Page 30 of Moon Raven Rising
Slowly he grips the back of my neck and pulls me into him. Pressing our bodies close, he bends down, running his nose up the column of my neck. My heart begins to skip and heat to pool between my legs. Then his teeth clamp down on my earlobe, bringing my back to arch and a hiss to come from my parted lips. Cano clears his throat, and Trent chuckles. Squeezing my waist, he pulls back to look into my eyes. I don’t have to read his thoughts to know the promise he is giving me with that mischievous grin on his face.
“Go.” I laugh, pushing him away. He pushes a kiss to my lips before pointing a finger at Cano.
“Put a blade tothisneck.” He spins me in his arm with his hand wrapped around my throat. “I will rip your fucking throat out.” I elbow him, and he grunts, his breath hot in my ear. Fuck, this man is perfect. Then he sees himself out, leaving Cano and me alone.
Cano ignores me as he continues to ready himself for the mission.
“Stop staring at me.” He finally grumbles, coming to a stop at the door.
“How are your hands?” I say reaching out to him. He pulls away, balling one hand into a fist and the other gripping an axe at the table at his side.
“The same.”
“Cano if you ever need someone to talk to—” He turns around quickly, his eyes zeroing in on mine.
“I don’t, Ambriel, leave it alone.” He slides, crossing battle axes at his back, before he crosses his arms over his chest. “Seriously, fuck off would you? Go… I don’t know, just… behappy with Trent or whatever.” His jaw ticks. For a minute, I think he might open up as he stands there, but he lets out a long sigh before turning again and opening the door. “Let’s go. We have a queen to find in the morning.”
Dax stands at the top of the hill, just beyond the stables. The sun is rising and casting him in a gold glow. His wings hang from his back like the deepest shadow, and his hand presses to the sword’s hilt at his hip. The sword's long, deadly blade has runes and carvings on either side similar to those marked within the cave that Dax was in. The metal gleams, and the stone on the hilt glows with a vibrancy that cannot just be due to the sunlight filtering through it. Anyone near can feel the power thrumming from it—from him.
I’ve never met a king before Dax, but the vision of him standing there facing the horizon… It doesn’t take my magic of sight to see he was meant to be king.
“Has anyone seen Kait?” Trent asks, coming to stand by my side. We both look out at Dax, where he stands. He’s been quiet. I can sense that he is angry, but there is also a terrifying calmness to him. He’s been keeping to himself much more withRaelle’s absence. I open my mouth to respond to Trent, but I’m interrupted when a vision flares to life in my mind.
Crouching low, my hand comes out before me, palm up. Shadows gather in a swirling orb at its center. Growing larger and flashing with white light at the center. As though I hold a storm in my hand. My gaze shifts from the magic up and over the boulder I sit behind. A dragon screeches in the distance, then another comes flying right toward me. With a grunt, I throw the ball of smoke and lightning at the beast. It bursts right before its eyes in a flash. The clap of thunder drowning out even the dragon’s roar.
Flames come billowing from the middle of the shadows, evaporating them like mist, and I curse. “Motherfucker.” Then I’m shoving my hand into the dirt. The earth pluming up on a gust of wind so strong it creates a vortex. The dragon’s fire dies, then it banks hard to the right before flying away from where I now stand, coated in dirt and sweat. A warm hand presses to my lower back, and I turn to meet ocean-blue eyes and a dazzling smile.
“Good, my queen.” He leans in, his stubble brushing my cheek as he hides my face with his shoulder and whispers. “They are approaching; don’t show your hand too soon.” Backing up, he smiles once again before nodding, and the vision fades.
When I come back to the present, I realize someone is gripping my wrist painfully tight and my eyes snap up to meet two pyres burning in Dax’s. I hadn’t even realized we were close when the vision was taking me. I’m usually so careful not to touch anyone while I’m having one, unless I want them to see it. This was so sudden, so unexpected.
“Who was it?” He growls, his lip curling and his grip becoming warmer as it tightens further.
“Dax.” I mumble and look down at my arm, but his gaze is frozen on my face. His anger vibrates so strongly it rips throughthe barriers of my mind, and I drop to my knees. A scream rips through my throat before Dax is knocked away.
I lay on my back in the dirt, my breath coming out in rapid bursts. I thought it was Trent who knocked Dax away from me, but when Trent comes to my aid and I still hear a scuffle happening, my eyes lock on the two men fighting.
A fist flies slamming into Dax’s jaw, and fire flares to life in his hands before he returns the blow. Blood as dark as ink arches through the air as Cano falls backward. His head hits the ground in a sickening crack. Dax doesn’t stop though. Once Cano is on the ground, he drops over him. His fists are a blaze of speed and power pummeling Cano. Cano isn’t moving, only his head whipping this way and that, with every punch delivered.
“Stop him!” I choke out, but Trent is fumbling over me to make sure I’m ok. “Stop him!” My voice cracks as I try to yell over the chaos. To my surprise, a white wolf with scars down her face pounces on Dax. Knocking him back and snarling and snapping her teeth in the king’s face. Dax stares at her panting, then looks up to all of us, breaths heaving, and his expression horrified. Alaric comes running from the stables next, cursing when he sees the destruction.
“What the fuck? I turn around for a minute…” He throws his hands up in the air in exasperation.
“Alaric—Cano,” I say, and as I do, Dax’s gaze shifts back to his hazel eyes. The flame’s extinguished with nothing but rippling darkness behind them. They widen on Cano’s listless body lying in a puddle of blackened blood, and he shakes his head. Standing, he backs away from everyone before he launches into the sky with a powerful clap of his wings.
Chapter twenty-six
Osiris and I havebeen staring at each other for what feels like hours, even though I know it’s only been minutes. I pull myself into the large wingback chair cross-legged and watch as he gets up and adds wood to the hearth. Winter has fully settled over all of Aldramani, and being this far north, I can feel the chill in my bones. When he sits back down on the seat in front of me, he leans back and crosses his arms over his chest.
“So what you’re telling me is that my family bartered with your kingdom… to keep dragons alive in Valeska, and in return, you wouldn’t invade? What does Aldramani have that Valeska doesn’t to keep the dragons alive?” I ask, pulling the throw from the arm of the chair and wrapping it around myself.
“Magic was used very differently… As I’m sure you know.” He looks at the door and then back to me. “The Soule Mountains are called what they are for a reason. Do you know what thatreason is?” My brow gathers between my eyes as I think about the answer to his question. I paid attention to my studies, but I don’t recall learning about why the mountains in Aldramani were named what they were…
“I—guess I don’t know why.” I finally admit.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Had you grown up with your royal family, that would be very different. I don’t have time to go into the many details, unfortunately. I know I am asking a lot of you… but I need you to trust me.” He lowers his voice to a whisper on the last sentence he says and his eyes shine brightly in the dim lighting in the room. I’ve never gotten a bad feeling from Osiris—from my magic. I’ve always been weary of him, but how could I not? But still, do I trust the Prince of Dragons? I saw the way he tensed around his father.
“Why is your father working with Soren?” I ask plainly. His jaw ticks.
