39. Abraxis
Abraxis
I press the phone harder to my ear, hoping the static I hear drowns out the unease gnawing at me. My mom’s tone is clinical yet sympathetic, each word a reminder of just how unprepared I am. Hearing her describe Mina’s yearly cycle, I realize I’d rather face a thousand enemies on the battlefield than this. Every word hits like a gut punch, the reality settling heavy in my chest. Then Dad’s voice cuts in, and it’s like a lead weight.
“Besides the one thing she’s searching for, you cannot let her under any circumstances dominate you.” His voice is a low growl, a warning. “Once a dragoness loses respect for her mate, the next cycle will be worse.”
I nod, though he can’t see it, trying to absorb everything. “Mina isn’t like other females,” I say, my gaze shifting to Callan, who looks like he’s just been told the world is ending. “She was born and bred to be a weapon. ”
“I’m no match for her dragon,” Callan whispers, the blood draining from his face as he stares back at me, wide-eyed.
Dad’s silence stretches before he speaks, the weight of his words chilling. “Then it may be safer for you to sit this one out. If she senses weakness, she’ll dominate and breed with you until you can’t stand.”
The thought sends a shiver through me, but I know he’s right. Mina’s dragoness—powerful, relentless—won’t yield until her needs are met. Her will alone ignited the two most dangerous cursed egg’s attention. My eyes flick to the map spread out before me, showing her father’s lands. Jagged mountains, the same ones she’s seen in her visions, rise high above her mother’s nesting valley.
“What do you suggest, Father?” I murmur, my focus sharpening as I trace the peaks Mina foresaw for her nest. It’s a battle plan, a terrain I need to master, but I know that dealing with Mina will require more than just strategy—it’ll demand strength I’m not sure I have.
“You have two choices. Set her to task digging her own nest or sedate her for the three days.” My father’s voice hums in my ear, punctuated by a light tapping on his desk, followed by the clatter of something metallic. “Given her size, I suggest she sleep through it. At least until she’s ready to have an egg of her own.” He lets out a cold, mirthless laugh. “Abaddon crafted a war-machine, but little does he know, she’ll one day be the end of him.”
A grin edges onto my face. “If that cursed egg hatches, he might even deliver her father’s head as a mating gift,” I muse aloud. Across from me, Callan goes pale, but he doesn’t protest. Just then, Vaughn strides into my office, his eyes sharp as they land on me.
“There are only two weeks left of classes. I’ll call Lysander to have Mina test out this week. Take her to her mother’s nest, make it her own. I’ll bring the tonic to set her up in the egg chamber to sleep through it.” My father ends the call without waiting for a reply.
“What did I miss?” Vaughn’s voice is calm as he settles on the arm of the couch.
“Mina’s yearly is coming. For a dragoness, it’s the time when they’re most dangerous, driven by the urge to breed.” I stretch, cracking my knuckles as the thought sinks in. “No offense, but Callan’s soft-skinned, and even with his shift’s durability, he’s too small compared to Mina’s.” Vaughn just nods, folding his thick arms over his chest. He’s focused on what Mina will need, not on what she might try to do to us. It’s one of the reasons I trust him with her, why I even brought him into our circle in the first place.
“I’m pulling both of you from school early,” I continue, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I draft an email to Lysander. “We’ll head to what was her mother’s nest and get her set up there.” Mina’s grades are strong enough; she doesn’t need finals to pass, and the academy doesn’t exactly want to argue with a dragon’s need to … nest.
Vaughn’s voice breaks my focus. “Some female named Arista invited me to her nest.” His words are casual, but something cold coils in my chest. My scales prickle along the back of my neck.
“She’s been after our mate since day one,” I growl, hitting send with a little more force than necessary. “Unfortunately, her father’s connections keep her safe from a torching.” I inhale, calming the fire simmering in my core. “We’ll handle her when we’re back next semester.”
We divided the nest up as close to even as possible. Mina has Callan. Vaughn and the egg in her dragon’s hand. I have my best friends, Ziggy, Leander, and Balor, on my back. Mina leads us back toward her father’s territory, her fury simmering like coals under her scales. The rage in her chest is palpable, sparking like embers in a fire pit, and I feel it like my own. I’ve already sworn to burn every single dress in that cursed closet she despises, and tonight, she’s planning a bonfire in the courtyard to purge all traces of her father’s things. Her vengeance is a storm, wild and unrestrained, and I’ll stand with her through every flame and shadow.
As we near, Mina circles the gauntlet her father once forced her to run — a gauntlet of grueling trials that haunts her still. Each pass, her frill flattens, then flexes, a fierce display of her resolve and her hate. She lands in a nearby field, releasing Callan and Vaughn, who waste no time running toward the tree line. They’re eager to be away from this place, to distance themselves from the memories it holds.
But Mina … Mina is not done.
She launches back into the air, and I can feel the surge of power ripple from her, charging the atmosphere. The sharp, electric smell of ozone thickens, lacing the air as she hovers above, her gaze fierce and unrelenting. She’s ready to burn it all down, and nothing in her father’s territory will be spared tonight.
