“Thorne isn’t the only chimera.” I stare into Azalea’s eyes, and she double blinks, her pupils contracting.
“Shit, Mom is in deep trouble when she goes against you. That explains how you overpowered her. You have two great wyrms as dads.” Azalea’s eyes are comically wide as she stares at me.
“It’s exactly why I’m terrified to face her in battle. I didn’tSEEher when we were fighting. I saw a target, not my mother. I saw a threat, not the woman who gave me life.” Sighing, I close the distance and hug my sister, breathing in her familiar scent.
“You need Orpheus and Lily. Give me a few moments.” Azalea says as she backs up, then phases off to points unknown, leaving me alone on the roof.
Turning back, I climb onto the low wall in the center of the roof and sit on it, letting my legs dangle and my wings hang free. The stone is warm beneath me from the sun. Within moments, Azalea is back with Lily and Orpheus, both looking concerned.
“What’s happening?” Orpheus says, closing the distance, his basilisk eyes searching my face.
“Are you okay?” Lily says as she pulls me to her, her arms tight around me. Looking over her shoulder, I see Azalea wink at me, then vanish again.
“There are so many things wrong.” I draw in an exaggerated breath, then look down for a moment, breaking away from my siblings. “Drow are hunting me. There’s still a teacher here somewhere whowas working with Abaddon that in twenty-one years they haven’t found. Lastly, I feel a fifth mate bond that flickers on and off like a light switch. One minute it’s there, the next it’s gone.” I lower my head and close my eyes. That faint tether flickers again, warm and golden, then blinks out of existence.
“Shit, that’s a lot to be handling.” Lily says, approaching again.
“Mom is worried you’re going to rip the nest from her sooner than later. Like before school is over.” Orpheus winces as he says it.
“I have the same concerns.” I have to be honest with myself—the next time Mom decides to fight me may be the time I win, and she’s forced to submit. The thought makes my stomach turn.
“Mom’s been training nonstop. You came too close to winning. If it wasn’t for Hemlocke bleeding, you would have defeated her then.” Lily offers as she takes my hand in hers, her fingers warm.
“I don’t want any of it, Lil. Flight mother? I mean, I’ve been keeping everyone in line forever. That’s not bad. Queen? A black dragon as the continent’s queen. Are they out of their ever-loving minds? I have a temper when I’m pushed. I torch first, ask questions later.” I search both of my siblings’ faces for understanding, desperately needing them to see how terrified I am.
“Yeah, it’s kind of our thing, except you have the strength and size to back the temper.” Lily half-laughs when she hugs me again.
“So what are you going to do when the school year ends?” Orpheus asks the one question I didn’t even think about. The one that makes everything feel more real, more immediate.
“Well, shit...” I raise both brows, looking out over the campus grounds again, holding my sister tight to my side.
“It’s really going to depend on whether Mom and I can exist in the same area or not.” I kiss Lily’s forehead and look at Orpheus. “Cerce offered me Abraxis’s chalet to take my family to. So there’s an option.We also have my lair, but it’s not somewhere our human forms will do well in all the time.” I huff out a sigh and look toward Shadowcarve in the distance.
“Can you even be in the barracks with Mom, or is it just the territory?” Orpheus asks, and I shrug my shoulders.
“Not sure. My scales crawl staying in the guest house. My dragoness doesn’t like not being in the mountain.” I turn my gaze toward Malivore, the massive structure looming. “Maybe I’ll keep my family on campus during the break.” I pull out my phone and text Ziggy, asking him to come get my siblings. His response is immediate:On my way.
“Ziggy will be here in a few moments for you.” I hug and kiss my siblings, breathing in their scents—Lily’s soft vanilla, Orpheus’s earth and stone.
I turn toward the courtyard again. Klauth is on campus today, and I need his counsel. The second Ziggy arrives with a displacement of air, I leap off the roof to fly toward the Arcanum campus where Klauth has his office when he’s here. As I fly, I think about how lucky I am that my wing wasn’t permanently damaged like Abraxis’s. The doctor begrudgingly cleared me after learning what had happened and that I had flown before I was cleared. The wind feels incredible under my wings; the muscles respond perfectly.
Banking hard, I turn and land on the balcony to Klauth’s office and tap on the glass with my knuckles, waiting for him to unlatch the door. He steps to the door, and I can hear the latch disengage before he pulls it open. “Raven, shouldn’t you be in class?” He arches a brow, looking at me. I glance over his shoulder and see Samara there as well as Anipe, both ancient beings whose presence fills the room with power.
“I should, but I was seeking your counsel. I can come back later if you need me to?” I relax how I’m holding my wings so that the tension I know I must be radiating lessens some.
“No, come in. We were just finishing up.” He steps back and makes a sweeping motion with his arm, motioning for me to enter.
“We can continue this later. It seems more pressing matters need your attention.” Samara says as she bows to me—a full, respectful bow—then moves toward the doors.
“Yes, it’s rare for the heir apparent to make an appearance here. We will speak later.” Anipe bows in my direction and leaves with Samara, their footsteps echoing down the corridor.
The deference the two of them showed me is more than they show even my mother as queen. I hazard a glance looking over at Klauth, and he stares at their retreating backs, his expression troubled. “That’s mildly concerning.”
“What is it , Dad?” I close the distance and give Klauth a hug, holding him until he hugs me back. His arms are warm and strong around me.
“You’ve always had a presence about you.” He kisses the crown of my head before walking us over to the leather couch on the other side of the office. The material creaks as we sit. “Thinking back, it’s probably because you’re as much my daughter as you are Thauglor’s and Balor’s.” He tilts his head, looking at me. I can see the paternal love in his crimson-flecked amber eyes. “Red dragons have a commanding presence. We basically demand attention and respect without having to utter a word.” He pats my hand and offers me a small smile.
“So, Samara and Anipe acknowledging my dominance is a good and bad thing?” I tilt my head in the opposite direction he did.
