Chapter 30
Xavier
My talons felt no impact from the feeble fists that struck them. My wings sliced through the air, a grin stretching across my fangs.
Glancing down I spotted Zara still flailing, her curses and shouts swallowed by the wind.
I'd cast a protective spell on her, shielding her from the elements, yet she was panicking, eyes wide, as she continued to kick and slap at me.
I had no idea what she expected me to do—let her fall from mid-air?
My smile widened at the thought, and I tucked my wings tightly to my side, plummeting. Free-falling toward the ground, I opened the pathway between our bond. The shrill panic sent me into laughter.
You fucking bastard, let me down. What are you doing?! Don’t you fucking dare. Ahh!!
After nearly falling a hundred feet, I unfurled my wings, leveling us out as I glided upward to regain the lost altitude.
Are you trying to kill me?! Put me down! This is humiliating! At least let me ride on your back or something! I'm not luggage!
No, but you are my prisoner. That means I get to decide how you are tortured. Although I do prefer making you scream in other ways.
My words rumbled towards her, a silky purr of desire lacing them.
Pig.
I chuckled, not bothering to respond, and Zara seemed to give up on her futile attempt to unfurl my talon.
We were heading toward the camp, following Soren’s instructions. He had dominated the meeting the other day, and as much as it ticked me off, I knew we had to trust him. Soren gave Theo a scroll and instructed him to take Cynthia to meet with the rebel leader in Velra.
He gave Jaxon two scrolls, and my stomach twisted at seeing them. I knew what one of them would contain… but Soren instructed him vehemently not to open that one until after the battle. So, at least it gave me more time to prepare for the inevitable fallout when he finally discovered the truth.
He would be furious with me for hiding this, but if it was the only way, and if fate demanded I keep it a secret, then there had to be a reason. At least I had to believe there was.
I turned my attention to the horizon, to the swirling clouds above, and the lush green forest below. Winding blue rivers reflected the yellow and pink sky as my magic pulsed, the warm, crisp air coating my scales. I was alive, complete. It was the same feeling I always got when I flew.
Why this form? Zara’s voice caressed through my mind, and I shivered forgetting the connection between us was open.
Does it matter?
Why do you care? I thought to myself, and I felt her shrug. I sighed, angling my body 45 degrees as I changed direction. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and I emerged from a cloud bank.
Besides when you tried to impersonate Cynthia, this is the only form I have ever seen you change into.
Are you longing to see me in some other form, little stalker?
Zara was quiet, her thoughts a jumble of questions, but one in particular stood out. I smirked.
Or perhaps you are curious if I am able to shift singular parts of my anatomy?
What? No, that's not—I mean, she stammered, her fluster and embarrassment radiating through the bond. I bit back a chuckle, feeling her mortification.
I think we both know there is no issue where my cock is concerned. You seemed to rather enjoy it as it was the other night. A deep, sensual laugh danced through our bond, and she growled. Or maybe you have some sort of kink I’m unaware of?
I could practically feel her cheeks flushing as I pictured it, and a hum vibrated through my entire body.
This isn't the first time I've been asked. Horns, scales, extra fingers, even tongues. Is there something specific you have in mind, love?
What!? No—that’s not what I meant.
Her sharp, cutting words made me smile as the conversation ended. I could feel her potent jealousy through our bond, mixed with a hint of desire.
We are nearly there.
When she didn’t reply, I closed the barrier between us with a sigh. I felt her annoyance through them at having closed it, but I didn’t care. I spotted the looming cliff, the opening in the trees to the meadow I had been seeking, and started to descend.
Glancing back down at Zara, I laughed to myself as I tucked in my wings and fell from the sky a second time. Zara’s screams were swallowed by the wind, but I felt her fear as she pounded against the barrier between us.
I spread my wings, gliding downwards until I was about twenty feet above the ground. I released Zara, watching her body descend, my earth magic cushioning her landing. Before she could stand, vines sprang from the earth, binding her ankles and wrists.
I flew ahead, circling back a few times to scout the area. Shifting, I landed on one knee before her, and she snarled, her lips peeling back to show her fangs as she thrashed in the binding, “Release me.”
The vines broke, and I winked, turning my back to her.
“We will set up camp, and tomorrow we will—”
She slammed into my back, and I stumbled forward, spinning with a snarl.
