Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“Ready?” I asked Casey, gazing up at the huge tree.
“Yeah,” he grinned, then shifted to the form I’d gifted him when we sealed our bond.
“Gods, you’re adorable!” I cooed, kneeling to pet his cute little furry face. He made the sweetest skittering noises and nuzzled into my hand. Warmth flooded my insides at seeing the clear evidence that we were fated. He had my form, a true match to my racoon.
I shifted, no longer able to wait. It was mostly my racoon that itched to come out and play with his mate.
Once I was on all fours, back in the form that felt like home, I was pounced by Casey.
He licked and nuzzled into me, the happiest of sounds escaping him.
My sounds mirrored his and it was like we were both eager to rub our scents onto one another, staking our claim.
We couldn’t communicate in our shifted forms–only dragon shifters could do that with their mates–so we had to make weird hand gestures and head nods, which honestly was kind of fun to do.
We climbed up the tall tree, side by side.
I was a tad slower than Casey, mostly so I could watch over him as he tried out his new form for the first time.
The hole I’d napped in a week ago seemed higher up than I remembered, but maybe it was because I’d been too in my head about Casey’s date that day.
I let Casey climb into the hole first, then followed and found it was the perfect size for the two of us.
It was a tight fit, making us snuggle together, our heads perfectly centered so we could look out of the opening while cuddled up.
My racoon had never felt happier as it cuddled with Casey in what was now our nest. We both rested our chins on the opening and soon we were asleep, both so content and happy that our bodies slowly relaxed so much we couldn’t fight the lure of a nap.
We woke up some time later, the sun was just starting to set, thankfully. I felt strangely protective over our little nest now that we’d shared a nap in it. With determination, I climbed out of the hole and scratched our names on top of it. Casey + Jamie and then a crooked heart around it.
Casey made a purring sound, pleased that this would be our racoon nest while we attended the academy. I selfishly hoped our names would forever remain on the bark, a sign of our love for every new student to see when they attended the academy after us.
Casey had crawled out of the hole and now sat on a branch.
I watched in awe as he shifted to his raven form.
The black wings seemed to glitter in the setting sun, the feathers not only black but an emerald green when the light hit them just right.
Then a deep purple sheen shone through, reminding me of the goldfish, but it was his dark eyes that had me stunned.
Casey’s eyes weren’t black, they were a dark purple with a light purple ring around the edges, making him seem otherworldly.
I had no idea if all raven shifters looked like my mate, but, to me, he was something special. Something absolutely remarkable.
I joined him, feeling my new form where it rested inside of me.
I let the change flow through me, feeling my wings appear and how big the world seemed now.
My sight was amazing in this form. I spent some time just staring around in the distance, eager to take in all the details I’d never been able to spot before now.
Casey cawed before jumping over to my branch, his beak lightly nibbing on my feathers, like he was grooming me. It felt intimate, like a lover’s touch. I simply stood there, enjoying every second of it as I felt my love for him grow.
He fluttered his wings once he was satisfied with his grooming, his wings stretching out like he wanted to fly. I nodded my beak, mirroring his movements. He then jumped, wings out, making him glide through the air effortlessly.
I took a look down. It looked much higher now that I was smaller, but I trusted my mate and new form. With one move and waning confidence, I jumped, spread my wings, and hoped for the best.
The wind caressed my wings, making my feathers flutter pleasantly as I soared through the air.
I could honestly say I’d never felt freer as I glided, moving left and right as I slowly descended to the bench next to Casey.
He’d watched me with his intense raven eyes and I was certain he was proud of me, like I was of him.
Casey shifted back once I’d landed fully, grinning widely at me.
“You did amazing!” he praised. “Please don’t shift back yet,” he hurried to say, almost as if he knew I was about to do just that.
“I want to admire you first.” I was all for being admired, so I simply jumped up on his arm, fluttering my wings as excitement took over.
His fingers were gentle as he explored my wings, my beak, and my belly. It felt nice having all of his attention on me like that, like no one else mattered.
“You’re so beautiful in my form, baby. I can’t even describe how fulfilling it feels seeing you as mine. My perfect mate. My everything.”
I couldn’t just let him say cute shit like that and not kiss him, so I shifted back and attacked him with my mouth, straddling him on the bench and making us both moan out in pleasure as our lips met and our tongues caressed. It had been the most perfect first date, and it was far from over.
“I want to fly more with you,” I whispered against his lips. “I want us to soar together.”
His eyes gleamed with excitement as his reddened lips quirked into a wide grin. “Then let’s soar, baby.”
After we’d flown over the academy–Casey was intent on showing me all the hidden parts that only flying shifters were privy to–we settled on one of the rooftops, gazing out over the ocean in the distance as the sun disappeared, marking the end of our perfect date.
We were in our human forms, our fingers laced as we just sat there, content and happy.
“We should make a nest here,” he whispered, still staring out over the ocean.
“If you want to,” I agreed with a smile.
“I haven’t felt the need to make a nest at the academy until now,” he admitted. “I want to find pretty things that shine and collect them with you, adding them to our little nest.”
Gods, how I loved him.
“Then we should do that. Maybe tomorrow after breakfast?”
“I would love that.” He squeezed my fingers before sighing. “We should fly down. It’s getting late.”
I squeezed him back. “Thank you for the best date ever.”
He smirked as he turned to face me. “Does that mean I get a kiss goodnight?”
I didn’t answer him, my lips on his were answer enough. And if I sucked a bruise onto his neck before we shifted, no one would know.