by Mia Hawkins
I don’t have time to dwell on the shit show that has become my life; I need to find out if Rayven is ok. I look inside myself for the cord that connects me to her. It is pulsing strong, but like always, her mental blocks are too strong to communicate with her. From the moment we bonded, I have not been able to use our bond the way we were supposed to. We should be able to communicate and feel each other’s emotions. I don’t know if it’s her power block or if she is purposely blocking me out. Either way, I wish, in this moment more than any other, that I could feel she is ok. I follow that link and force myself to phase to her.
The smell of pine surrounds me as I’m standing on the edge of a forest. My eyes immediately spot Rayven standing over Alex and Chaice. Seeing her makes my heart beat faster, almost like now I can breathe. She looks beautiful, and I hate myself for not telling her that every time I saw her. The way the wind is blowing her silky hair around her face makes me want to walk up to her and tuck the loose strands behind her ear. I want to cradle her face and look into her gorgeous eyes and claim her mouth until her lips are swollen. I start to make my way over to Rayven when I realize she is not alone. Now that I am not so focused on her, I can see the full scene in front of me. She is standing over my two friends protectively, as I notice the barrier she has put up around them to keep them safe. Rayven is talking to a younger man that I’ve never seen before, and he is holding onto Matthew, but he is slowly making his way towards the cliff’s edge. Does Rayven notice?
He is solely focused on Rayven right now, so maybe I could sneak along the forest and intercept him before he gets to the cliff’s edge. As I start slowly walking, trying to blend in with the trees, I can barely make out the fact they are talking. What in the world is he speaking? It sure as hell isn’t English. I am very well versed in languages, but I have never heard this one before. How can Rayven be speaking it as well? As far as I knew, she only knew English, but I could be wrong. It’s not like we were all that close during the week she was with us.
I look back over at the stranger and watch as he pushes Matthew over the edge. I lurch forward just in time to see the man disappear. Rayven takes off in a full speed run, and I try to yell for her to stop, but she doesn’t hear me. She throws herself over the edge without a second thought.
My heart plummets to my feet when I get to the edge. I look over and see Rayven falling quickly to the rough water below. One second Rayven is in my vision, and the next there is a huge white dragon. It flaps its magnificent wings to gain air, while it lets out a glass-shattering roar. The dragon quickly reaches the top of the cliff, and in its huge talons, I see Matthew.
Tears spring to my eyes. I didn’t know until that moment how much this group means to me, especially Rayven. She is my fated mate, and I have been such an asshole to her. Even though I was not really myself because of Delilah’s enchantment, the way I irritated her was horrible. I just hope that she will be able to forgive me and that I haven’t done too much damage to our relationship.
The dragon sets Matthew down and lands next to him. I have seen dragons before, but never one so big and beautiful. She is all white, not a spot of color on her besides her eyes, which are once again continuously changing colors. Rayven’s dragon stumbles a step, and I move closer. She catches my movement and snarls at me to stay back.
I take her warning and do as she wishes. I take two steps further away from her, although I want nothing more than to be close to her. She rests her massive head on the ground, and she begins to glow red. Within seconds, a naked and unconscious Rayven is in the dragon’s place. I rush forward and cradle her in my arms. I know after everything I have done, I don’t deserve to hold her, but I need to. She must have extended too much energy shifting. I have heard the first time that people shift, it is completely draining. Usually though, when they do shift, they haven’t been doing what Rayven has been for the last day.
I look around and see the guys are finally starting to stir. It takes them a minute to fully wake up, but when they do, they shoot to their feet and look around. At first, they don’t notice me, but when they do, I can see their hatred for me written all over their faces. I messed up choosing Delilah over them, I know that now, but I also need to tell them that I didn’t have a choice either. All I can do is apologize.
“Give her to me! What happened?” Matthew says as I let him rip her from my arms.
“I’m not sure. We won’t know what is going on until she wakes up. Right now, we need to get her home so she can rest.” I look to each one of the men before me. We used to be best friends, but I can tell they don’t view me the same anymore. And I have no one to blame but myself.
“You’re not going anywhere near her! You are the reason she’s in this mess in the first place. Once again, you only think about yourself. I am done with it. Why don’t you go try to control someone else’s life?” Chaice yells in my face. I should be mad, but I just can’t bring myself to disagree with them. I was blinded by my own needs and wishes. I should have listened to them. I have a feeling that I will be making up for the damage I have done for a long time.
I watch as my old best friends carry my fated mate into the woods and away from me. I feel like a piece of my heart is being taken away with her, but I will not let her just leave my life like this. I know she will need me in the days to come, and the only way I can make up for what I have done is to be there when she calls. I can only hope that my explanation of why I acted the way I did will be enough for them to forgive me.
The End...
The Epilogue
Rayven
The sun shining down on my face warms my cold body up. I feel like I have been frozen for years. I let the sun soak into my deprived skin and let my body melt against the soft grass. I don’t know where I am, but I am completely relaxed. Did I die? This feels nice enough to be heaven. I can hear the birds chirping and the crickets making their beautiful music. There is a floral fragrance on the breeze. It reminds me of a time when life was much simpler, a time when it was just me and my best friend. I bet I am in my field; I must be dreaming.
“Your field? Who says it isn’t my field?”
I smile hearing his voice. “Reading my mind again, I see. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that it’s not polite to eavesdrop in people’s heads?” I chuckle to myself. I keep my eyes closed, afraid this moment will be gone before I can truly appreciate it. I hear a laugh, and it sounds so beautiful to my ears that I can’t help but release a sigh.
“So what have you been up to recently?” he asks.
“Nothing I want to talk about, that’s for sure. I just want to worry about here and now. I might be dead for all I know, so nothing that has happened will actually matter anymore.” The thought strikes me as odd. Can you actually think if you are dead? Out of all the dangerous things that have happened to me, what a way to finally kick the bucket. I literally jumped off a cliff, waving a white flag at the grim reaper.
“You’re not dead, you goon. Why don’t you open your eyes?”
I shake my head no. “I don’t want to, and you can’t make me.”
I hear movement beside me. “Is that so? I seem to remember you are pretty ticklish.” I feel hands on my sides, and I instantly start thrashing. I hate being tickled with a passion.
“Ok, ok, you win! I will open them.” I wait for the tickling to stop and open my eyes. I gaze into the ocean blue eyes of the first friend I ever had.
“Hey, Ray,” he says shyly. I see movement behind him and look over his shoulders to see two massive red feathered wings coming out of his back. I stare at him in confusion until it finally clicks.
“You’re an angel?”
About the Author
I’ve had stories in my head for way too many years to count.
I’m also an animal lover, and you can most likely find me having conversations with my horses, dogs, chickens, or cats in Wisconsin, where I live with my husband and three kids, soon to be four...
I am currently studying to becom
e a nurse.
Follow me at: (facebook, website, insta, whatever) for news about the sequel due to come out approximately in April 2020.