Chapter 2
Raven
The summer slips through my fingers faster than I want it to.
During these precious months, I’ve made Blackhaven mine—claimed it, marked it, transformed it from an ancestral fortress into something that pulses with my power.
The ancient stones seem to breathe with my presence now, responding to the dragonic energy that thrums through my veins.
I stand in the back of the existing egg chamber, staring at the rough stone wall before me.
My dragoness stirs restlessly beneath my skin, scales rippling just below the surface.
She senses the water beyond this barrier—feels it calling to us with a pull I can’t ignore.
Every instinct screams that this is where I need to go to ground when it’s time.
When my eggs come. When I need to hide from whatever threats lurk in the shadows, watching and wait.
The thought sends a chill down my spine despite the warmth of the chamber. Someone is always watching. Always hunting. The heir to the Marzana Empire makes too tempting a target.
I pull out my phone, the screen’s glow harsh against the dim chamber. My thumb hovers over Daddy Ziggy’s number for several heartbeats before I force myself to dial. The ringtone echoes in the enclosed space, each trill making my wings twitch with nervous energy.
“Hey pumpkin, is everything alright?” Ziggy’s happiness radiates through the phone, warm and genuine. He’s like a golden retriever puppy in displacer beast form—spreading light and love wherever he goes. The sound of his voice eases some of the tension coiled in my shoulders.
“Yeah.” I swallow, listening to the movement in the background on his end. Voices. The clinking of dishes. Normal life continues while I stand in the bowels of my fortress, planning for a future I’m not sure I’ll survive to see. “Remember that favor you owe me?”
The background noise cuts off abruptly. I imagine him stepping away, seeking privacy. “I do.” His tone shifts, becoming softer, more serious.
“I’d like to cash it in. I need your help.” I turn away from the wall, my boots scraping against the rough stone floor as I head toward the upper levels. The temperature rises as I climb, the cool dampness of the chamber giving way to the dry heat of the corridors above.
The call disconnects with a soft click.
By the time I step out into the courtyard, blinking against the late afternoon sunlight that turns everything gold and amber, Ziggy materializes before me.
One moment empty air, the next he’s there—solid and real and smelling of cinnamon and something wild.
He barely gives me time to register his presence before he scoops me up in his arms, lifting me clean off my feet.
“I’ve missed you, pumpkin.” He purrs so deeply the vibration rattles through my ribcage, resonating with my own dragonic rumble. The sound makes me smile despite the weight of worry I’ve been carrying.
I purr back, the sound rough and deep in my throat, and nuzzle his cheek. His skin is warm, his stubble scratching lightly against my face. “I’ve missed you too, Daddy.”
My wings flutter slightly with contentment, black leather rustling in the breeze. For a moment, I let myself feel safe. Protected. Like I did when I was younger and the world seemed less full of teeth.
“So? What do you need help with?” He set me down gently and loops his arm through mine. We turn together, heading back inside. The sunlight fades as we cross the threshold, replaced by the cooler shadows of Blackhaven’s interior.
“I sense water on the other side of the egg chamber wall.” I arch a brow at him, watching his expression shift to curiosity. I lead him deeper into my domain, our footsteps echoing off stone that’s stood for centuries. The air grows heavier the further we descend, thick with age and secrets.
“Your home feels terrifying.” He shivers, and I catch the way his pupils dilate, the way his muscles tense beneath his skin. Predator instincts recognizing a greater predator’s territory.
A frown pulls at my lips. We walk deeper into the bowels of Blackhaven, past iron-reinforced doors and through corridors that smell of earth and stone and something older. “You know I would never hurt you.”
I nuzzle his cheek again as we step into the egg chamber, trying to offer comfort. The space opens up around us—vast and circular, with ancient carvings etched into the walls. The eggs that once filled this place are gone now, leaving only empty raised cradles.
“I know. Instincts are a bitch.” He tilts his head, looking at me with eyes that reflect the dim light like mirrors. “Why didn’t you have Keir phase you into the hidden chamber?”
Ziggy stops just inside the entrance, his weight shifting from foot to foot like he’s ready to bolt. His gaze darts around the space, scanning for threats that don’t exist. The chamber does that to people—makes them feel watched.
Maybe they are. Maybe I am.
I shake off the paranoia and focus on the question. “I did ask Keir. He said blink hounds can’t phase like you do.” The explanation still frustrates me. “Something has to be able to open where there’s airflow for them to move. A cavern that’s closed has no opening and no airflow.”
“Makes sense. They have more limitations than we do.” With that simple statement, Ziggy grabs my arm.
The world tilts sideways, or maybe I do. Reality warps and stretches, colors bleeding together in a nauseating swirl. My stomach lurches, my wings snapping tight against my back instinctively. Then everything snaps back into place with a disorienting jolt.
We’re in the cavern.
The air here is different—warmer, damper, carrying the mineral scent of heated water and earth.
Bioluminescent moss clings to the rocks, glowing soft green like captured starlight.
The gentle illumination gives us enough light to see the cavern’s basic shape—rough stone walls that curve away into darkness, and the shimmer of water reflecting that eerie green glow.
“It’s perfect.” The words come out breathless, awed. My dragoness surges forward with approval, scales rippling beneath my skin so hard it almost hurts.
I hit the flashlight on my phone, the harsh white beam cutting through the green dimness. The light catches on moisture beading on the stone walls, on the ripples crossing the water’s surface. Steam rises in lazy curls, carrying the sharp scent of minerals and heat.
“Do you have enough room to shift in here?” Ziggy spins around, his movements careful and measured. He’s assessing exits, looking for dangers, being the protective father he’s always been.
