Obsidian Wings

by Clara Hartley

  The door clicked open. “Constance?” Eduard called. “Are the both of you all right?”

  Her eyes widened with sudden panic. She yanked his head backward. He didn’t budge. Her grip wasn’t strong enough.

  She pushed at him. “Rayse, stop.”

  He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

  An object crashed in the background. Rayse’s sensitive hearing caught Eduard muttering, “Dragon’s asses. Hands are getting too old.” Shuffling feet scraped on the rocky ground.

  Rayse’s hand traveled down her waist and lifted her frock up. A growl rumbled from his throat.

  “Rayse.” Her voice was hard. “Stop. He’s going to find us.” Her hips shook against him despite her protests.

  He slipped his hand toward her center and found her flower. She was soaking. He would fuck her, claim her, make her solely his.

  “Constance? Uh, dragon lord, sir?” Eduard’s voice was getting farther away. He was walking in the wrong direction.

  “Rayse!” Her knee flew up to Rayse’s groin, but she’d missed. She bit his shoulder and let out a soft shriek. “Stop this instant or I will never trust you for a bond.”

  The threat to his dragon woke him from his lust, and he drew himself backward. Tears dampened his mate’s eyes. He had done it again. But she’d wanted it. Her body responded. His need for her continued to claw at him, but the interruption gave him strength to push it away.

  “C-Constance…” he said through gritted teeth.

  Her eyes were two large, beautiful orbs staring at him with uncertainty. She had been afraid enough to want to hurt him.

  Even then, every part of his soul wanted to bend her to his will and take her.

  “I’ll… I’ll be back to take you home.” He stepped away. The only way to control himself after tasting her was to distance his dragon from the ravishing temptation. “Enjoy your time with Eduard.” He tried not to overthink her spending time with her father. Rayse’s rational side knew the simple truth of the matter, but the dragon had a stubborn, rocklike head. He ran a hand through his hair and strode off.

  He spotted the old man in the corner, but didn’t pay him much mind. They’d been caught, but he had no need to answer to a pesky human.

  When properly out of sight, he undressed and put his clothes aside. Then he called to his dragon and shifted as soon as he could.

  Fuck.

  Chapter 13

  Constance attempted to push the thoughts of Rayse from her mind. This was valuable time with her father. She had to treasure it.

  But where had that dragon man gone to?

  Eduard strolled from the stove, gingerly cupping a bowl of soup. “Sorry it’s not much. It’s nothing like your cooking. It’s leftovers from my dinner.”

  She smiled. “But you can have leftovers now.”

  “Thanks to you.” He placed the clear broth in front of her. Chunks of meat and vegetables swam in it. She remembered not having finished her dinner back at Dragon Keep. She spooned some and tasted her father’s cooking. A tad under-seasoned, but it was still a normal bowl of soup.

  Eduard sat across from her. “Where’s the Black Menace?”

  “Off… somewhere.” The spark Rayse had heated in her groins lingered there. She had lost control to him again. She reminded herself that he didn’t mean to scare her like that. He had already explained to her how the dragon lust made him lose all sense.

  Regardless, thoughts of the brothel were reawakened, and anxiety took her heart hostage. She wasn’t ready to wholly give herself to her dragon mate just yet.

  Eduard fidgeted. “Constance, dear, are you sure about this?”

  “Hm?” She scooped another spoonful of soup.

  “About Rayse. He’s gone, for the moment. My horse is outside. We can escape. The village has got the money, and I saved some. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. We can slink away into the cover of the forest and you won’t have to be a slave to the beast anymore.”

  Her hand halted. A crease deepened on her forehead. “What? Papa, what are you saying? I don’t want to run.” She might have considered the suggestion two days ago, but it shocked her to realize she didn’t want to part with Rayse.

  Eduard lowered his voice. “He doesn’t seem like a kind man. Has he done anything to you? Hurt you?”

  “No,” she lied, recalling their first night together and how he’d subjugated her to his will. “He’s kind. He provides me my own bed and he gives me enough to eat. He’s even given me my own personal servant.” She tried to avoid Eduard’s gaze while lying. She wasn’t a very good liar.

  And her father could tell. “He’s done something, hasn’t he?”

  “Nothing!”

  “You’re too defensive. There’s no way. He’s the Black Menace. There are stories of him smiting villages to the ground, destroying entire clans single-handedly.”

  “They’re exaggerations.”

