Page 61 of Moon Raven Rising
Both men sit there for a moment, looking up at me and then at our surroundings. The desolate ruins at their backs and the mountains at mine. I feel the magic more than the last time Iwas here. Its oppressive presence makes the air thick and coats the land with an eeriness I’ve not felt anywhere else. Osiris’s eyebrows dip deep on his forehead as though he feels it too, and Dax’s gaze barely wanders away from me.
Osiris helps Dax stand by lifting him at the elbow; surprisingly, Dax allows it without a second thought, and Bracarva leans lower than I thought possible, allowing both men to slide down the glittering scales of her shoulder. I glide down, catching air with my wings spread wide to slow my descent. Osiris releases Dax once they have their boots on the ground, and he limps slowly over to me. He remains clutching the area of ripped leather, which still shines with the slick darkness of his blood.
He slowly lifts one hand, shakily lifting my chin so our eyes lock. Goosebumps rise along my arms and skate down my spine as his thumb brushes the underside of my lip and it wobbles. My worry over the time spent on the back of a dragon,literallyholding his life with my hands easing in just one look. I gaze through the windows of the soul I thought I may never get to see again and hope that he sees the amount of love that I do looking down at me.
“I guess it’s time to do hero shit.” A teasing glint enters his eyes, and I can’t help but laugh as I launch myself at him. He catches me with a grunt of pain but wraps his arms around my waist and crushes me to his body. “This time, I’m not letting you out of my sight. From here on out, we face things together.” His words are breathed into my hair. His fingers snake into my hair at the nape of my neck; he cradles my head back so I look up at him. “All of us.” He says before he traps my lips with his.
After a moment of silence, Cano clears his throat, but Dax does not relent. His kiss deepens. Angling my head to take his tongue deeper, causing a hum of need to build within me, before he finally eases away and looks up at our audience. Most of themhad the decency of looking away, but the man I recognize as the prisoner from the cell in Demetrey is blatantly staring. His eyes sparkle with awe as he looks between Dax and me with a barely stifled smile.
“I’ve always believed that fate had a plan. Even when it felt impossible. When it caused pain and heartache, I always knew… The time would come when all the suffering the kingdom had been enduring would come to an end.” The man’s words bring the attention of Cano and Osiris, and Dax grips my hand in his as he limps forward toward him.
“Raelle Apus Aberra Ravendene, Queen of Aldramani, I’d like you to meet someone very special to me.” He guides me to the man and he reaches for my hand. “Uncle Declan, meet my wife.” The moment his hand closes around my wrist, I fall into a pit of a thousand thoughts. Everything swirling around in a vortex of nothingness. A darkness so dark, it swallows light, and a light so glaringly bright it leaves no darkness to hide. A constant battle of day and night. Flashes of lives once lived, of lives being taken.
A voice echoes through my consciousness, the tumble of each word like a velvet caress, “Daughter of the Moon, your rise is soon. Bring balance to those who have lost their way. Bonds carry weight, but they also carry might. Be what is strong and do what is right.” My eyes snap open with a gasp. I look between my arm wrapped in the skin and bone fingers of a man who was thought to be dead and his kind, deep golden eyes before they roll into the back of my head and I lose the ability to stand.
Chapter forty-eight
“What did you do?”I growl through a wince, catching Raelle as she falls. My uncle steps back slack-jawed and wide-eyed, staring at her limp form as we both lower to the ground. I feel weak from my injury, but I will not rest until I know Raelle is ok.
I cup her face in my hand; the luminous white of her hair spills out across my chest, where I hold her back to my front. Her face is a painting of serenity, but her eyes flick back and forth in a fitful sleep. Where my thumb rests on her neck, her pulse is a steady gallop.
“Find us a place to rest. Somewhere the dragon can stay out of sight if that is possible.” I command. Osiris looks between Raelle and me, and I can’t help but narrow my eyes on him. If he even thinks of considering anything else, he will cease to exist. There is nothing in this world or the next that will remove me from Raelle’s side.
With a low rumble, he nods his agreement before storming toward his dragon. Cano helps Declan into a position where he can rest, leaning up against a tree, before making his way over to me.
