Page 41
Raelan
WE STAY THE NIGHT AT the little cottage, curled up together on the couch as the fire burns low and the rain becomes a gentle patter on the roof. Somewhere in the cottage, I can hear a slow drip, rainwater leaking through in some weak point.
When we awaken the next morning and realize Alina’s nightdress is shredded and unwearable, I wrap my hand around hers and lead her upstairs, to the small room with a closet full of old abandoned clothes.
“What is this place, anyway?” Alina asks me, her pale eyes scanning the dusty bedroom.
I flick through the clothing in the closet, pulling a tunic free that I think won’t completely swallow her. “I’m not sure. I found it years ago when I was flying. I come here every so often, and it’s never any different. I might be the only one who knows about it. Well... and now you do too. ”
I like that idea—sharing a secret with Alina, having something all to ourselves.
Alina goes to the window and pushes the drapes aside. Beams of sunlight streak through the dirty glass, illuminating the particles of dust swirling through the air. “I think it’s nice.” Her lips pull up on one side. “If it’s abandoned, maybe we could...”
I pause my search through the wardrobe and regard her. “We could what?”
Pink colors her cheeks, and she shrugs, drawing the cloak she’s wearing tighter. “I don’t know... Make it ours?”
A curl of nervousness goes through me, but it’s not mine.
It’s hers. The bond allows me to feel everything she does, like we can speak a language all our own.
After pulling the smallest pair of trousers I can find from the drawer of the wardrobe, I walk over to join her beside the window. The sun warms the side of my face as I turn to her.
“Maybe it’s silly,” Alina says.
Another burst of nervousness, this time tinged with embarrassment.
“No,” I say. “Not silly at all.” I cast my gaze around the small room, covered in dust and left here to fall into the earth, forgotten and alone. I imagine Alina with a mop and bucket, her hair pulled back, sunbeams dancing through the room as she sweeps and scrubs, Yuki padding around at her feet. And the image makes my chest warm.
It’s so simple, so... mundane. And yet it’s even more beautiful for it.
“You don’t think so?” Alina asks, her voice lilting with a twinge of excitement. “I mean, I’ll be at Coven Crest for the next three years, and I imagine the castle will always be at least partially my home, especially if Grandfather allows me to join the Shadowfall Court, but...” Her lips pull up into a shy smile. “Maybe we could have a place too. A place of our own.”
I lift a hand to cup her warm cheek, then tip her head back so the sunlight hits her eyes, turning them a shade of icy blue. “I’d like that.”
I lean forward and take her lips in mine, and she sighs against me. Pulling away, I wrap my arms around Alina, cradling her to my chest. As her arms come around me, I feel a peace that has only ever been a fantasy.
My dragon doesn’t writhe. It doesn’t roar or fight or rage, trying to break my bones. It curls comfortably inside me, eased by our new mate connection, completely at peace.
Alina has no idea how much comfort she’s brought to me.
Tightening my arms around her, I press a kiss to her head and whisper, “I’d like that a lot.”
IT’S A CRISP AUTUMN MORNING, but the sun is shining, and it slowly disperses the raindrops that still cling to the fallen leaves and dark green pine needles. Alina and I stand in the clearing in front of the cottage. She’s wearing the tunic and trousers I found for her, and though she had to cinch the waistband of the pants with a roll of twine I found in one of the kitchen drawers, she seems completely at ease.
“All right,” she says, wiggling her fingers at me. “Hand them over.”
With a snort and a small chuckle, I strip out of my clothes. Alina’s cheeks go a slightly brighter shade of pink as I stand naked before her, and I flash her a smile as I hand her my clothing. “You all right? You look a bit red.”
Snatching my clothes and shoving them into a bag she found in the bedroom, she says, “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Mm-hmm.” I stretch my arms, feeling the cool breeze on my exposed skin. “Step back.”
With a nod, she takes a few steps away from me, ensuring I have plenty of space to shift.
I take a deep breath of the autumn air, and then I call on my dragon. It greets me pleasantly, with no rush of anger or prisoned desire. And this time, the transition is smooth, gentle—not the violent twisting and writhing I usually experience.
Alina’s awe trickles through our bond as she watches me. And when I open my dragon eyes and peer down at her, she’s smiling.
No fear. Just joy.
My mate.
I’m glad I didn’t know before what I was missing out on. Now that I know this feeling of connection, of absolute peace, I’m certain there’s no way I could ever go back.
We have mate bonds for a reason . And mine certainly got it right with Alina .
I lower one of my glittering black wings, and though a twirl of nervousness goes through our bond, Alina doesn’t hesitate to step onto my outstretched limb and allow me to lift her onto my back.
She settles into the space between my wing joints and the base of my spine. Her weight is nothing atop me, as light as a summer breeze or a downy feather, and yet it is comforting all the same.
“Okay,” she says, her fingers wrapping around my scales. “I’m ready.”
Excitement churns through me, and if her small breath is any indication, she feels it too.
I stretch my wings out wide, very nearly filling the clearing, and with one mighty downstroke, I lift into the air, then above the trees, then into the sky.
Then we’re soaring through the clouds, heading back toward Ravenscroft Castle, and I feel absolute, unwavering freedom.
And I know Alina is the one who gifted it to me.
Table of Contents
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- Page 41 (Reading here)
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