Page 40 of Feral Gods

RAVIK

C ontrol. The boundary between chaos and order.

Between savage and civilized. Between beast and being.

For centuries trapped in stone, control was the only thing I possessed—my thoughts, my rage, my plans for vengeance.

Now, as I prowl the outer perimeter of our mountain refuge, scanning for threats in the pre-dawn gloom, control slips through my fingers like water.

Three nights have passed since Kaia's magic manifested during the dark elf attack.

Three nights since Thane returned bloodied from battle to find comfort in her arms. I accepted this—surprised even myself with my capacity to share what instinct screams should be mine alone.

Perhaps because Thane's connection with her was physical, primal.

Warrior to warrior, in a sense. A joining I could understand.

But last night...

The memory burns behind my eyes. Returning from reinforcing the eastern defenses, I followed the faint trail of magical energy emanating from the ancient study chamber Zephyr had claimed.

I expected to find them working on strengthening our sanctuary's protections, as they'd done every night since discovering Kaia's purna heritage.

Instead, I found something else entirely.

The chamber door stood slightly ajar, voices drifting through the gap. I moved closer, silent as shadow, a lifetime of stealth guiding my steps.

"Beautiful," Zephyr's voice, unusually tender. "The way your energy intertwines with mine—I've never experienced such perfect resonance."

"Is that unusual?" Kaia asked, her tone intimate in a way I'd never heard directed at the scholarly gargoyle.

"Beyond unusual. In my centuries of magical practice, I've never encountered compatible energy signatures. Most practitioners merely tolerate each other's magical presence."

A soft laugh from Kaia. "And we're more than tolerating each other?"

"Infinitely more." A pause, heavy with meaning. "Our energies don't merely cooperate, Kaia. They enhance, amplify, transform each other. Something entirely new emerges from our combination."

"Like this?" A flare of magenta light spilled through the doorway, mingling with Zephyr's characteristic blue-white glow.

"Precisely. Extraordinary."

Another pause, then Kaia's voice again, softer still. "It's not just the magic, is it?"

"No." Zephyr's admission hung in the air. "It hasn't been just the magic for some time now."

I should have left. Should have respected their privacy as Thane and Zephyr had respected mine during my first moments with Kaia. But something held me rooted—some primitive, possessive instinct I thought I'd mastered.

Through the narrow opening, I watched Zephyr's hand—always so precise, so controlled—tremble slightly as he brushed a curl from Kaia's face. The tenderness in the gesture struck deeper than any blade. When she leaned into his touch, eyes closing in perfect trust, something inside me fractured.

It wasn't the prospect of physical intimacy between them that twisted my gut. It was the connection I witnessed—intellectual, emotional, something beyond the primal claiming I understood. Something I couldn't give her with my limited vocabulary of rage and protection.

I fled before they could discover my presence, retreating to the highest point of our sanctuary to wrestle my demons into submission through the long night.

Now, as early light creeps across the mountain peaks, I still feel the jagged edges of that fracture within me. The possessive rage simmers just beneath my careful control, threatening to boil over at the slightest provocation.

A scout returns—one of the mountain foxes I've enlisted through ancient pacts to watch our perimeter.

It communicates through impressions rather than words: dark elf movement to the south, purna energies gathering to the east. Our enemies draw closer.

We have perhaps three days before their forces arrive in strength.

I should return to the sanctuary, share this intelligence with the others. Prepare our defenses. Focus on survival rather than the jealousy eating at my core.

The main chamber is empty when I enter, early morning light streaming through cleverly concealed apertures in the stone ceiling.

I move toward the central hearth, rekindling the fire with a gesture.

The flames respond to my agitated state, leaping higher than intended, crackling with barely contained energy.

"Your control slips."

I turn sharply at Thane's voice. He stands in the passage leading to the sleeping chambers, arms crossed over his massive chest, crimson eyes assessing me with uncomfortable insight.

"The scouts report movement," I reply, ignoring his observation. "Dark elves from the south. Purna to the east. Three days, perhaps less."

Thane nods, accepting the tactical information without comment on my obvious deflection. He moves to the rough stone table where our maps are laid out, studying the terrain with a warrior's eye.