“How is she?” He asks, bending into a crouch at our side. My initial reaction was to recoil. To strike the snake first, but then my eyes meet his as he folds his ink-dipped hands together, his elbows on his knees…The amount of concern I see on his face has my walls beginning to crumble. The fact that he is showing any ounce of compassion helps me remember who he was before. The man who was once my best friend.
“I think she will be okay. Whatever magic she just used must have been a lot. We need to rest.” I say quietly as I revel in the feeling of having Raelle in my arms at last.
“The others should be arriving soon. We will find shelter. Hopefully, the prince is more useful than his fancy title and knows how to hunt.” Cano’s lips twitch into a mocking smile, and he nudges me before standing and clearing his throat. The natural flow of conversation seemingly sparking some unease, he grips the back of his neck.
“Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.” He turns, beginning to walk away before I call his name.
“Cano.” Less than a shout but loud enough to cause him to turn back. “Thank you,” I say, keeping his eye. He doesn’t say anything but his brows drop just enough that I know he feels just as conflicted about our new truce as I do. He silently nods before striding off into the dark.
Declan is slumped against a tree, his chin is tucked to his chest, with long matted and filthy hair framing his gaunt face. If I didn’t know him before, I would never believe that he was once one of the fiercest warriors. Seeing him like this is devastating.
A low whistle begins in the distance before the trees around us sway and a gust of cold wind blows through the small clearingwe rest in. Raelle shivers in my arms, and I pull her further up my chest, wrapping my arms as tight as I can manage around her. Using what energy I have left, I bring the warmth of my fire element to the surface of my hands and press it into her. She visibly relaxes, causing my worry to ease just slightly. I focus on the movement of her chest and the calming rhythm of her heart.
“If only your father could see you now.” Declan’s voice cracks as he attempts to raise it enough to reach me. I’m sure he is watching this all play out with a few things to say… though I don’t say as much. I just look between my uncle and the woman sleeping in my arms.
“I knew you would be powerful one day… but to be mated to the one chosen by the gods. You were chosen yourself. If only we had seen your magic for what it is…” His voice trails off and I watch as his eyes flutter shut and he loses his battle with consciousness.
Resting my head back on the rough bark behind me, I watch the darkness creep further in as the night settles fully over us. A stir of movement in the brush grabs my attention, and I brace myself. I am prepared to do anything and everything I can to ensure Raelle and Declan’s safety. Just as I am about to conjure a torrent of shadows, a black wolf bursts through the bushes, dropping several rabbits between us. I can’t help the laugh that escapes at the sight.
“You can hardly expect me to eat that…It’s already been in your mouth.” I try hard to contain the laugh swelling in my chest. Kait’s words from so long ago came so easy to me just now at Cano’s expense without a thought. He huffs, his wolf form shaking its fur out before leaping into the dense wood again.
“You know as well as I do that she ate every bit of the kills I brought in.” His smile as he emerges from the brush is genuine. Once again in his Fae form, and the expression is nearly foreign. I haven’t seenthisman in so long that I almost say something,but the look in his eyes—I don’t have to. The light in them dims, and he swipes his hand down his face.
“Anyway, Osiris and the lizard found a cave close by that we can make camp at until the others arrive. She hasn’t woken yet?” He juts his chin out at Raelle, who still sleeps in my now cramping arms.
“No,” I say, looking down at her. “I could go the rest of my life without having to step foot in another cave…How far is it?”
“Maybe a twenty-minute walk west, along the tree line.” He cracks his neck before pulling a tunic on after his shift. As much as I’d hate to ever admit it, I don’t think I can carry Raelle for that long of a trek in my current state.
“Bracarva will carry us all.” Osiris steps out of the shadows as if my thoughts alone summoned him. “Also, if I hear you refer to her as alizardagain, I will feed you to her as a snack.” He says, pinning Cano with a glare.
Trent is going to get along great with Osiris. The thought brings a pang of longing for my brother. I shift with a grunt, pulling Raelle up across my lap and threading my arm under her legs. Cano runs to my aid, helping me stand, and out of habit I grunt my frustration and jerk away. His hand falls away, and a surprising ripple of regret washes through me.
