“Do you have enough room to shift in here?” Ziggy spins around, his movements careful and measured. He’s assessing exits, looking for dangers, being the protective father he’s always been.
“Yeah.” I smile, feeling something settle in my chest—something that’s been restless and uncertain since I first claimed Blackhaven. “Why don’t you phase back into the egg chamber and block the door so no one gets acid on them.”
My dream of having my own space for my progeny has come true. A hidden place where I can guard my future, where I can protect what’s mine from whatever threats circle in the dark.
When Ziggy phases out—reality bending around him like water around a stone—I take a deep breath of the humid air and let my shift come.
My bones crack and reform with sounds like breaking branches. Flesh stretches and expands, skin giving way to obsidian scales that gleam even in the low light. My wings unfurl fully, massive and powerful, catching air currents I couldn’t feel in human form. The world shifts into sharper focus—scents becomingmore distinct, sounds clearer. Power floods through me, raw and primal and absolutely right.
My dragoness barely fits on this part of the beach where I stand. Black sand shifts beneath my clawed feet, still warm from the heated water lapping at its edge. I turn my attention to the wall in question, the barrier between this cavern and the egg chamber beyond.
I feel the acid build in my chest—a familiar burning that starts low and rises like magma through a volcano. It fills my mouth, thick and caustic, making my fangs tingle. I part my jaws and let it pour forth.
The acid hits the stone in a steaming torrent. The rock hisses and pops, melting in sheets that slide down the wall like wax. The chemical smell is overwhelming—sharp and acrid, burning my nostrils even though my dragonic form is immune to its effects. Smoke rises in thick clouds, gray-green in the cavern’s light.
To get a better look around the interior, I create acid gas—letting my breath weapon transform into vapor that spreads through the space. Then I ignite it.
The cavern lights up like daylight, every corner suddenly visible in the burst of flame. The black sand beach is larger on the opposite side of where I’m standing. Rock formations jut from the walls like jagged teeth. The ceiling arches high overhead, disappearing into darkness even with the light.
Carefully, I turn and walk over to the other side. My tail drags through the sand, leaving a deep furrow. Occasionally I ignite more acid gas to illuminate the dark corners, mapping this space in my mind. The hot spring is quite large—easily big enough toaccommodate my dragoness. Big enough for me to coil in, to rest, to protect my eggs when they come.
If they come. If I survive long enough to lay them. The thought is cold water on my triumph. Someone out there wants me dead. This cavern is perfect for hiding, for protecting, but it’s also a trap if the wrong people find it.
I shake off the dark thoughts and shift back to human form. The transformation is quicker this way—scales melting back into skin, bones compressing, wings folding down to their smaller form. The cool air hits my sweat-slicked skin, making me shiver.
I walk back toward where my acid has finished eating away at the stone, my boots silent on the sand. The opening I’ve created is wide enough for two people to walk through together—perfect access without compromising the cavern’s hidden nature.
Ziggy has been joined by Corvus in the chamber, both of them staring into the cavern with expressions of awe. The sight of Corvus makes my heart clench—my handsome mate with his silver hair and eyes that see straight through me. Safe. Solid. Mine.
“Wow, this is huge.” Corvus exclaims as he steps through the opening to join me. His scent washes over me—freshly baked bread and smoke and something uniquely him. It grounds me, reminds me why I’m doing this. Building a future. Creating a safe place for our family.
“I’m gonna head home.” Ziggy waves from the egg chamber, his smile warm despite the lingering unease in his posture. “I’ll let your dad know you found a hidden cavern.” Then he vanishes as fast as he arrived, reality folding around empty space.
Corvus holds a flashlight as we explore the cavern together. The beam dances across stone and water, catching on the bioluminescent moss that turns everything dreamlike. “This is huge in here.”
We walk along the black sand beach in comfortable silence. My wings brush against his shoulder occasionally, a casual intimacy that makes me purr softly. There’s so much more space further down along the back side—room to grow, room to expand, room to hide if necessary.
“I sensed the water and needed to get in here.” The words come easier with him beside me. “I want to hide my eggs in here. When it’s time, of course.” I offer Corvus a smile and bump his shoulder with mine. He’s warm and solid beside me, his presence chasing away some of the paranoia that’s been clawing at my thoughts. But it doesn’t chase away all of it. The awareness that we’re targets—that I’m a target—never fully leaves.
“The nest needs to go back to Malivore tonight.” Corvus’s voice carries a note of regret. “Classes start up again in the morning. Well, the gauntlets are tomorrow.” He winces, and I catch the tension in his jaw. He doesn’t like the idea of me running the gauntlet. Doesn’t like me putting myself in danger when there are already enough threats circling like sharks scenting blood.
“Technically, I don’t have to run. I want to.” I lead Corvus out of the cavern and back into the egg chamber, my hand finding his and lacing our fingers together. His skin is rough with calluses, warm and alive. “We should gather my siblings and head out in about an hour. I’ll carry everyone.”
I turn to face him fully, rising on my toes to press my lips to his. The kiss is gentle at first, then deeper—tasting him, feeling the warmth of his body and the purr that rumbles through his chest.His arms come around me, pulling me close, and for a moment the world narrows to just this. Just us. When we part, my breath comes faster. My wings flutter with contentment.
Year two is going to be deadlier than last year. The gauntlets are designed to push us to our limits, to test whether we’re strong enough to survive in a world that wants to tear us apart. And somewhere out there, someone is hunting me specifically. Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But I’m not the frightened girl I was last year. I’m the heir to the Marzana Empire. I have three mates who would burn the world for me. I have this fortress, this hidden cavern, this power that grows stronger every day.
Let them come. Let them hunt.
I’ll be ready.
