Raven rolls her shoulders, then slips the blades back into the sheaths between her wings. She smiles seeing me and then walks over and snuggles in close. “Hey, Keir...” The soft purr that escapes her lips makes me smile as I press my lips to her forehead. Her skin is warm, slightly damp with sweat.
“How are you, love?” I wrap an arm around her high on her shoulders, just above where her wings emerge from her back.
“Better now that you’re here.” She takes my hand and leads me to her room here at Shadowcarve. The familiar scent of her fills the small space—sea salt and jasmine. She locks the door behind me and goes for the zipper on my leathers.
“Um, do you have something on your mind?” I waggle my eyebrows at her. It wouldn’t be the first time she and I have fooled around in here between classes.
“Yes, I do.” When she exposes my chest, she licks over my heart, and the sensation sends shivers down my spine. Then, she shifts her left hand and plucks a scale with a soft snick. “I want to gift you a scale.” She holds the razor-sharp matte black scale up between us, the edges catching the light. Raven raises a talon up and positions it over mychest, right where she intends to place it. I give her a nod, words failing me at the moment. Her talon sinks in like a hot knife through butter, and the pain is sharp and immediate.
Within seconds, she shoves the meat side of the scale into the wound, pressing it deep.
The punch of power that hits me almost staggers me. My knees buckle, and the world tilts. Raven wraps her arms around me to steady me, her strength keeping me upright. “Slow, deep breaths, Keir. It will pass.” She presses her lips to mine and sighs into the connection. She’s right—I can breathe again after several minutes, though my chest feels like it’s been set on fire.
“What was that?” I gaze deeply into her sapphire eyes, trying to understand what just happened to me.
“A dragoness gains in power with each mate she takes. So when I share a scale with you, I share some of that power with you. Your shift will be bigger and stronger than it was before.” Raven takes my hand and leads me out of the room and back out into the courtyard, wherethe afternoon sun beats down on us.
Corvis is already leading the class with the fourth years, his voice carrying across the training ground. Abraxis has the second years learning to grapple when they fight. She grabs a pair of bow staffs and tosses me one. I catch it, feeling the smooth wood against my palms. “Something different to work with.” She smiles and drops into a defensive stance, and I strike first.
The clacking of wood against wood draws attention, and soon enough we have an audience gathering at the edges of the ring. I move faster than she expects—faster than I’ve ever moved before—and I sweep her legs when I go low, knocking her to the ground. Raven lands flat on her back and starts laughing. She’s full-on belly laughing before she rolls over and gets up, her shoulders shaking.
“Again, Keir. Don’t hold back.” Raven is smiling at me, her eyes bright.
I just took her to the ground, and she’s smiling at me. Something isn’t right if being defeated makes her laugh. Part of my species’ ability to blink in and out of existence relies on accelerating our atoms to the point we move faster than the eye can perceive. I do it again, moving quickly from one side to the other—a blur of motion—then sweep her legs again. Raven hits the ground like a ton of bricks, and she’s laughing and smiling again. I think my mate has lost her bloody mind.
“Good. Do it again, this time faster.” She says, and I watch her eyes shift to her dragon’s—sapphire bleeding to a dark blue almost black with vertical slits.
I feint left, then right, and move as fast as I can without vanishing completely. This time, Raven’s head whips to face me, and her hand shoots out and grips me by my throat. The sexiest smile crosses her lips as she tilts her head, slowly elongating her neck as she arches it in my direction. When she opens her mouth, all I see are canines—sharp and deadly—and she has that feral look in her eyes. “Corvis?” I call for my bond brother, my voice strained, and he approaches quickly. Raven releases my neck, then kisses me before walking off, leaving me standing there confused.
“That was odd.” He says, watching her approach her father. They place their backs against the wall, and it looks like he’s walking her through our fight from his perspective, his hands moving as he explains.
Abraxis joins us and motions toward Raven. “What was making her laugh?” He glances between me and Corvis, suspicious.
“No clue.” I shrug my shoulders, then decide to head over to ask Raven myself. May as well find out directly. “Can I ask a question?” I glance from Thauglor over to Raven.
“Of course.” Raven answers before snuggling into my side, her warmth seeping through my clothes.
“Why were you laughing when I knocked you down?” I arch a brow,looking at her. By the time I spit the question out, Corvis and Abraxis have joined us.
“That’s easy, and I mean no disrespect, my love. But it takes a blink hound—technically a smaller shifter—to outmaneuver me and put me flat on my back. I respect the hell out of you for not babying me.” She practically beams up at me, pride evident in every line of her face.
I see the look in Abraxis’s eyes at Raven’s statement, and he opens and closes his mouth several times. “You wanna spar? We can spar.” Abraxis growls out, his voice low and dangerous.
Raven steps away from me and circles Abraxis like a predator. She steps into his personal space and stands on her tiptoes, staring into her nest father’s eyes. Her voice is a low, dangerous whisper. “There are dozens of males here. Dozens of unmated males. Do you really want to take the chance that one of them covets Mom and challenges you?” Raven smirks, then backs up. “You and Allister have a lot more in common than you think.” Raven says it clearly and loud enough that you don’t have to strain to hear her. Then she launches up into the air, taking flight to who knows where.
Abraxis is cursing up a storm, his face red with rage. “You need to get your daughter under control. She’s gone too far this time.” I can clearly see the vein in Abraxis’s temple bulging, throbbing with each heartbeat.
“She just saved your ass, and you want to complain?” Thauglor steps into Abraxis’s space, and the entire courtyard suddenly feels terrifying. The temperature seems to drop. “She’s right. You and Allister have a lot in common.” Thauglor’s body is vibrating with rage as he stares down at his descendant.
“What happened now?” Mina asks as she walks into the arena, concern written across her face.
Thauglor doesn’t say a single word. Instead, he walks over and shares his memories with Mina—I can see the moment of contact, the wayher eyes go distant. When he’s done, Mina shakes her head, looking quite sad. “Raven saved you.” She turns to face Abraxis. “She may have wounded or murdered your pride, but in the end, she saved you. She’s right, too. How would it look if she defeated the feared general unshifted?” Mina looks around the training arena. Thankfully, the other students were smart enough to leave.
“You know every gathering, descendant, we have anywhere from five to ten proposals to become a mate of Mina’s.” Thauglor draws in a deep breath, trying to quell his rage. “Think about that the next time you want to lose your temper over my progeny. Because maybe I’ll have you fight her at the next gathering and see how many challengers you receive.” Thauglor shakes his head. “You’re acting like a spoiled gold dragon hatchling. You don’t have dibs, and you aren’t irreplaceable. We’re all replaceable, even me,” Thauglor says before launching into the air. He heads in the direction Raven went, and I can only assume he’s going to look for his progeny.
I back away slowly with Corvis and turn to leave when we’re far enough away. “We should have a health of the nest check-in soon.” I motion back toward Mina and Abraxis. “That wound, from what Ziggy told me, has been festering for years. I don’t want that happening in our nest.” I bump shoulders with Corvis, and he nods.
“I agree. Let’s make a fancy dinner, and then we’ll play a modified version of spin the bottle.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He has a good idea—it’s better to root out problems now than later.