  Eduard shook his head. “There is truth in all stories. He has blood on his hands—dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands. My sweet child, I haven’t been able to sleep at all thinking about how I sent you into that monster’s arms. I’ve been beside myself with guilt. Let me correct this wrong. Let’s go away and we can start life anew amongst a new village.”

  She’d lost her appetite for the second time that night. “I will not continue this conversation with you. Rayse is a good man.” She’d surprised herself admitting that. But were those tales of him true?

  “Listen to yourself. He’s bewitched you with dragon magic.”

  “No, he hasn’t.”

  “He has! You’ve never been one to like the dragons, and now you’re protecting the most dangerous of them all?”

  “I’ve seen how kind he truly is.” Had she?

  “He’s lying!”

  “Rayse has been nothing but honest with me.”

  “How can you even tell? Don’t be stupid, you don’t know what a—”

  Her palm fell hard on the table.

  Eduard looked dismayed. “Constance…”

  The anger had come to her in an unexplained rush. She wanted to protect Rayse from her father’s insults. That lonely black beast didn’t deserve any more hate and misunderstanding. Judging from Rayse’s recounting earlier, he had been misunderstood his entire life.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry, Papa. I’m not sure what came over me.” Why did the sudden urge to protect Rayse Everstone clutch at her like a snaking vine? “Let’s talk about something else. Healing, perhaps?” The knowledge Greta had shared brewed excitement in her. She redirected her thoughts to that instead. “The dragons are much more advanced than us when it comes to the healing arts. There is so much to learn. Rayse brought me their clinic, and it’s opened me to so much.”

  Eduard hesitated. He clearly didn’t want to change the topic, but he obliged. “What have you learned?”

  Then she realized all the knowledge she’d been enlightened to was related to soul magic. Eduard had never been privy to her ability to wield magic. She didn’t use it unless it was truly needed, and she was uncomfortable with sharing her abilities because of the warnings Marsella had given her. Other humans feared and disdained witches.

  But maybe it was time for the humans to embrace the art. After learning about how much was possible, Constance had realized how much good her people were missing out on because of their resistance to magic.

  Eduard was the man she trusted the most. Surely, he would understand?

  She bit her lower lip. “Papa, you know magic exists, right?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Yes, no? I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. I’ve never seen it.”

  “It exists. I’ve been using it.”

  “But Constance… the dragons?”

  “No, before them. Remember how quickly Madame Soren’s boy recovered? It was magic. And just a few days ago, I was only aware of a fraction of the art. There are so many possibilities. So much good we can do. We can use a quarter of the herbs we’ve been
using. We can reverse tubersis, the red spots, gray flu. All those things we thought would definitely kill you before”—she snapped her fingers—“gone.”

  Eduard craned his head back. Was that disgust she saw? “It’s forbidden. Magic is evil. That’s what we humans believe. What are the costs? Something that sounds so simple always comes at a cost.”

  She sucked at the flesh of her cheeks. She had to convince him that magic was something to be embraced. The art could be corrupt and vile, but so long as users wielded it responsibly, the benefits stretched on endlessly. “It does come at a cost, but it’s a small one compared to the good it brings. We need to sacrifice the souls of living beings to work it.”

  “Sacrifice the souls!”

  She lifted her hands frantically and tried to wave away the air of doubt surrounding him. “Not of puppies or the like. We can use other animal sacrifices—insects, lizards, pests. You eat chicken. This isn’t any more morally reprehensible. Come, let me show you.”

  She scampered to her room and dug for the jar of creatures she had kept hidden from her father. Half of them lay unmoving, the other half twitched in a dying dance, but they would suffice. As she moved along, she picked up one of Eduard’s flu medicines from the shelves.

  Eduard’s face showed nothing short of horror. “Constance, I really don’t think you should be doing this.” He eyed the jar of sacrifices.

  “Just watch. You’ll understand.” She took out a dying moth and placed it on the table, spread her palm out like a leaf over the creature, and muttered, “Es rea misreagou.” She waited for the bright soul to leave the animal before continuing, “Kisla misreagou.” The souls formed a blue mist beneath her fingers. She waved the magic to the medicine. “Loshar var Rengolaris.” The spell meant to strengthen and purify. The mixture glowed red, lighting the entire perimeter of the table, then pulled in the magic hungrily. She blew out a breath of relief—Greta had only taught her the spell that afternoon after some inquiry, and Constance hadn’t been sure if it would work.

  Her father scowled. “But this is evil.”

  “This”—she lifted the bowl and pointed to it—“is the cure for the red spot. I know one of your patients has it, and it might spread. Give it to him and he will heal in a day.”