"We should move deeper into the mountains," he suggests. "There's a network of caves beyond the high ridge that would provide better defensive positions."

"And trap us more thoroughly if those positions fail." I join him at the table, focusing on strategy to calm the turmoil within. "We maintain our current position. The approach is more accessible but gives us better escape routes if needed."

"If you believe that's best." His tone carries no challenge, yet something in his easy acquiescence grates against my raw nerves.

"You disagree?"

His gaze shifts from the map to my face, studying me with the same tactical assessment he'd given the terrain. "About our defensive position? No. About whatever has you radiating hostility like a wounded waira? Absolutely."

I turn away, jaw clenched. "Focus on the threat that matters."

"I am." He steps closer, undeterred by my obvious warning signs. "You're coiled tighter than a spring trap, Ravik. I can smell the rage pouring off you. What happened?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Anything that affects our commander concerns me." His hand lands on my shoulder, a gesture meant to convey solidarity that instead triggers every territorial instinct I've been suppressing.

I react without thought, spinning to knock his hand away with enough force to send him staggering back. "Do not touch me."

Instead of responding with matching aggression, Thane straightens slowly, his expression calculating. "This isn't about me."

"Your powers of observation remain unmatched," I growl, regretting the confrontation even as I fail to defuse it.

"It's about Kaia." He watches my reaction carefully. "And Zephyr."

The names together send a fresh surge of possessive rage through me. My wings flare involuntarily, talons extending from my fingertips in primal threat display.

"So that's it." Thane nods as if confirming a theory. "You knew about her and me. Accepted it, even. But Zephyr is different somehow."

"This discussion is finished." I turn back to the map, struggling to focus on battle plans instead of the images burned into my mind Kaia's trust, Zephyr's tenderness, their perfect magical harmony.

"No, it isn't." Thane's voice hardens. "Not if your personal feelings endanger our collective survival. We face enemies on two fronts, Ravik. We cannot afford internal conflict."

"Then leave it alone."

"I would, if I believed you capable of doing the same." He moves around the table, positioning himself in my line of sight. "But you're not. You're spiraling, and that puts all of us at risk Kaia most of all."

The mention of her name triggers another surge of possessive instinct. "I would never harm her."

"Not intentionally." His gaze holds mine, unflinching. "But rage makes us careless. Makes us miss threats, overlook weaknesses. The commander I followed for centuries would never allow personal feelings to compromise our security."

The accusation strikes its target with precision. Before I can formulate a response, footsteps echo from the eastern passage—light, human footsteps accompanied by the more measured tread of our scholarly companion.

Kaia enters first, her face brightening at the sight of me.

The simple joy in her expression momentarily soothes the jealousy clawing at my insides.

She wears the same simple tunic and leggings as yesterday, but something about her seems transformed—a new confidence in her bearing, a subtle glow to her skin that speaks of magical practice and other, more intimate exertions.

"Ravik!" She moves toward me, unaware of the tension hanging in the chamber. "We've been looking for you. Zephyr's discovered something important about the temple's defensive systems."

Zephyr follows her into the chamber, his silver-gray form moving with characteristic precision. Unlike Kaia, he reads the atmosphere instantly, turquoise eyes flicking between Thane and me with quick assessment.

"Perhaps this can wait," he suggests, placing a cautioning hand on Kaia's shoulder.

That touch—casual, proprietary—snaps the last threads of my control.

"Remove your hand," I growl, the words barely recognizable through the rage distorting my voice.

Zephyr complies immediately, understanding the danger in my tone, but Kaia steps forward instead of back, concern replacing her earlier smile.

"What's wrong?" she asks, approaching me with the fearlessness that first drew me to her. "Has something happened?"

"Many things have happened," I reply, struggling to moderate my tone. "Enemy forces approach from two directions. We have battle plans to finalize. Defenses to reinforce." I gesture sharply toward the map table. "These take precedence over whatever magical discoveries you two have made."

The emphasis I place on "you two" is not lost on her. Her eyes narrow slightly, perception sharpening.

"This isn't about defense preparations." She steps closer despite Zephyr's warning gesture. "What's really bothering you, Ravik?"