CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
MY HEART CLENCHES AS I re-read the letter Aemon gave me this morning that was delivered by one of the staff. We were enjoying our morning-after bliss from mating last night, and now the joy that I’ve been feeling has been squashed like a rodent beneath a dragon’s claw.
No, no, this can’t be happening.
Ravina,
I’m not sure if it’s safe to talk via pixie but we are safe. We will be back in a few days but you may want to prepare yourselves.
Ember
“Fuck! What do we do now? Prepare ourselves how and for what?” I ask my mate.
Mate.
I mated Aemon.
I don’t know what came over me last night, but the moment I scented him in the shower, it confirmed everything for me.
I wanted him. I wanted us. Needed this bond between us.
The way he tenderly cared for me, even after I got upset about my scars—he was nothing but sweet and respectful.
He made me feel treasured and safe the entire time.
I wish I can continue to live in our post-mating bubble, but now that joy I felt only moments ago has been taken over with terror, and I just know the Lords have the stone in their hands. We need to find it and get it back.
His muscular arms wrap around my neck and he pulls me close. “We will call a meeting with my mother and your other mates. We can talk about it then. Just breathe, Little Dream. We will figure this out, I promise.”
I nod against his chest, trying to calm my turbulent emotions.
Aemon pushes some of his calm, unyielding emotions on me and I sigh.
It’s strange having another bond sitting in my chest, yet I can’t help but treasure it.
It’s like a piece of my soul clicked into place.
Even the sword on my mating mark has gotten marginally darker while the snowdrops have become obsidian, matching Aemon’s completed mark: the entire thing is like obsidian inked into his flesh.
Jesper takes that moment to barge into the room with a wide grin on his face, which instantly falls the moment he notices my somber expression. “Who the fuck do I need to kill?”
I sigh, forcing myself to leave the warm embrace of Aemon.
“The Lords, most likely,” I mutter angrily.
“Speaking of, why haven’t you four killed your fathers?
I mean it’s not like you don’t have access to them?
” That question has been on my mind a lot lately.
Nero didn’t have any helpful answers and Vasari refused to comment, saying it was something I should speak to my mates about. Cryptic fates-damned dragons.
The two males exchange a glance before Aemon clears his throat.
“Their fathers have contingencies which make it harder for them to be killed. We’ve been working on a way around them, but so far we haven’t had much luck, especially because we were trying not to show our hand to their fathers, making them believe we were on their side.
Now that they know that isn’t the case, it’s going to be harder. ”
My brows draw together as I glance between them both. “Contingencies? Like what?”
“Our fathers have spies everywhere,” Jesper starts.
“They have eyes on the ones we care about the most, and will take out our loved ones if anything were to happen to our fathers because of us. But it’s not just that.
” He glances at Aemon again. “They’ve threatened to take out entire villages if we go against them. ”
What he says pieces together as I think of that small village we found turned to ash.
My eyes widen and my hand flies to my mouth.
“Those motherfuckers. Fuck, did I make everything worse announcing that I’m back?
What about the rest of your families?” I ask rapidly, guilt beginning to swarm to the surface.
“Is there anything else I should have known about before I basically declared war?”
“I mean, we were already at war,” Jesper smirks before sobering.
“Talyn’s sister, Cynder, is already on her way to Vathia.
My mother is in hiding and I’m sure you’ll meet my brother soon enough since he is escorting Cynder here.
As for Killian’s mother… We have spies working on locating her and pulling her out of Driscol’s grasp, but Killian thinks she’s safe for now,” he trails off.
I move across the living space, smoothing down my tunic, and collapse into one of the chairs. “We should find your mother and bring her here,” I say after a moment. “Same with Killian’s mother.”
“Already working on it,” Aemon says, crouching in front of me.
“What are we going to do about the citizens?” How do you protect entire villages from being razed? This just confirms that the Lords have the Soul Stone. The amount of damage that was done so quickly… “How are they getting away with this?”
Jesper shrugs. “They’re blaming Vathia for those attacks. Whatever shadow creatures they’re using to do this irreparable damage, well… Think about it. Vathians have shadow magick, so it’s not that far of a stretch.”
“We need to prepare for whatever news they are going to bring back with them. If the Lords’ somehow managed to get the Soul Stone, we need to get it back. We need to destroy it before they take down all of Damorleia playing with magick we know nothing about. Call a meeting now,” I tell Aemon.
Both Jesper and Aemon each take one of my hands and I can only hope that we aren’t too late to save our realm.
THE MEETING WENT as well as could be expected.
It’s going to take a lot of planning just to see if we can find where they are hiding the Stone because they aren’t idiots.
They aren’t going to be using it as a paperweight; it will be somewhere secure, and with how secretive they are, my mates don’t even know all the properties they own.
It could be anywhere in Damorleia right now.
So all we can do is train, while we wait for the spies of the rebellion to do their thing.
Aemon sent word out to a few of his most trusted fae to try to find any information on the properties the Lords own, where they’re coming and going from, to trail them and give weekly updates.
And hopefully within a month or two we can put together a possible list of places to search.
