Chapter 5
Corvis
Twenty years of watching my mate grow up with me has been heaven and hell in the same breath.
Each day a sweet torment of being so close yet unable to claim what my dragon knows belongs to us.
We have a bond, probably stronger than the one Abraxis forged with Mina without her knowing all those years ago, invisible threads that pull at my chest every time she’s near.
Ziggy told me Raven liked the daggers, but it’s not what she would have picked for herself.
The knowledge sits in my stomach like a cold stone.
Her desires are simple, delicate things that speak to the gentle heart hidden beneath her predator’s training.
Sea glass and seashells both take time and patience to find, treasures polished by endless waves until they’re smooth as silk and catch the light like captured starlight.
She likes her dark chocolate with caramel from the little store in town.
The rich sweetness that makes her eyes close in bliss when she takes that first bite.
Her choice in books is usually romance novels, worn paperbacks that smell of hopes and dreams. Interestingly enough, most of them, from what Ziggy tells me, are friends-to-lovers stories.
Deep down, she should know what I am to her, even if her dragon won’t consciously let her recognize the truth burning between us.
Three and a half more months until she turns twenty-one, and every day feels like an eternity stretched thin as a wire.
I won’t change my patterns so she can find me if she needs me.
My schedule is as reliable as the sunrise because the thought of her needing me and not being there makes my chest feel like it’s caving in.
Honestly, I spend more time with her flight than the one I was born into, drawn to her like metal to a magnet.
My drake won’t let me leave my mate unprotected; the instinct is so strong it makes my teeth ache when I try to stay away too long.
“You seem lost in thought, Corvis.” Thauglor’s deep voice catches me off guard, rumbling like distant thunder. I turn slowly to face him, forcing my shoulders to relax from their rigid posture.
“Counting the days, sir. I hate having to hide a secret from Raven.” I lower my head out of respect for my mate’s father, though every cell in my body wants to claim what’s mine. The silver scales along my neck feel warm with suppressed emotion.
“It’s understandable. All the first-year females are in a new course on dragonic courtship and mate bonds.
Seeing that my flight has so many females in it, I figured it would be a good course to have.
” He smiles at me and looks back at the gauntlet as his nest mates shut it down for the night, the mechanical sounds of gears disengaging filling the air like the sighs of sleeping giants.
“She’s in Shadowcarve courses for most of the day.
She tested exceptionally high in the basic courses, so she’s not required to take a bulk of the first-year offerings.
” I can hear the pride in Thauglor’s voice, warm and rich as aged whiskey.
“Besides your mate, Raven is one of the smartest people I know.” I kick a few rocks around. The small stones skitter across the courtyard with soft clicks that echo off the mountain walls.
“What’s bothering you?” He rests a hand on my shoulder, and I sigh, the sound carrying twenty years of longing and frustration.
“I left her perfectly balanced daggers with bone hilts made from one of my more impressive kills. According to Ziggy, she likes them, but...” I shake my head, not knowing how to express the hollow feeling in my chest. The sense that I’ve failed her in some fundamental way.
“If she didn’t like them, she wouldn’t have worn them today. She knows the gifts from her mate are very important,” Thauglor says as he watches the cleanup crew resetting the gauntlet, their movements efficient and practiced.
“I went and found sea glass and seashells for her. I left them on her bed with Ziggy’s help.
” I turn my gaze toward the dragon dorms in time to see her landing on the balcony of her room, her wings spread like dark silk against the stone walls.
The sight of her makes my chest tight with possessive satisfaction.
“Her mom was obsessed with weapons. Raven loves pretty things. The beach is her favorite place to go to think. Cora got her hooked on collecting sea glass.” Thauglor smiles as if reliving some memory, his expression soft with paternal affection.
“We gave Raven the childhood Mina wished she had. Raven trained when she wanted to—she and her siblings were never forced.” He tilts his head, looking at me with those sapphire eyes so like his daughter’s.
I came to train as many days as allowed just to be close to my mate, the pull so strong it overrode everything else.
Thauglor had told me what his mate went through, so I would understand why Mina originally wanted the Shadowblades to die with her.