Time slows as I hover, watching the lightning build and coil along her scales, crackling like an untamed storm barely contained. Mina rises, her wings slicing through the clouds, and the entire sky lights up with her ascent. Just as she dives towards the gauntlet below, her maw stretches wide, and the roar she unleashes reverberates through me, shaking the air and tearing through every fiber of my being. The crackling stream of lightning erupts from her maw, a pulsing, furious torrent that obliterates everything in its path .
I falter, wings trembling in mid-air as I witness the magnitude of her fury, a force so fierce it turns rock to molten magma and sand to shimmering glass. The gauntlet—once an imposing fortress—now lies in ruins, reduced to flaming rubble beneath her rage. She circles overhead, a dark angel of destruction, and one by one, she obliterates three more nearby structures, leaving them in smoldering heaps.
The pain, raw and seething through our bond, twists inside me, feeding my drake’s fury. The burning desire to join her in this fiery wrath courses through me, igniting a savage need to raze the world to ashes by her side.
I feel the cool, damp earth beneath my claws as I land in the field, my gaze fixed on Mina. She’s standing there, clutching her taloned hand to her dragon’s chest, watching the smoldering remains of the gauntlet. Balor, Ziggy, and Leander are cursing, voices tinged with shock and awe. This level of violence from Mina … part of me knows she needed this release. But the other part—well, it aches, wondering what buried memories or hidden scars could push her to this point.
I stay still, allowing my friends to slide off my back before I shift back to human form. Quietly, I make my way toward her, feeling the tension coil between us. The others emerge from the tree line, drawn like moths to the fiery aftermath. Twenty minutes pass, the air thick with smoke and silence, before Mina finally shifts back, cradling the cursed egg to her chest with such tenderness it tugs at something deep inside me.
Balor is the first to approach, breaking the tension with his steady presence. Mina forces a smile, a spark of her usual mischief flickering through. “We need marshmallows,” she says, her voice lighter, but her eyes still shadowed .
Balor chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, we do. Marshmallows make everything better.” His laugh is genuine, a little warmth in the cold aftermath.
I step closer, catching her gaze, searching for a glimpse of the pain she’s hiding. I don’t need marshmallows; I need to know what haunts her enough to summon such fire.
“Mina?” My voice is soft, coaxing her attention back to me. She turns slowly, eyes still narrowed into those familiar dragonic slits, the glow of her inner fire barely contained. I can see she’s teetering on the edge of control, and I need to bring her back before she loses herself to it.
“Let’s get you back to your mother’s home,” I say carefully, knowing what the suggestion will stir in her. As expected, her lip curls back, and a low rumble escapes her, her hand stroking over the egg carrier protectively.
“I hate that place,” she growls, the sound vibrating in her chest.
“It’s only temporary,” I remind her, stepping forward with caution. “You’ve seen yourself building your nest over the next three years.” Slowly, I extend my hand, not daring to rush her. She hesitates, a brief flicker of defiance in her gaze, but then she takes the step herself, pressing her nose against my jaw, a rare gesture of submission from her.
Relief sweeps through me as I lower my mouth to her shoulder, my human teeth grazing the skin over her mate mark. I bite down gently, claiming her in a way that doesn’t ignite the beast, but soothes her. She melts against me; the tension slipping from her body and flowing into mine.
I hold her close, hoping that her recent rampage through the gauntlet and the smoldering wreckage of the training buildings has burned off enough of her rage for now.
It takes nearly an hour to coax Mina away from the wreckage of the gauntlet and lead her to the courtyard. When we finally land, my parents are already there, and the tension crackles as soon as Mina lays eyes on my mother. A low, menacing growl rumbles from her throat. Damn it … Mom being in her nest area is agitating Mina’s dragoness, stirring up instincts neither of us can afford right now.
I don’t give her the chance to make a move. Lunging forward, my jaws clamp down on the back of her dragon’s neck. With a forceful shove, I press her down to the ground, growling low to remind her who’s in control here. She thrashes, wings straining, claws scrabbling, desperate to throw me off—until she remembers the egg nestled carefully in her dragon’s grasp. Her whole body freezes, tension fading as she curls around the egg, holding it close to her chest. Only when she goes limp beneath me do I finally release her, lifting my head to roar, a fierce reminder that I’m the one calling the shots. At least for now. In a few years, she’ll be larger than me, stronger, and I can’t let her dragoness think she’s in charge just yet.
Mina shifts back, catching her breath before stretching her arms out and casting an apologetic glance toward my parents. “Sorry, I’m a bit on edge.”
Mom steps forward, a warm smile in place. “It’s okay; it happens to the best of us.” She wraps Mina in a hug, her presence softening the lingering tension .