But with waiting comes loss, and I know deep down that more of my people are going to be killed because of the Lords’ greed for power, if that’s what this is about.
I mean, why else would they do this? Vathia would not join forces with them and they won’t stop until they rule everything. I can’t let that happen.
“Chin up, my little beastie,” Jesper sasses and plops next to me in the grass. “You should have that mated glow about you, and I don’t need the bond to know you’re stressed.”
My face heats and I nearly trip over my words. “How did you know?”
He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear and grins. “About you fucking our resident shadow or being stressed?”
“Both?”
His smile turns mischievous. “Well when I came into Aemon’s room this morning to steal you from him, the room reeked of your mouth-watering scent and his; plus don’t think I didn’t notice that fresh bite mark on his forearm.
I wonder where he put his,” he mutters running his green eyes over my body, making it heat from his attention.
“As for your stress?” He rubs his thumb between my brows.
“Your brows pinch together so tightly I think they’re never going to come apart,” he teases, kissing my nose.
I blow out a breath as Nero comes soaring down to me after his afternoon hunt.
I’ve been waiting for him out here for an hour or so.
Being out here, relaxing in the sun waiting for Nero to come back, almost reminds me of the time we spent in the forest outside of Shalo.
Back when it was just the two of us against the world.
And sometimes, I miss the calm. I don’t miss the village, or the fae in it, but it wasn’t all whippings and torture.
Some of my best memories were of Nero and I, hiding and hunting in the woods.
Nero nuzzles against my cheek. “Sometimes I miss it too, Rav, but it makes me happy to see you away from there, surrounded by others who care for you.”
“Even if we don’t have much time alone anymore?”
He does something that shocks both Jesper and me and speaks out loud. “As long as I get eyeballs, it’s fine.” His voice is gravelly and unusual but it makes me laugh, that he decided to share that part of himself with Jesper who’s staring at him like he isn’t sure if he is hallucinating.
“Did Nero just speak? Out loud?”
“Treasure it because it doesn’t happen often,” he sasses as he goes back to speaking telepathically through our bond.
I giggle at the bewildered expression on his face as I explain. “Ravens have the ability to mimic sounds, including our tongue. Although he prefers to talk in here.” I tap my temple.
“That is fates-damned amazing!” He tries to pet Nero who accepts a total of three strokes before biting his finger, drawing blood.
“Please remind him that I am a Familiar, not a pet. The audacity of these males! He’s lucky he’s my favorite,” he mutters, as he settles on my lap.
“Such a violent little bird,” he murmurs to Nero as he suckles the blood off his finger. “You have the best familiar, but he has nothing on you.” He winks. “I actually came out here for a reason.”
“It wasn’t just to stalk me?” I ask, laughing. Being around Jesper’s carefree personality is like a balm to my soul. Somehow just being in his presence takes the stress of whatever I’m dealing with away with something as simple as a crude joke.
He clutches his chest. “Ah, you wound me. You know, stalking you is my favorite part of every minute of every day. No, I thought maybe you and Nero would like to have some supervised practice before dinner is served. I noticed you haven’t been doing that since your friends left.”
I nod, while absentmindedly stroking Nero’s feathers.
“I’m vulnerable when we merge,” I explain while he listens intently to my reasoning.
I won’t do it alone anymore, even in my room at night—not that I’m alone when I sleep anymore—especially after someone tried to have me assassinated.
We still haven’t found a lead as to who it was, but logic only says that it was one of the Lords.
They probably ordered a lackey to deal with the hiring and details knowing that Jesper could peer into their mind if they were caught.
“You know any one of us would have been more than happy to sit here with you while you explored your bond? Fates, I’d love some time to explore our bond, if you know what I mean.” He winks.
A warm heat I’m all too familiar with around these males begins to unfurl in my stomach.
“Maybe you can help me with my bond with Nero tonight? I just need a moment without training to get my bearings on all this. I went from hiding and pretending I’m a null to announcing to the realm that I’m still alive and fighting for my people. If we can ever get into Maleen again.”
“Maybe I can distract you then? And we can go full force with all the training you want tomorrow.” He kisses me. “Or the next day.” He kisses me again.
“I think I’d like that,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck.
Nero’s strangled caws escape from between us, as he gets out of the way before being squished.
Jesper lowers me into the long grass, his hands running down my body, and I know I want him. Need him.
“Jesper?” I whisper against his lips.
He kisses me again. “Yes?”
“I really want you to—”
“There you two are!”
Jesper growls resting his head against mine. “Raincheck?” Once I nod he turns to face Killian. “What do you have to say for interrupting what was going to be a magickal moment between mates and a bird that probably has some sort of voyeurism kink, considering he hasn’t flown off yet.”
“Nero!” I hiss.
He shrugs his massive wings. “What? I heard Killian coming. I knew you weren’t going to get far with your weird fae mating ritual.”
I shake my head in disbelief of my familiar. He could have warned me.
“There’s been an attack,” Killian states grimly. “Our fathers have breached the border of Vathia. The war is at a stalemate no longer.”