies from his messenger bag and tosses me a bag. The cellophane crinkles. “Aunt Cora figured you’d need them today.” He gives me a wink before setting up for class.
I stare down at the bag and sigh. I miss when life was simple. Azalea is in this class with me, and she slides into the seat to my left, her presence warm and familiar. “Hey, sis.” She purrs as she leans close, pressing her cheek to mine. Her skin is warm, and she smells like jasmine.
“Hey.” I force a smile and lean my head on her shoulder, snuggling close for a moment, drawing comfort from the contact.
“You totally almost kicked Mom’s ass last week. It’s the talk of the nest.” She whispers to me before stealing a cookie from my bag.
“It’s only going to get worse from here. Apparently, until one of us is defeated, the battles will continue.” I sit up and flex my wings a little, feeling the stretch in the muscles. I pull out a cookie and take a bite. Usually this would make everything better—the sweet almond flavor, the crumbly texture. Today, it’s adding a lead weight to my chest.
Ziggy starts his lecture, and I swear my mind is elsewhere. The pull is there again—warm like the sun first thing in the morning, golden and insistent. Whoever my mate is, they’re strong. The tether tugs at something deep in my chest before fading again.
Azalea bumps my shoulder, and I look at her. “My scales are tingling. What’s eating you?” I glance up and see Ziggy watching us while he’s teaching, concern flickering in his feline eyes.
“Not here.” I slide my stuff into my bag, the sound too loud in the quiet classroom, and Azalea does the same thing. Within seconds, she grabs me and we phase to the roof of the dragon dorms. Reality folds and unfolds, and suddenly we’re standing in bright sunlight. I drop my bag and walk to the edge, looking down and out across thecampus. I can see Hemlocke in the distance taking the riders out for their lessons, his black form moving among the horses. Dad—I mean Thauglor—ugh, Dad is walking across the open space with Mom on his arm, the two of them deep in conversation.
“Spill...” Azalea says and takes my hands, turning me to face her. Her grip is firm, insistent.