The knowledge makes me protective of Raven in ways that go beyond mere instinct.
“I’m going to go check the dorms before I head to my room.
” I extend my hand, and we shake, his grip firm and warm, before I walk off.
There are so many moving parts between now and winter break, plans, and possibilities that make my head spin.
This year at the winter formal, all of their children will ride in the processional.
The girls will be escorted into the ballroom by their dads, and the thought of seeing Raven in formal dress makes my mouth go dry.
The rules for the dance have changed over the years—ladies’ choice, the guys may refuse if they wish.
After what happened today, I doubt Raven will ask me to dance.
The memory of her pulling away from me, thinking I’ve found another mate, makes my stomach clench with bitter regret.
I enter the lower level of the dorms and check the halls, my footsteps echoing softly on the polished stone floors that smell faintly of cleaning solutions and teenage anxiety.
Moving to the second floor, I find some students out in the hallway, their voices carrying in the quiet air. “It’s past curfew—get in your rooms.” Two out of the three leave immediately, but the third one, a dragonel female, stares at me with eyes that hold invitation and challenge.
“Want to join me?” She leans in her doorway and reaches behind her, opening the door with a soft creak that sounds unnaturally loud in the silence.
“No, thank you. Go in your room—it’s past curfew.” I say firmer this time, my voice carrying the authority of someone who has never been tempted by anyone other than his mate. She nods before entering, and I can hear the lock engage with a decisive click. I shake my head, amazed at the boldness.
Some of these females amaze me with how bold they are, though none of them affect me the way a single look from Raven can.
I hesitate before heading up to the third floor, each step making my feet feel heavier as I approach her sanctuary.
I check the entire third floor, then move to the room that houses Raven and her sisters, my heart hammering against my ribs like a caged bird.
I knock on the door and wait; the sound echoing in the hallway like gunshots.
Lily answers the door, then pulls me inside with a grip that speaks of dragon strength barely contained.
“Well, hello to you too.” I laugh, and I watch Raven stiffen hearing me, her entire body going rigid as a bowstring.
She thinks I have a mate, and the misunderstanding cuts through me like a blade.
“Checking on everyone?” Lily asks as she offers me a soda from the fridge, the can cold and slick with condensation.
“He has a mate,” Raven growls, and I watch her eyes blaze a brilliant sapphire like molten jewels, beautiful and terrible in their fury. She bares her teeth before turning back to the sea glass I left her, the treasures spread across her bed like scattered jewels.
“Looks like you’ve got one too,” I say gently, hope and desperation warring in my chest. Raven growls again and wraps herself in her wings, the black membranes creating a barrier between us that feels like a physical blow.
“She’s in a weird mood,” Thorne says, and I arch a brow, stepping closer.
That’s when the scent hits me—musky and sweet and utterly intoxicating—and I have to step back quickly before my control snaps entirely.
“What’s wrong?” Thorne follows me as I go out the door, her concern evident in every line of her body.
“She’s coming into season.” I pull out my phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I shoot her mother a message, the implications making my dragon roar with possessive need.
Corvis: We have a situation... Raven is going into season.
Mina: Shit, it’s too soon... I’m sending Ziggy to retrieve her.
Corvis: Okay, I’ll stay until he can collect her.
I return to the room to see Raven in a standoff with Ziggy, her posture predatory and dangerous.
She looks downright feral, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
“No, I’m not leaving—my mate is here somewhere.
..” She growls, and I move to get into her line of sight, every instinct screaming at me to claim her, to end this torment once and for all.
“You need to go to ground before you accidentally attack some male that isn’t your mate.
” I allow my dragon’s presence to fill the room, power radiating from my skin like heat from a forge.
Deep down, I hope it soothes her enough to allow Ziggy to take her home, though every fiber of my being rebels against the idea of her leaving.
I feel the air displace around us, reality warping slightly, and Ziggy reappears next to me and rests his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, Raven, your mom has a room ready for you, and the tonic is there too.” He extends a hand to her, and she stares at it like it might bite her.