“Yeah.” I smile, feeling something settle in my chest—something that’s been restless and uncertain since I first claimed Blackhaven. “Why don’t you phase back into the egg chamber and block the door so no one gets acid on them.”
My dream of having my own space for my progeny has come true. A hidden place where I can guard my future, where I can protect what’s mine from whatever threats circle in the dark.
When Ziggy phases out—reality bending around him like water around a stone—I take a deep breath of the humid air and let my shift come.
My bones crack and reform with sounds like breaking branches.
Flesh stretches and expands, skin giving way to obsidian scales that gleam even in the low light.
My wings unfurl fully, massive and powerful, catching air currents I couldn’t feel in human form.
The world shifts into sharper focus—scents becoming more distinct, sounds clearer.
Power floods through me, raw and primal and absolutely right.
My dragoness barely fits on this part of the beach where I stand. Black sand shifts beneath my clawed feet, still warm from the heated water lapping at its edge. I turn my attention to the wall in question, the barrier between this cavern and the egg chamber beyond.
I feel the acid build in my chest—a familiar burning that starts low and rises like magma through a volcano. It fills my mouth, thick and caustic, making my fangs tingle. I part my jaws and let it pour forth.
The acid hits the stone in a steaming torrent.
The rock hisses and pops, melting in sheets that slide down the wall like wax.
The chemical smell is overwhelming—sharp and acrid, burning my nostrils even though my dragonic form is immune to its effects.
Smoke rises in thick clouds, gray-green in the cavern’s light.
To get a better look around the interior, I create acid gas—letting my breath weapon transform into vapor that spreads through the space. Then I ignite it.
The cavern lights up like daylight, every corner suddenly visible in the burst of flame. The black sand beach is larger on the opposite side of where I’m standing. Rock formations jut from the walls like jagged teeth. The ceiling arches high overhead, disappearing into darkness even with the light.
Carefully, I turn and walk over to the other side.
My tail drags through the sand, leaving a deep furrow.
Occasionally I ignite more acid gas to illuminate the dark corners, mapping this space in my mind.
The hot spring is quite large—easily big enough to accommodate my dragoness.
Big enough for me to coil in, to rest, to protect my eggs when they come.
If they come. If I survive long enough to lay them. The thought is cold water on my triumph. Someone out there wants me dead. This cavern is perfect for hiding, for protecting, but it’s also a trap if the wrong people find it.
I shake off the dark thoughts and shift back to human form. The transformation is quicker this way—scales melting back into skin, bones compressing, wings folding down to their smaller form. The cool air hits my sweat-slicked skin, making me shiver.
I walk back toward where my acid has finished eating away at the stone, my boots silent on the sand. The opening I’ve created is wide enough for two people to walk through together—perfect access without compromising the cavern’s hidden nature.
Ziggy has been joined by Corvus in the chamber, both of them staring into the cavern with expressions of awe. The sight of Corvus makes my heart clench—my handsome mate with his silver hair and eyes that see straight through me. Safe. Solid. Mine.
“Wow, this is huge.” Corvus exclaims as he steps through the opening to join me. His scent washes over me—freshly baked bread and smoke and something uniquely him. It grounds me, reminds me why I’m doing this. Building a future. Creating a safe place for our family.
“I’m gonna head home.” Ziggy waves from the egg chamber, his smile warm despite the lingering unease in his posture. “I’ll let your dad know you found a hidden cavern.” Then he vanishes as fast as he arrived, reality folding around empty space.
Corvus holds a flashlight as we explore the cavern together. The beam dances across stone and water, catching on the bioluminescent moss that turns everything dreamlike. “This is huge in here.”
We walk along the black sand beach in comfortable silence. My wings brush against his shoulder occasionally, a casual intimacy that makes me purr softly. There’s so much more space further down along the back side—room to grow, room to expand, room to hide if necessary.
“I sensed the water and needed to get in here.” The words come easier with him beside me.
“I want to hide my eggs in here. When it’s time, of course.
” I offer Corvus a smile and bump his shoulder with mine.
He’s warm and solid beside me, his presence chasing away some of the paranoia that’s been clawing at my thoughts.
But it doesn’t chase away all of it. The awareness that we’re targets—that I’m a target—never fully leaves.
“The nest needs to go back to Malivore tonight.” Corvus’s voice carries a note of regret.
“Classes start up again in the morning. Well, the gauntlets are tomorrow.” He winces, and I catch the tension in his jaw.
He doesn’t like the idea of me running the gauntlet.
Doesn’t like me putting myself in danger when there are already enough threats circling like sharks scenting blood.
“Technically, I don’t have to run. I want to.” I lead Corvus out of the cavern and back into the egg chamber, my hand finding his and lacing our fingers together. His skin is rough with calluses, warm and alive. “We should gather my siblings and head out in about an hour. I’ll carry everyone.”
I turn to face him fully, rising on my toes to press my lips to his.
The kiss is gentle at first, then deeper—tasting him, feeling the warmth of his body and the purr that rumbles through his chest. His arms come around me, pulling me close, and for a moment the world narrows to just this.
Just us. When we part, my breath comes faster. My wings flutter with contentment.
Year two is going to be deadlier than last year.
The gauntlets are designed to push us to our limits, to test whether we’re strong enough to survive in a world that wants to tear us apart.
And somewhere out there, someone is hunting me specifically.
Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But I’m not the frightened girl I was last year. I’m the heir to the Marzana Empire. I have three mates who would burn the world for me. I have this fortress, this hidden cavern, this power that grows stronger every day.
Let them come. Let them hunt.
I’ll be ready.