Chapter 19
Keir
December came and went faster than any of us expected—a blur of classes, nest talks, and stolen moments with Raven.
Now I’m sitting with my pack in the cafeteria, the smell of lunch service filling the air, and something feels off.
I can’t put my finger on exactly what’s wrong, but my blink hound instincts are screaming that something important is about to happen.
“What’s wrong?” Balor asks as he and Orpheus sit down across from me, their trays clattering against the wooden table. His red eyes study me with the intensity of someone who’s learned to read danger.
“Something doesn’t feel right.” I shake my head, looking around the crowded cafeteria, trying to figure out what’s setting off my internal alarms. The usual noise feels wrong somehow—too normal when my gut says something significant is happening.
“Okay, slow down and try to isolate the feeling,” Balor says with practiced calm, leaning forward. “Feel your tether with Raven—is it her?”
I close my eyes and focus on my bond with my mate, reaching down that invisible thread that connects us.
I feel her like a steady heartbeat pulsing in my chest—a warm feeling, like being snuggled in the softest blanket on a winter day.
Her presence is calm, focused, and completely fine. “No, it’s not her.”
“How connected to your pack are you?” Orpheus asks, tilting his head in that serpentine way he has. His golden eyes watch me with knowing intelligence.
“Very connected, but it’s not them either.
” I stare down at my untouched plate, trying to parse what my instincts are telling me, when a small fairy dragon suddenly lands directly in front of me.
The tiny creature is no bigger than my hand, with iridescent scales that shimmer pink and gold. “Hello?”
“That’s Iris—Mom’s familiar,” Orpheus says, sitting up straighter with sudden alertness. “Wait, Mom went to ground two days ago. Is Mom laying her eggs?” The little fairy dragon dances around excitedly, doing aerial loops, then takes off again in a streak of shimmering color.
Shit. “I need to find Raven.” Without another thought, I blink, vanishing from the table and moving through the ether looking for my mate.
When I travel in the in-between—that space that exists between spaces—I see people as colors rather than forms. My Raven and bond mates glow a brilliant crimson that draws me like a beacon. I can see two out of four crimson lights currently in Shadowcarve’s location.
I blink back into existence about a foot away from Raven and Corvus, reality folding around me with that familiar displacement of air. “We need to go. Iris found me—your mom went to ground two days ago. I think she’s laying her eggs right now.”
Raven stares at me blankly for a moment, processing, then looks over at Callan, who’s supervising combat training nearby. He shifts on the spot without a word and launches into the sky immediately, his gryphon form powerful and fast.
“Let Finlay know, grab Hemlocke, and any siblings that can’t fly yet. I’ll help look for the others,” Raven orders, already shifting into crisis mode. Before I can respond, she takes off running toward the main campus.
I watch her sprint off, her black wings tucked tight to her back for aerodynamics, before turning to look at Corvus. “All hands on deck at the Sovereign nest.”
I blink out of sight and travel to the Aurelian Conservatory, searching for any of Raven’s scattered family.
The building materializes around me as I step back into normal space.
I find Allister leaning against a wall in one of the elegant hallways, talking to a female student with obvious flirtation.
I blink back into existence directly behind him, and he screams like a little girl—high-pitched and genuinely terrified. The sound echoes off the marble walls.
“Dude, settle down, it’s just me,” I say, trying not to laugh at his reaction.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he yells, his face flushing red with embarrassment and anger. His outburst makes the female he was talking to turn and leave quickly, clearly wanting no part of whatever drama is unfolding.
“Your mom is laying her eggs today. Iris came to get the family to go home.” I keep my voice level despite his attitude.
Allister rolls his eyes with theatrical annoyance. “Fine.” He turns and walks away from me without even a thank you, his footsteps sharp against the floor.
I know I promised Raven not to hit him, but goddess help me, he deserves to get the crap kicked out of him sometimes. Hmm, I wonder how much trouble I’d actually get into for dropping him and Abraxis on a deserted island together with their wings bound? The mental image brings a smile to my face.
Shaking my head, I continue my search. I find Isolde standing with Hemlocke’s brother, Charron outside her next classroom. They’re standing close together—closer than strictly necessary—and I can see the invisible pull between them even from here.
