Page 61 of Black Wing and Shadows
I simply nodded my head slowly and kept staring into the darkness. I was speechless at that moment.
“Auri, you’ve never been quiet. What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching over to put his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.
Tears streamed down my face faster than before. He pulled me close, reminding me he was my safe person. I smelled his lavender and pine scent, which made me feel at home. I didn’t exactly know what or where home was anymore. It was a reminder of how chaotic things were at the moment. I let my shields lower, bit by bit. I couldn’t shut him out. I wanted this relationship to be different. I wanted to trust him and let him in. I had to. Undoubtedly, every part of me wanted to run away.
“My mom was murdered…”I told him through our bond, knowing I couldn’t say it out loud—not only because I didn’t want to believe it, but because I couldn’t let anyone overhear it.
“Shit… Are you sure?”
"I discovered another letter hidden in my pack. She wrote it days before she was murdered, essentially stating that if she didn’t pull it out, it meant she had been murdered."
“Wow… I am so sorry.”
“There is more…”
“I can’t imagine how much worse this can be.”
“Is theVeil of Vultures planning a mutiny?”He turned his head toward me so fast, his eyes wide.
“I… um…”
“So that’s a yes…”
“I… Fuck…”
“It’s just us here, literally and mentally.”
“Saying it to you puts both of our lives at risk.”
“I love this… I fucking love this.”Anger surged through my body. My chest felt so tight, and my throat seemed like it was closing in on itself. I recognized that my anxiety was rising, and I needed to get it under control before it controlled me.
“I am in fact not loving this.”He placed a kiss on the top of my head and hugged me tighter.
“My dad was involved in the murder of my mom, my mate’s province is part of a mutiny I’m just learning about, we’re apparently going to war soon with the other continent and the provinces within it. Oh, and somewhere, someone is performing experiments on... I have no clue who.”
“Your dad—”
“Yeah, my dad—fucking killed my mom.”
“Literally?”
“I mean, does it matter? She said she went to a meeting with him, the general, and other officers. He’s here, she’s not. He’s now the general… sooooo not much to deduce there.”
“I honestly don’t have much information. I’m not certainly sure where I stand on everything. I know that my dad might be planning a coup. I don't know which other provinces are involved. I only know a few details because I listen and pay attention when I shouldn’t.”
“I want to crawl into my bed, cry, and not come out for days…”
“Not an option, you are strong. You have already overcome so much. We are a team now, and you will not falter.”
“I can’t think about this anymore. I have more questions, and neither of us has answers. My mom did tell me that I was safer joining the mutiny… so there’s that.”
“Tell me, Auriella Reyna Blackcreek, what do you want?
“I don’t know, as long as I have you and my dragon.”
“I forget that one day a dragon will be added to our dynamic.”
“There are seven of you, right?”changing the subject.
