Chapter 23 Solaris #2
I place the bag Klauth gave me on the bed and move around what is to be my private space, running my hands over the furniture, examining the books, taking in every detail she’s provided for my comfort.
Looking over my shoulder, I see Raven standing in the doorway with a soft, hopeful smile. “We each have our own private space for when we need solitude,” she explains quietly. “We also have what’s called date night, so that each mate gets their own focused time with me without the others around.”
She pauses and looks down, suddenly shy. “My room is the neutral zone. I sleep in my mate's room on their designated night.” She looks down and away again, a blush coloring her cheeks. “The shower is through that door.” She points over my shoulder to a door I hadn’t noticed.
“When you’re ready, follow the hallway to the surface levels.
Once you can see sunlight, turn right. The neutral living room is there—it’s where I entertain guests and where the family gathers.
” She backs out of my room and closes the door softly behind her, giving me privacy to process and prepare.
I stand there for a moment in the room my mate carved out of solid stone for me, and I feel emotions I haven’t experienced in a thousand years threatening to overwhelm me.
She made this for me. Before she even knew what I looked like, before she’d heard my voice outside her head, she prepared a space fer me in her home and her heart.
I strip off my damp undergarments and head toward the shower, needing to wash away the grime of imprisonment and prepare myself properly. It’s time to get cleaned up and meet the rest of the family. Time to step into this new world and this new life my mate has built.
Time to be worthy of the incredible female who waited for me to hatch.
I wander the halls slowly, tracking Raven’s distinctive scent of sea salt and jasmine through the winding tunnels to the sitting room.
The stone corridors are well-lit with what appears to be electric lighting—a marvel I’ll need to learn about.
Her other four mates are already there, sitting close to her fathers in the spacious room, and she visibly tenses the moment she sees me enter.
“Please don’t approach, Solaris,” Raven says quickly, moving toward me and pulling me toward the corner of the room she’s clearly claimed as her personal space. There’s a comfortable-looking chair and a small table there. “We haven’t exchanged bites yet, and I’m very on edge.”
I can see her teeth are still sharp like her dragon’s—elongated canines that could easily tear through flesh. Her sapphire eyes keep flickering to that glowing blue, and I can feel the tension radiating from her in waves.
“Everything will be alright, my love. We’re surrounded by yer family and other mates,” I say soothingly, sitting on the cushioned arm of the chair and pulling Raven to stand between my legs in front of me.
She folds her wings in tight against her back, making herself smaller, and I place my head carefully between her head and wing on the right side—remembering she mentioned she was deaf in that ear.
A tall man with long black hair and striking pink eyes stands up gracefully and turns to face us.
He’s got the build of someone who works with horses—muscular but lean.
“I’m Hemlocke, twenty-three years old and a black unicorn from the western side of the Blackhaven territory.
I guess you would say I’m mate number two.
” He smiles warmly and waves in friendly greeting.
“Pleasure tae meet ye,” I say with genuine friendliness, hugging Raven a little tighter against me. Her warmth seeps into my chest.
The next male has sandy-colored hair and storm-gray eyes that seem to churn with their own internal weather. “Hi, I’m Keir. Blink hound. I turn twenty-four in a few months and I’m mate number three.” He winks with playful charm, and Corvus immediately pokes his side in reprimand.
“Don’t let that boy-next-door look fool you,” Corvus says, shaking his head as he looks at his friend with fond exasperation. “He attends Shadowcarve with Raven, and he left her a severed drow head as a mating present.”
“Yer fathers’ school was actually built?” I look at Klauth with genuine surprise and interest. “Shadowcarve was only in the planning stages when I was imprisoned.”
Klauth’s crimson-flecked amber eyes lit up with pride. “Yes, apparently completed while we were both imprisoned.” His eyes look haunted for a moment, and I understand completely—a thousand years stolen from us.
“Ye’re in Shadowcarve as well, love?” I ask, kissing Raven’s cheek tenderly. She giggles at the contact and pulls her wings in a little tighter, the sound making my heart swell.
“Yes, my mom was a six-time gauntlet champion back when females had to run both gauntlets to prove themselves,” she explains with obvious pride.
“I’ve successfully finished the gauntlet once, and was abducted this year during my second attempt.
” She pauses, and I feel her body tense again.
“I still need to run the gauntlet to complete my training.”
She looks across at her fathers, and all three of them immediately look away like guilty children.
“As the heir apparent, I would prefer if you didn’t run the gauntlet anymore. Please,” Klauth says, and the pleading in his voice takes me by surprise. This ancient dragon is begging his daughter to stop.
“Why shouldn’t she run if she’s able?” I say with conviction, feeling my protective instincts rise. “My mate is no delicate flower. She is a skull dragoness and magnificent in every way. No machine will stop her. Worst-case scenario, she’ll melt it tae the ground with her acid.”
“Currently mate number five is the favorite,” Raven announces as she turns and kisses my cheek with obvious affection. The deep purr that escapes my lips is completely involuntary—I couldn’t have helped it if I tried.
Someone clears their throat pointedly, and I look up to see a distinguished man in an impeccably tailored three-piece suit.
He’s got the bearing of old nobility. “I am Finlay.” He brushes his hair back with one hand, and I’m struck by how it looks almost like living flames—several shades of red and orange make up his hair color.
“I’m over nine hundred years old and I’m a phoenix. ”
He raises his chin with obvious pride at that statement, then bows formally at the waist. “I’m quite pleased to not be the oldest in the nest anymore.”
That earns him a genuine giggle from Raven that makes my chest warm. “Fin! You silly male,” she says, shaking her head while still laughing, and I can see the easy affection between them.
“My eternal. You are my flame. A phoenix without its flame is nothing,” Finlay says with devastating sincerity. A slow smile curves his lips, and Raven purrs deeply in response—the sound vibrating through her back into my chest.
“Ah, that makes sense, ye suave bugger,” I say with a laugh, finally connecting the voice to the face. “Ye’re the dangerous one in the nest, melting the knickers off our mate.” This is the male that made Raven flustered on more than one occasion when I could hear their interactions from the egg.
Thauglor almost chokes on his drink at my comment, coughing hard, and Klauth slaps his back with enough force to help dislodge whatever went down wrong.
“I think it’s time for us to go and check on our mate,” Klauth announces, clearly wanting to escape before the conversation gets more explicit.
“We have five eggs at home that will hatch in about three weeks.”
Raven slips out of my arms immediately to go hug her fathers and say goodbye properly. I watch her embrace each one with obvious love, and the sight makes something warm settle in my chest.
“She’s not like the dragonesses of the past,” I observe to no one in particular, watching her through fresh eyes.
“Why do you say that?” Corvus asks with genuine curiosity, leaning forward in his chair.
“She’s close tae her fathers and her family. Once a female reached wyrm status in my time, they usually cut all ties with their family and focused solely on their own nest. This is a pleasant change—refreshing, actually.” I smile, watching the door and waiting for Raven to return to me.
“Yeah, no, that family would raze the entire continent for each other,” Corvus says with absolute certainty in his voice. “They would burn the world to ash to protect their bloodline. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“You two need to settle the bond,” Hemlocke observes, tilting his head as he looks at me with those unusual pink eyes. “Soon. Before someone gets hurt.”
“Aye, it’s on the list,” I say with a half-laugh. “I can’t have my mate melting everyone that gives me the side eye.”
Mostly because I would actually love tae watch her melt anyone that deserves it. Nothing’s more attractive than a powerful female who is confident in herself and her power. But I suppose we should at least try to avoid unnecessary casualties.