“Isolde, your mom is laying her eggs today,” I say softly, not wanting to startle her.
Her eyes lit up immediately with joy and excitement. “I gotta go...” She runs off, then stops dead in her tracks. “Charron, can you come with me? Dad doesn’t want me going anywhere alone.”
She smiles, looking up at him, and I can see the love shining in his eyes as clear as day. She’s his mate, and he has a whole agonizing year to wait until her eighteenth birthday before he can properly court her.
“Of course,” he says gently, offering her his arm with old-fashioned courtesy. They walk out of the building calmly together, though I can see the barely restrained excitement in Isolde’s quick steps.
She feels the pull to him—I can see it in how she hovers close to his side, how she looks to him for safety and reassurance. It’s sweet and painful to watch simultaneously.
I continue my search and find Finlay tidying up his office with meticulous care, organizing papers and straightening books. “Heading to the Sovereign nest?” I ask casually, leaning against the doorframe and watching him work.
“That would be best. Raven will be a mess not being able to get in to see her mom,” he says, giving me a pointed look over his shoulder.
“What do you mean? She was born in that nest. It’s her home.” All of these complex dragon customs still throw me off despite months of living with them.
“It’s not that.” Balor’s deep voice sounds from behind me, and I turn to see him standing there.
“A dragoness’s egg chamber is the most dangerous place to be in any lair.
Raven and Corvus will be seen as threats to Mina’s eggs—their dragonesses won’t recognize family bonds when protective instincts take over. ”
“Oh, shit.” I look between Finlay and Balor with dawning horror. “What can we do to help Raven through this?”
“Who is the mate she goes to the most for comfort?” Balor asks, studying me with those knowing red eyes.
I think about it for a moment. “When she’s angry, it’s Corvus—he can match her fire.
When she’s excited, it’s Hemlock—he seems to mellow her out and ground her.
When something puzzles her intellectually, she goes to Finlay.
” I hike a thumb over my shoulder at the phoenix.
“Those two are brilliant together—it’s actually kind of intimidating to watch. ”
When I look over my shoulder, Finlay is blushing—the pink spreading from his cheeks down his neck.
“She goes to you when she’s in her feelings, Keir.
You’re her safe place,” Finlay says softly, stepping closer to rest a hand on my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
He pulls his pocket watch out from the small vest pocket with his other hand, checking the time.
“We’ve dallied long enough. I’ll fly myself to the nest—you get Balor there. ”
Finlay turns to the large bay window and throws it open with both hands. Without hesitation, he jumps out and shifts mid-fall. His phoenix form explodes into existence like a living comet streaking across the sky, leaving trails of flame in its wake.
“You heard the man—let’s get back to the nest,” Balor says, holding his muscled arm out to me.
I grab it firmly, and we blink out of existence. Within seconds, I have us materializing in the upper courtyard of the Sovereign's nest. The displacement makes Balor stagger slightly, and he takes a second to get his bearings before running inside toward the family quarters.
I walk through the fancy dragon-glass entrance at a more measured pace, following Raven’s distinctive scent of sea salt and jasmine through the corridors. There’s a large, elegantly appointed sitting room where I find my family gathered—everyone minus Finlay, who’s probably still in flight.
“Where’s Fin?” Raven rushes over to me the moment I enter and starts kissing me all over my face—my cheeks, my forehead, my chin—making me laugh despite the serious situation.
“He wanted to fly here under his own power,” I explain, gently gripping her face in both hands and kissing her lips softly, trying to calm her frantic actions. “All of your siblings are here waiting with you. Your mom has all of her mates with her. Everything is going to be okay.”
I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight against my chest, feeling her heart racing like a hummingbird’s.
Gently, I press her head to rest over my heart.
“Listen to my heartbeat. Every single beat is for you.” I draw in a slow, deep breath, focusing on making my breathing steady and rhythmic, trying to get her to breathe with me and sync up.
Eventually, she wraps her arms around me and then her wings, cocooning us in her own private world. “I love you, Keir,” she whispers against my throat before kissing the sensitive skin there.
“I love you too,” I murmur back, kissing the crown of her head and breathing in her scent.