Page 9 of Vathia
The black speck in the distance—her raven—flutters around her and the chaos that’s happening. My chest aches with all these emotions. It’s impossible to keep them from flicking from one feeling to another so rapidly it’s almost giving me whiplash.
A roar sounds and I jump to my feet, my gaze snapping up only to realize that Aemon and Ravina have taken off, their dragons’ forms quickly vanishing into the distance with their speed. With a breath of relief and pain, I hop onto Voissor’s back and we soar down to meet the others as they get ready to leave for the day.
“About damn time you joined us. I thought Ravina was going to stab Aemon again,” Jesper mutters as he and his beast walk up beside me.
My brows raise at the thought of her stabbing him and I can’t help the little burst of pride I get. My shoulders rise andthen fall. “We should get going,” I state, nodding in the direction they went, where I can feel the tether of the bond pulling me.
He nods. “Yup, just waiting on the newbies to get their bearings. They’re riding bareback and are a bit sore from our glorious escape yesterday, so we’re going to have to take it slow. That’s why the others went off ahead. I’d rather her be in the safety of the castle walls right now anyway.”
I don’t need to ask who ‘they’ are but nod again at the others. The pains of learning to ride after bonding with a beast were awful, and most fae tend to spend their evenings in a hot bath that the second years have access to, but these cadets won’t be so fortunate.
“How long are we flying for?” a male asks from below us, sitting on his deep grey gryphon’s back. I remember his name is Adair. He and his twin sister were two of the top cadets at Phixmery when it came to honing their magick.
“As long as it takes,” Jesper says with a smirk before addressing the others, making sure to project his voice so they all can hear. “Stick close to us. We are going to avoid flying through the towns and cities. Do not fall—I don’t want to explain to Ravina why her friends are pancaked on the ground for scavengers.”
With that he takes off. Following him is the blue dragon which Stoll and Yearwood are on, and then the two gryphons. I take to the sky with them, making sure to stay behind, just in case they fall or are struggling. These are the fae that she has chosen to call her friends. I may not be able to give in to our bond, but I will make sure they all stay safe. It’s what I was built for. To kill and protect, even though it didn’t exactly go the way my father wanted. I’m damaged and there’s no fixing me.
THE PAST TWO days I swear have been the longest ride of my life. My mind is being pulled in every direction. The betrayal by our oldest friend, and Talyn who stayed back to cover our asses while we come up with a plan to keep the Lords from suspecting our loyalty. And of course, Ravina. The bond has been pulling me in her direction since she left that morning, screaming for her as the hook yanks on my heart to be closer to her. Jesper isn’t faring much better.
Last night while we stopped to set up camp Jesper filled me in on what happened when he caught up with them. Her friends added some missing details as well. We were very careful not to mention the bonding that happened, and as far as I’m aware they didn’t feel the burst of magick that formed said bonds. The other thing we didn’t mention was our past with her—she can be the one to inform them once she’s ready. But it’s not like they aren’t keeping some secrets of their own. And that’s fine—I wouldn’t be impressed if they spilled everything they know about Ravina.
Her friends don’t seem bad. Young, inexperienced, and the one male—Rozen Stoll—I’d like to slap up the head occasionally. He reminds me too much of Jesper, and we don’t need two of them. Although he is much less violent and more carefree. Ember is a Vopn Fö like myself. I can see the rage she keeps just beneath the skin like we were taught to do. Her and Adair are the most manageable; I can see why Ravina is drawn to them. This group is loyal to a fault, and I can tell that with how protective they are of her. But that is our job now, whether they know it or not.
“Time to get your head out of the clouds, Killian. We are here,” Voissor rumbles into my head as he lands on the sea cliff next to the castle. Its pale coloring reminds me of the shells we used to find down at the beach as fledglings.
I take a deep breath in and the salty sea smell invades my nose. The Vihar ocean has a fresher scent to it, whereas the Safir sea always seemed to smell more of seaweed. I can’t explain it, but they’re different. But being here in Kraryn at Aemon’s family castle brings back memories I’d rather keep locked away.
“You made it!” Ravina’s voice shouts as she runs through the front gates with an indifferent-looking Aemon on her heels, and I can’t help my mind’s eye flashing between this and a similar scene when she was younger.
This time though, she isn’t running towards me with her arms outstretched and that gorgeous smile on her face. It’s towards her friends. Stoll picks her up and swings her around.
The growl that leaves my throat could rival a dragon. “Put. Her. Down. Now!”
My feet carry me towards them and I snatch the male away from her by the back of his shirt, baring my teeth at him.
“Woah, woah. Just my friend. Not interested in her like that. How many times am I going to need to explain this?” Stoll stutters, his eyes going wide with fear; he doesn’t back down, but lowers his eyes to say he isn’t a threat.
Jesper’s voice sounds in my ear. “Just back up, Kill. They don’t want her like that—”
“What the hell is with you males?” Ravina snaps, narrowing her gaze on me and suddenly I can see it. I can see Maeven, with the twitch of her lip and the way she juts her chin at me when she’s mad.
I fall to my knees, winded, and stare at her as all the years finally catch up to me. “It’s you,” I breathe. “It’s really you.”
CHAPTER SIX
AFLASH OF RED STONE. Whispered words of mountains echo in my thoughts and panic consumes me before I jolt awake. A groan escapes my lips as I try to roll over, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth with how parched I am, but I’m stopped as something yanks painfully at my wrists causing me to hiss. What the fuck? I pry my eyes open with sheer will and notice the iron cuffs that are securing my wrists to the top of my bed frame, along with my ankles to the bottom. It burns.
“It’s about time you woke up,” my father states as he rises from the chair in the corner. “Your mating ceremony is taking place tonight. I would apologize for the drastic way you arrived and are being kept here, but I can’t have you fleeing before you can fulfill your obligations. Milly will be in shortly to make you…presentable.” His face twists into a sneer. “I don’t think your mate wants to consummate her wedding night when you smell like ogre shit.”
My stomach twists into knots and bile crawls up my throat as I realize what he’s planning. “You know I agreed to the ceremony and your conditions,” I state smoothly. “There’s noneed to have me chained down. Let me take my mate as a male.” I need out of these chains.
He laughs. “Do you think I’m an idiot? You think I don’t know that you and your friends are up to something? I don’t care that you’re gallivanting around the realm fucking females and playing at being hero. But until I have confirmation that you put a fledgling in your mate’s womb, you will not be leaving this bed. Do I make myself clear?”
I grit my teeth as I try to keep my breath even, so that I don’t show the panic on my face. “Crystal.”
His eyes narrow, but he spins and heads towards the door, leaving me lying here. When the door shuts, my head slams back against the pillows. Fates-damnit. I should have listened to Kill. It’s obvious now why my father sent him away to chase after the others. I don’t even know where my dragon is; there seems to be a bond-numbing tonic in my system. On the bright side, I’m also numb to the pain of being away from Ravina—my mate. I have an overwhelming urge to flee here, grab her, and hide her in the mountains away from all this, but she’s safer in Vathia with the others.
My eyes squeeze shut as I fight the overwhelming emotions that are threatening to break free. I can wallow in them later, over a pint of ale, once I get the fuck out of here.
