Chapter 26 Corvus
Corvus
The shift in the nest was intense when Raven bonded with Solaris last night.
All of those stories about the power shift, as told by Mina’s mates, weren’t exaggerated in the slightest. I was driven to my knees the minute their bond solidified—hit the ground so hard I saw stars.
Unfortunately for me, I was teaching a weapons class when Keir and I both suddenly hit the ground without warning.
The four of us stayed on campus last night in the Malivore suite rather than attempting the flight home. We all suffered the same fate—hit the ground as if we’d been struck by lightning and felt as if the air was driven out of our lungs by an invisible fist to the chest.
Now the four of us sit around the breakfast table looking like we survived a war rather than a good night’s sleep. Each of us has our heads hung low with steaming mugs of coffee clutched in our hands like lifelines. The smell of the dark roast does nothing to clear my foggy head.
“I don’t want to go to work today...” I whine, still trying to get my head on straight. My entire body aches like I was hit by a truck.
“Neither do I, but we must,” Finlay says as he sips at his coffee with obvious effort. The usually impeccably dressed phoenix looks absolutely haggard—his hair disheveled, his shirt wrinkled, dark circles under his honey eyes.
The door to the apartment suddenly opens without warning, and Raven comes bouncing in with infectious energy, Solaris hot on her heels. “Morning, everyone!” Her bright, excited mood makes me stop dead and look at her with disbelief.
“How are you this awake?” I ask, setting my mug down and flinging an arm over my eyes to block out the too-bright morning light streaming through the windows.
I hear her hugging and kissing the other mates—Keir’s laugh, Hemlocke’s rumble of pleasure, Finlay’s soft greeting.
Then I feel her warmth approaching before she climbs onto my lap without asking.
“Corvus...” she whispers before kissing my jaw with soft lips.
“Cooorrrvusss...” She draws my name out in a melodic, playful tone that gets me to smile despite my exhaustion.
“He died...” I say dramatically with a half-smile before pulling her down into a deep, passionate kiss. “Look, I live,” I announce, smiling up at my mate. Her sapphire eyes are bright and happy, completely at odds with how wrecked I feel.
“Why does everyone look like they didn’t sleep?” Raven asks with genuine concern as she curls up in my lap, her wings hanging gracefully over the arm of the chair.
“We felt when you bonded Solaris last night,” Finlay says, straight and to the point, too tired for diplomatic phrasing. “The power surge knocked all of us flat.”
I feel Raven stiffen immediately in my arms as she looks at all of us with dawning horror. The look on her face makes my heart ache. “No, no, no, no...” She shakes her head frantically and gets up, moving away from everyone as if she’s toxic. “I hurt you. I hurt all of you.”
“A dragoness grows in power with each mate she takes,” Keir says calmly as he approaches her slowly with careful, measured steps.
“We also gain in power with each mate you take. It was like a shockwave when it hit—sudden and overwhelming.” Keir holds her hands gently and smiles, looking into her eyes with reassurance.
“Corvus and I were thankfully sparring each other when it happened. We hit the ground together and had to wait for the surge to pass.”
“It was like the air was sucked out of my lungs and my knees just gave out,” I add, remembering the moment in vivid detail. The sensation of drowning on dry land, the way my legs simply stopped supporting my weight. I look over at Solaris, and he nods slowly in understanding.
“Has anyone noticed their shifts are bigger, stronger?” Hemlocke asks, changing the subject with enthusiasm. “I mean, my unicorn armor is thicker than it used to be. One of the war horses tried striking me during training yesterday, and he chipped a hoof on my armor.”
“Spend time with yer first mate,” Solaris suggests diplomatically. “I’m going tae see Thauglor and check if there’s anything on campus I can help with.” He motions to the others to follow him, giving Raven and me privacy.
They each kiss Raven and hug her before filing out, and Finlay squeezes my shoulder on his way past.
When it’s just the two of us, I see it clearly—she’s calmer somehow.
Her dragoness isn’t lurking right under the surface anymore, ready to explode at any provocation.
“Looks like the bond with Solaris is helping you,” I observe, standing up and walking over to Raven.
I nip at her bottom lip playfully, smiling down at her.
“Yeah, I don’t feel like I need to tear the world apart anymore,” she admits with a small laugh as she snuggles in closer. Her body relaxes against mine. “I guess it’s the bigger predator thing in effect—his ancient drake settling my dragoness.”
