Chapter 26
Corvus
The shiftin the nest was intense when Raven bonded with Solaris last night. All of those stories about the power shift, as told by Mina’s mates, weren’t exaggerated in the slightest. I was driven to my knees the minute their bond solidified—hit the ground so hard I saw stars. Unfortunately for me, I was teaching a weapons class when Keir and I both suddenly hit the ground without warning.
The four of us stayed on campus last night in the Malivore suite rather than attempting the flight home. We all suffered the same fate—hit the ground as if we’d been struck by lightning and felt as if the air was driven out of our lungs by an invisible fist to the chest.
Now the four of us sit around the breakfast table looking like we survived a war rather than a good night’s sleep. Each of us has our heads hung low with steaming mugs of coffee clutched in our hands like lifelines. The smell of the dark roast does nothing to clear my foggy head.
“I don’t want to go to work today...” I whine, still trying to get my head on straight. My entire body aches like I was hit by a truck.
“Neither do I, but we must,” Finlay says as he sips at his coffee with obvious effort. The usually impeccably dressed phoenix looks absolutely haggard—his hair disheveled, his shirt wrinkled, dark circles under his honey eyes.
The door to the apartment suddenly opens without warning, and Raven comes bouncing in with infectious energy, Solaris hot on her heels. “Morning, everyone!” Her bright, excited mood makes me stop dead and look at her with disbelief.
“How are you this awake?” I ask, setting my mug down and flinging an arm over my eyes to block out the too-bright morning light streaming through the windows.
I hear her hugging and kissing the other mates—Keir’s laugh, Hemlocke’s rumble of pleasure, Finlay’s soft greeting. Then I feel her warmth approaching before she climbs onto my lap without asking. “Corvus...” she whispers before kissing my jaw with soft lips. “Cooorrrvusss...” She draws my name out in a melodic, playful tone that gets me to smile despite my exhaustion.
“He died...” I say dramatically with a half-smile before pulling her down into a deep, passionate kiss. “Look, I live,” I announce, smiling up at my mate. Her sapphire eyes are bright and happy, completely at odds with how wrecked I feel.
“Why does everyone look like they didn’t sleep?” Raven asks with genuine concern as she curls up in my lap, her wings hanging gracefully over the arm of the chair.
“We felt when you bonded Solaris last night,” Finlay says, straight and to the point, too tired for diplomatic phrasing. “The power surge knocked all of us flat.”
I feel Raven stiffen immediately in my arms as she looks at all of us with dawning horror. The look on her face makes my heart ache. “No, no, no, no...” She shakes her head frantically and gets up, moving away from everyone as if she’s toxic. “I hurt you. I hurt all of you.”
“A dragoness grows in power with each mate she takes,” Keir says calmly as he approaches her slowly with careful, measured steps. “We also gain in power with each mate you take. It was like a shockwave when it hit—sudden and overwhelming.” Keir holds her hands gently and smiles, looking into her eyes with reassurance. “Corvus and I were thankfully sparring each other when it happened. We hit the ground together and had to wait for the surge to pass.”
“It was like the air was sucked out of my lungs and my knees just gave out,” I add, remembering the moment in vivid detail. The sensation of drowning on dry land, the way my legs simply stopped supporting my weight. I look over at Solaris, and he nods slowly in understanding.
“Has anyone noticed their shifts are bigger, stronger?” Hemlocke asks, changing the subject with enthusiasm. “I mean, my unicorn armor is thicker than it used to be. One of the war horses tried striking me during training yesterday, and he chipped a hoof on my armor.”
“Spend time with yer first mate,” Solaris suggests diplomatically. “I’m going tae see Thauglor and check if there’s anything on campus I can help with.” He motions to the others to follow him, giving Raven and me privacy.
They each kiss Raven and hug her before filing out, and Finlay squeezes my shoulder on his way past.
When it’s just the two of us, I see it clearly—she’s calmer somehow. Her dragoness isn’t lurking right under the surface anymore, ready to explode at any provocation. “Looks like the bond with Solaris is helping you,” I observe, standing up and walking over to Raven. I nip at her bottom lip playfully, smiling down at her.
“Yeah, I don’t feel like I need to tear the world apart anymore,” she admits with a small laugh as she snuggles in closer. Her body relaxes against mine. “I guess it’s the bigger predator thing in effect—his ancient drake settling my dragoness.”
Her hands go to the hem of my shirt and start pulling it up, her fingers trailing over my abs.
“Does my mate want something?” I ask with a knowing smile, reaching for my belt and pulling it free with deliberate slowness.
“You could say that,” she purrs softly, and she pulls at the strings at the side of her shirt, releasing the center panel designed to accommodate her wings.
When she turns, I see it—her black scales are turning magenta, shifting color right before my eyes.Shit. That’s not arousal. That’s heat.
I grab my phone and text the family chat quickly with one hand while keeping my eyes on Raven.
Corvus:Need the tonic. Raven is going into heat.
Ziggy:On it.
Solaris:jbfiwbefieua,nbguea
Keir:Still teaching him the phone. What do you need us to do?