Mina’s voice drops to a murmur, as if it’s barely meant for the surrounding air to hear. “It was never this bad…” Her words carry a weary, hollow note as she follows my mother into the building, leaving me standing there, releasing a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
“You did good, son,” Dad says, falling into step behind the two females. “If she’d gotten the upper hand now, you’d all be in deep shit in about nine years.” His laugh rumbles low in his chest, and I can’t help but join in, though the thought sobers me.
“What happens in nine years?” Callan asks, catching up, curiosity flickering in his gaze.
“By then, her dragoness will be bigger than Abraxis’s. She’ll hit wyrm status by thirty,” Dad explains, glancing at me with a knowing look.
“A male hits wyrm status sometime after a hundred and fifty or two hundred years, depending on species.” I arch a brow, glancing between Callan and Vaughn, who share a look of growing concern.
“She’s already nearly as big as you,” Vaughn mutters, scanning the area as if Mina’s dragoness might suddenly reappear.
“Exactly why I told my son to make her submit if her dragoness started acting up.” Dad smirks, casting a glance back at me, his approval clear. There’s a pride in his voice that feels weighty—like it carries expectations I’m still growing into.
“Is Mom taking her to the egg chamber?” I ask, my eyes tracing the familiar stone walls, the memories pressing in like ghosts from years past.
“She is, and she’s going to sedate her. That’ll keep her in a deep sleep for the next three days.” He stops just outside the door, his gaze sharpening as he studies me. “Judging by the color in her cheeks, she’d be in her cycle by tonight.”
“Mates only. Or someone she trusts. Don’t let anyone else in, under any circumstances.” His voice drops to a serious tone, his hand resting on the door as he looks at me, that unspoken weight of responsibility hanging in the air. Then he pushes the door open, the echo bouncing off the stone walls.
Inside, shadows cling to the ancient arches, the room as solemn as a tomb. And yet, I feel the weight of something sacred here, something more than just stone and walls.
My mom set up furs on the ground and several pillows close to the raised platform that will hold the eggs. In the center, Mina sat the cursed egg. It pulses with power still in time with Mina’s heartbeat. Mina closes the distance between us and kisses my lips softly. “Your mom says it’s safer to sleep through the cycle since we’re not ready for hatchlings.” Her eyes lower, then raise slowly. The slits of her dragon’s eyes are at war with her human gaze.
“We’ll be here in the compound with you the entire time.” I press a kiss to her temple, breathing in her scent, grounding myself in the feel of her close.
“Can Balor shift and guard the chamber? I’d feel safer that way,” she murmurs, her gaze moving from me to Balor. He meets her eyes and nods, then glances back at me.
“Absolutely. I can’t think of a better guard for the chamber.” I brush another kiss against her forehead before passing her to Callan.
He takes her into his arms, kissing her gently. She sighs, leaning into him as he hugs her close. “Sleep well, beautiful,” he whispers, giving her one last kiss before letting her go .
She hesitates, then moves closer to Vaughn, tilting her head a few times, studying him. “I know you’re mine,” she says, her voice soft, her hand lifting to touch his cheek. His eyes close as her fingers graze his skin. “I’m just not ready yet. I need time.” Her tone with him is softer, almost tender, surprising me in its warmth.
“We have all the time in the world,” he responds with a small, patient smile, a quiet laugh escaping him. “May I kiss your forehead before you go to sleep?” His request catches me off guard, and I watch Mina’s reaction closely.
A faint blush colors her cheeks as she nods, tipping her head back to him. His hands frame her face, and he presses his lips gently to her forehead. Through the bond, I sense no tension—only a peaceful contentment. She melts into his touch, and when he pulls back, she rises on her toes, her lips brushing his cheek in return.
Her voice is soft, vulnerable. “Abraxis? Will you hold me while I fall asleep?” She shifts her weight, looking unsure, and I nod without hesitation.
“Anything you need, my love.” I cross to the furs, settling down on my side, patting the space in front of me. My mother hands her a tonic, and she swallows it, her fingers trembling just slightly as she brings the vial to her lips. She moves toward me, lowering herself onto the soft furs with a long yawn.
”Thank you, Cerce,” she murmurs, her voice thick with drowsiness as she sinks into the pillow, sighing at its softness. I nestle behind her, draping my arm over her and pulling her close, feeling her breathing slow down as she relaxes into my hold. Just as her eyelids flutter shut, Balor’s basilisk slithers into the room, silent and watchful. She catches a glimpse of him and murmurs, ”Thank you, Bee…” before the tonic fully takes hold, drawing her under .
Once I’m certain she’s sleeping, I carefully slip out from behind her, mindful not to disturb her. Balor coils around her and the pedestal holding the egg, his massive form encircling her protectively, his head aimed toward the door with all six eyes glowing a fierce crimson, filled with malice. His watchful gaze feels almost terrifying, seething with a dark promise for any who might intrude.
“Thank you for doing this.” I press my hand gently against the small bone plate between his eyes, a silent understanding passing between us. Together, we close the chamber. A dull ache fills my chest, leaving her to rest alone, knowing she’ll face her cycle in solitude. But with Balor guarding her, no harm will touch her tonight.