Her hands go to the hem of my shirt and start pulling it up, her fingers trailing over my abs.
“Does my mate want something?” I ask with a knowing smile, reaching for my belt and pulling it free with deliberate slowness.
“You could say that,” she purrs softly, and she pulls at the strings at the side of her shirt, releasing the center panel designed to accommodate her wings.
When she turns, I see it—her black scales are turning magenta, shifting color right before my eyes. Shit. That’s not arousal. That’s heat.
I grab my phone and text the family chat quickly with one hand while keeping my eyes on Raven.
Corvus: Need the tonic. Raven is going into heat.
Ziggy: On it.
Solaris: jbfiwbefieua,nbguea
Keir: Still teaching him the phone. What do you need us to do?
Mina: Get her to Blackhaven immediately.
Keir: Ziggy, meet us there.
Keir: On my way.
Raven stares at me with hunger burning in her eyes—predatory and intense. “Babe, you’re going into heat again. We need to get you to Blackhaven where it’s safe,” I say as calmly as I can while refastening my pants. This is too soon—way too soon after her last heat.
Keir pops into existence with that familiar displacement of air. “Raven, we need to get you to your nest,” he says gently, holding his hands out and slowly approaching Raven as if she were a spooked animal.
“It’s too soon...” she whispers, holding her head in both hands. When she opens her eyes again, they’re completely dragon—slitted pupils, glowing sapphire, no trace of humanity left.
“We’re gonna get you home,” I assure her, looking at Keir with urgency. He grabs both mine and Raven’s arms at the same time and blinks us back to our public living room in Blackhaven.
The moment we materialize, Raven launches out of our grip with inhuman strength and plasters herself against the far wall, putting distance between us.
Ziggy steps closer cautiously and holds out three glass vials of the heat tonic—the liquid inside is milky white and smells faintly medicinal.
“Klauth said it may not work with her being a true wyrm dragoness bonded to a Great Wyrm,” he warns, his eyes darting between the five of us gathered.
“It may be enough to take the feral edge off the heat, but it might not put her to sleep like last time.”
I take the tonics from Ziggy carefully and look at Raven pressed against the wall.
This can potentially get very dangerous.
“Sweetheart, I need you to drink your tonics. Not all of your mates have armor or scales to protect them,” I remind her gently as I wave the first bottle at her, trying to get her dragon’s attention.
Her glowing eyes dart to Solaris, and he nods encouragingly. “Thauglor filled me in on how dangerous black dragonesses can get during heat. ‘Tis safer fer Keir and Finlay if ye drink, love.”
Raven looks at the first bottle like it’s a lifeline and takes it from my hand.
She downs it quickly; the contents disappear in seconds.
Her dragon’s eyes are still blazing bright—the glow brighter and more intense than anything I’m used to seeing from her.
She accepts the second bottle and swallows it just as fast, her throat working.
The glow hasn’t lessened at all.
“It should be working by now,” Ziggy says with obvious concern, looking at the third bottle still in my hand.
“We needed three bottles last time, and Balor had to use his basilisk abilities to get her mind to relax enough to sleep,” I explain, remembering how terrifying that heat cycle was. I pop the cork on the third bottle with my thumb and look at Keir. “Get Orpheus. She’ll let him get close—twin bond.”
My eyes refocus on my mate, and I wave the third bottle at her. “One more, baby, then maybe you can sleep through this.”
Raven stares at the last bottle for a long moment before taking it from me and drinking it quickly. She’s still standing upright, the tonic seeming to have absolutely no effect on her. Her scales continue rippling magenta.
Orpheus arrives with Keir moments later, and he looks from me to Solaris with understanding. We both nod—he needs to try the basilisk technique. He approaches his sister slowly and carefully.
“How are you holding up, sis?” he asks gently, extending a hand out to her.
She takes it as she drops the last empty vial, which shatters on the hardwood floor. “Not good. The tonic isn’t working at all,” Raven pants, and I can see the scales raising and lowering rapidly along the tops of her shoulders.
“Look into my eyes and listen to my voice,” Orpheus says, and his tone takes on that distinctive resonance that his basilisk fathers used last time—a compelling quality that makes you want to obey.
Raven turns and stares into her brother’s eyes.
The blue of her eyes flickers red for just a moment—if I wasn’t staring directly at my mate, I wouldn’t have caught it. Then her eyes ignite and burn completely crimson as she stares at Orpheus. Her dragonic slits narrow to thin lines, looking more basilisk than dragon.