Chapter 35
Raven
My dadsand I walk to the edge of the field, our footsteps muffled by the thick summer grass. The wind whips around us, carrying the scent of distant pine forests and the faint mineral tang of the ocean far below. I look out over the expansion of Blackhaven’s lands—rolling hills and dark forests stretching toward the horizon, painted gold and crimson by the setting sun.
“What of the southern and eastern isles?” I turn to face my fathers, the wind tugging at my hair, pressing my gown against my legs. “They didn’t come to the gathering.”
I see them lock eyes, and I know that silent communication is passing between them. The subtle shift in their postures, the way their pupils dilate slightly—they’re talking among themselves in that ancient way I’m only beginning to understand.
“We’re not sure.” Klauth’s voice is measured, careful. The Dragon King turns to face me fully, his ancient eyes catching the dying light. “The invitations were sent.”
“What if they never got the invitations?” I glance between both of my fathers, my mind already racing down dark corridorsof possibility. The wind shifts, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers up from the valley below. “I feel like there may be more spies than we are aware of.”
As the words leave my lips, I feel Solaris arrive at my side before I see him. His warmth radiates against my arm, and then his lips press softly against my cheek, his stubble scratching pleasantly against my skin. The scent of aged oak and smoldering embers wraps around me like a familiar blanket.
“That would make sense.” Thauglor moves closer, his sapphire eyes—so like my own—fixed on my daughter in Solaris’s arms. Nova is awake; her mismatched eyes tracking the movement around her with surprising alertness. “What do you propose we do?”
“Depends.” I fold my arms across my chest, my wings rustling against my back as the wind catches their edges. “Tell me about both islands. From what I read, the Eastern Isles is ruled by a Queen and the Western by a King. Any reason there’s a Queen ruling the Eastern Isles?”
I glance between the three ancients, watching their faces for any flicker of information they might be reluctant to share.
“The Queen Giselle of the Eastern Isles takes in abused females and widowed females.” Klauth pulls out his phone, his clawed fingers scrolling through something on the screen. The blue light illuminates his weathered face. “So her island has a very low male population.”
“So Mom and I would be the best envoys to the island if we head there.” I gently take my daughter from my mate, cradling her against my chest. Her weight is warm and solid in my arms, her small wings pressed flat against her back beneath the blanket.I kiss her forehead, inhaling that intoxicating newborn scent—milk and warmth, and something uniquely her.
Before I can form my next thought, Solaris’s hands cup my cheeks, his calloused palms warm against my skin. He holds me firmly, his amber eyes boring into mine with an intensity that steals my breath.
There’s pain in those eyes. Fear. His pupils flicker between round human and slitted dragon, his control is slipping in a way I’ve rarely seen from the ancient male.
“Not so soon, love.” His brogue is thick, rough with emotion. “I just got ye back, and our wee one just hatched.” His thumbs stroke across my cheekbones, the touch desperate, and tender all at once. “Maybe send someone tae the Northern Isles first? Then when the wee one is older, go with yer mum?”
I can feel through our bond how much the idea frightens him. The fear pulses against my consciousness like a second heartbeat—raw and primal and completely unlike the steady, ancient presence I’ve come to rely on. He’s terrified of losing me. Terrified of losing us.
I stare down into my daughter’s eyes, marveling at the one that’s half sapphire, half amber. The colors split perfectly down the middle, a visible reminder of both her parents meeting in one small form. She blinks up at me, and I swear I see understanding in that mismatched gaze.
“You’re right.” The words come easier than I expected. The warrior in me wants to argue, wants to charge ahead, wants to solve every problem through action. But the mother in me—this new, fierce, overwhelming part of me—understands. “Klauth and I are needed here to use our influence to root out answers.”
I smile softly at Solaris and kiss him briefly, tasting the lingering sweetness of the mead he drank earlier. Against my lips, I feel all the tension melt from his face, the creases in his brow smoothing, his shoulders dropping from where they’d risen toward his ears.
I turn my gaze on Thauglor, my mind already shifting gears from mother to strategist.
“Take Abraxas with you.” My voice takes on the commanding tone I learned at my father’s knee. “With his military service record and influence, the two of you will be recognized as a threat.” I glance over at Klauth, confirming he’s following my logic, then walk to the edge of the cliff.
The wind is stronger here, whipping my hair around my face, threatening to tear the blanket from my daughter’s small form. I wrap my wings around myself and Nova, creating a cocoon of black leather that blocks the worst of the gusts. She coos softly at the sudden warmth, her tiny fingers curling against my chest.
“I know Lily has the cursed egg, but take her with you.” I speak over my shoulder to my fathers, my eyes fixed on the distant horizon where storm clouds are gathering. “On the off chance she finds a mate outside of the egg.”
My mind is running a mile a minute now, taking fragments of information and piecing them together in random possible orders. Patterns emerge and dissolve. Connections form and break apart. The picture is incomplete, but I can feel the edges of something lurking just beyond my understanding.
“I know that look.” Corvus’s voice comes from my left, and I turn to see him moving alongside me with Solaris. His silver hair catches the last rays of sunlight, his silver eyes sharp withfamiliar recognition. “You’re on the verge of figuring something out.”
I turn slowly and smile at him, warmth blooming in my chest. This male has known me my entire life—has watched me grow from a hatchling to a warrior to a mother. He can read me better than almost anyone else .
“You would know best.” I lean over and kiss his cheek, inhaling his scent of baked bread and honey. The comfort of it settles something anxious in my soul. “You’ve been around me my entire life.”
Slowly, I turn back to my fathers and walk with my mates over to them. The grass whispers beneath our feet, the wind carries the distant call of night birds, and somewhere below us, the rest of our family waits in the fading light.
“Here’s what I’m thinking.” I stop before the three ancients, my voice low and serious. “We have a spy in our ranks. Someone in Blackhaven and Sovereign both.” My wings shift against my back unwrapping from around my daughter, restless with the implications. “There’s also someone at the school.”