“Don't ever do that to me again,” Zara hissed, her teeth clenched.
She stood in a fighting stance, fists balled at her sides.
I walked towards her slowly, her chin lifting to meet my burning gaze.
My arms shot out, and she flinched as my palms wrapped around her upper arm.
I yanked her forward, her chest colliding with mine, our faces inches apart. “I will do whatever I please.”
She let out a cruel laugh, her eyes simmering. “Like mother, like son, then.”
Shadows ripped from me, surrounding us in a fiery cocoon of darkness.
Her eyes widened, and I felt her regret at saying the words, but she had said them, and my rage flared aggressively as I glared down at her.
If she had been anyone else–she wouldn't be breathing right now.
I forced myself to take a deep breath and withdrew my shadows.
“She is not my mother,” I said snarling and pushed away from her, stalking toward the tree line. My magic shot toward her, tying an invisible rope around her waist. It went taut as I took another step and she cried out as she was pulled forward, forced to follow after me.
“Let go of me!” she screamed, and I could hear her futile fighting, her boots dragging in the earth, the thud as she fell backwards. Her nails as they scraped against the earth.
“Fucking—bastard!—Let go of me!—Xavier!—I swear!”
I continued to ignore her, pausing only when I heard her scramble to her feet again before walking onto the path that would lead us to our destination. I heard her charging toward me again, and I spun just as she approached, my palm grasping her outstretched wrist that was moving to strike me.
“Which is it?” I murmured, the words tight and lethal as my gaze pinned hers in place. Heat rolled off me in waves, and the chill of her skin only fed it.
“Which is what?” she yelled, twisting, and struggling in my grasp.
I tightened my grip just enough to make a point.
“You demand me to let you go,” I said quietly, “yet you keep stepping close enough for me to catch you.” My lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.
“So, choose. Do you want me to release you… or keep you?”
Her frown deepened at the double edge of my words, a line creasing between her brows. She opened her mouth, and I held my breath, eager to hear what she'd say.
“I would like to hear the answer myself.” A silky male voice rang from behind me, and I spun, my sword materializing in my hand.
Metallic eyes met mine and that fucking male who had had his hands on my mate stepped forward.
My blood thrummed, my grip tightening on the hilt of my blade as another appeared in my other hand.
The male, Atticus I thought his name was, smiled. He was wearing that stupid black uniform, his golden buttons covered in splotches of blood.
“Xavier,” Zara whispered, and I turned my head, keeping one eye on the male. Zara was pale, her hands outstretched as if she were going to tame a wild animal. “He can manipulate—”
“Don’t speak.”
Zara’s mouth clamped shut, her teeth clashing in a brutal snap as her eyes went wide. I opened the door through our bond as hot rage and panic rushed through it, the intensity of it making me growl.
“What is it, Zara? Tell me.” The words tumbled from me in a panic, and I squared my shoulders at the male who was laughing.
No, no, no. She promised, she said she would take the compulsion away—no, no no.
What compulsion? I snarled through our bond, my eyes staying fixed on the male who dared take another step toward us.
Atticus smiled, running his hands through his chin-length dark hair.
“She didn’t tell you?” the male chuckled, slamming his gaze into Zara’s and tilting his head. “Maybe there is hope for us yet, baby.”
She made a muffled noise, and I tore my gaze away from the male, back straightening as I watched Zara try to open her mouth to speak, but couldn’t. The disgust I felt from her made my stomach churn.
What is wrong?
She made it so that I have to obey him, Zara snarled in my mind, and as she tried and failed to open her mouth again—I saw red.
I shadowed in front of him, my blade striking forward, and Zara’s panicked warning sounded in my head, but it was too late.
He can manipulate metal! Put up a shield!
The blade in my hand turned to liquid, melting and slipping through my fingers. Something else clawed into me, and a gasp escaped me as I cried out in pain, falling to my knees. It felt as if every nerve in my body was being pulled and clawed towards the surface, trying to break free from my skin.
I fell to my hands and Atticus let out a cruel laugh. “That beastly form of yours makes you quite the easy target. Easy to track, too.”
Pushing past the pain, I tried to stand but he pushed more of his magic over me and I couldn't hold back the scream as I fell onto my back at his feet.
I'd never encountered magic like his before.
It didn't exist in Nexia, or at least that I knew of.
I just needed to catch my breath. Find an opening.