Page 100 of Wings of Shadow
With him.
Forever.
41
KAISNER
The sky bruises with the first hints of morning, violet bleeding into gray as Paris exhales its last breath of darkness. I stand motionless on the balcony, the marble balustrade cool beneath my palms, watching as night surrenders to day. A crisp, biting air slides across my bare chest, but I barely register the chill. How could I, when Clarissa’s warmth presses against my back, her arms encircling my waist, her cheek resting between my shoulder blades?
Her presence anchors me to this moment, this reality, when I might otherwise drift into the surreal euphoria of what transpired last night. The memory of flight ripples through my muscles—the stretch and power of wings, the sting of wind against scales, the intoxicating freedom of true form after years of dormancy.
Clarissa shifts, sliding beneath my arm until she faces me. Dawn light catches in her golden hair, turning it into threads of fire. Her sapphire eyes search mine with reverence that makes my chest ache.
“I still can’t believe it,” she whispers, her voice carrying both wonder and fragility, like a prayer. “You’re a dragon, Kai. A real, honest-to-gods dragon.”
The childlike awe in her expression transforms something that should feel monstrous into something holy. I’ve spent my life surrounded by those who feared or coveted what slumbered in my blood. Never has anyone looked at me as she does now—as if I were a miracle made flesh.
My lips curl into a genuine smile. “And it’s all because of you, Liebes.”
Confusion clouds her gaze, her brow furrowing delicately. “I don’t… understand.”
The truth coalesces in my mind with sudden, devastating clarity. I draw in a deep breath, lungs expanding with air that tastes of revelation. Below us, Paris awakens—the distant rumble of delivery trucks, the scent of fresh bread rising from boulangeries. These ordinary sounds frame the most extraordinary realization of my existence.
“All this time, I believed I needed rituals. Blood. Bargains.” My voice drops lower, edged with the shadow of what might have been. “I spent years chasing forbidden magic, convinced that awakening the dragon required sacrifice. The daemon demanded your blood, willingly given.”
Her gaze darkens, the memory of my near-fatal miscalculation hanging in the air like smoke. “Kai…”
I silence her gently, pressing my forehead to hers in a gesture more intimate than any kiss. Our breath mingles, warm and alive. “But it was you, Clarissa. Your love. Your trust.” Each word falls like a stone breaking the surface of still water, ripples expanding outward. “You were the key. When we claimed each other, when that bond took root…” My fingers tighten imperceptibly at her waist. “It unlocked everything. The dragon stirred not because of sorcery—but because of you.”
Tears gather at the corners of her eyes, sunlight fracturing through them into miniature rainbows. One slips free, tracing a silvery path down her cheek. “But how?” she whispers. “How could that be enough?”
I catch the tear with my thumb, its warmth seeping into my skin. “Because you’re my mate,” I say simply, the word inadequate for the cosmic phenomenon it attempts to name. “My soul recognized yours, and the dragon recognized the bond.” I cradle her face between my palms, memorizing every curve, every line, every freckle across her nose. “Everything that’s ever been dormant in me—woken by you.”
Her lips part, trembling slightly with raw emotion. The space between us vibrates with unspoken intensity. “I’m glad I could help,” she says, voice catching. “But don’t forget—your strength made it possible. You held back. You chose me. That matters.”
A notion tugs at the edges of my consciousness—a strange, ephemeral sensation, like trying to recall a word just out of reach. I narrow my focus, probing this peculiar awareness.
“Wait,” I murmur, brow furrowing. “There’s something else.”
Clarissa tilts her head, curiosity brightening her gaze. “What?”
I close my eyes, turning my attention inward. The connection that had flowed between us during flight—effortless, natural—feels muted now, almost nonexistent. I reach for her mentally, forming the thought with deliberate precision.
“Can you hear me?”
When I open my eyes, I find only puzzlement written across her features.
“What do you mean?” she asks, confusion knitting her brow.
“You... don’t hear me now?” I ask aloud, surprised by the hollow absence where her presence had been so vibrant.
“No, should I?” She smiles, but the expression doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re right here.”
I rub my jaw, the scratch of stubble rough beneath my fingers. “Only when I’m shifted,” I murmur. “It was so clear when we were in the air, like our thoughts were interwoven.”
She nods slowly, comprehension dawning. “I felt it, too. Like I was in your head... and you were in mine.”
“It must be the bond,” I say, fascination coloring my tone. “Tied to the dragon. When I shift again, we’ll test it.”