  Eduard lifted himself off his seat and ambled over. His brow creased into a valley of tension. He picked up the ochre medicine and sniffed. Then he moved to the basin and poured the whole thing down the drain.

  “Papa!”

  He whipped around, his expression a haze of fury. “I cannot serve this to one of my patients. It’s sorcery, blasphemy. The man might be cured, but he would be demon-tainted.”

  “Those are just stories—”

  He had to see that she spoke truth. She trusted him the most. How could Eduard be like the other villagers, often small-minded and quick to judge? A firm hand coiled around her wrist and Papa pulled her to the door. Outwardly, Eduard looked frail, but he was still a man, and Constance couldn’t hold her ground. She could trip him using deftness she’d learned from being a thief, but her heart wouldn’t let her hurt her father.

  “Papa? Where are we going?”

  He rammed the door open. “Wait for me in the carriage. I’ll pack our valuables, take the money we need, and then we’ll steal away in the cover of the forest. We can wait out there until Rayse gives up, then we’ll find another hamlet to settle down in.”

  “I don’t want to leave.” The joint of her shoulder ached from her resistance. She curved her fingers and clenched the doorframe. If she followed her father, she might never see Rayse again. She barely knew the man, but her soul fought against that notion. The Black Menace intrigued her, drew her in.

  “Do not contest me on this, Constance. The dragons are tainting you, defiling you. Already you’re dabbling in dark wizardry. I fear for your life. I fear for your soul. I don’t want you to see the pits of hell. Haven’t you heard what the bishop says? Those who practice magic will lose their souls to the fires of the underworld forever.”

  “He also says dragons are our gods.”

  “He must be wrong on that account, then, because every time I see one of those creatures, fear grips me and I think I’m seeing the devil himself.”

  “Do you realize how silly you sound?”

  “Constance, please understand.” His grip loosened. “I thought I’d lost you. We signed you up for the Offering, but I never believed you would be chosen. You’re my family. My only family. I can’t stand to see you be taken away again. And now, through some amazing miracle, you’re back with me.” Tears brimmed in his eyes. “Don’t make me lose my only daughter once more.”

  “I’ll be back.” She rested a gentle hand on her father’s wrinkled fingers. “Rayse will let me visit.”

  “What has gotten into you? You were never comfortable with men. I can only think this is some trick of the dragons. I saw the way he forced himself on you. I know you hate touching them.”

  “You saw?”

  His features turned grim. “Part of it. I don’t want you to be his personal harlot.”

  “I can’t leave with you. I belong at his side.” She was astonished to find herself acknowledging as such. “I think… I think he might need me.” She didn’t want Rayse Everstone lonely anymore. She found resolve to let him into her heart, and wanted to be in his, too.

  Determination and sternness were etched on Eduard’s face. “I need to protect you from yourself.” His arms encircled her like a web, and he tugged her toward the carriage.

  She tried to jerk away. “Papa! What are you doing?”

  “You’re obviously not keen on coming with me, but it’s the dragon’s magic lying to you. I’ll bring you away, and then you can regain your senses.”

  Was this actually happening? Was Eduard trying to take her against her will? Her father had never acted this way before. He was always kind, caring, and understanding toward her.

  She pried Eduard’s fingers from her frame. “Please, you’re not acting like yourself. You’re not thinking straight.”

  An ominous growl shook from behind them.

  Eduard froze.

  She twisted to the growl’s direction and saw Rayse with his shoulder-length hair tossed about his face in messy tendrils. His back was bathed in moonlight, and the glowing blue stretched his slender, sharp shadow over the dirt ground. His eyes had lost all human quality. His shoulders and pectorals tensed with all the sinew of a predator’s. Her stomach somersaulted before sinking like a rock.

  Eduard’s hold on her unraveled.

  Fear for her father swirled around her like a blizzard, chilling her right up to her fingertips.

  “Papa, run,” she said.

  Red coupled with the black of destruction burned in Rayse’s mind. The sight was more than enough to drive the dragon in him livid. He had returned to Constance’s home with strong resolution, certain he could reel his inner beast in and provide a better impression of himself to Eduard.

  But he had not expected the sight playing out in front of him right then—his mate, hurting and bewildered in another man’s grip, struggling as he rubbed his scent all over her.

  “Rayse, please, it’s not what it looks like,” Constance said, snapping away from Eduard. She rushed to Rayse’s side, but even her touch was not enough to cool the firestorm raging in him.

  All reason had abandoned him moments ago.

  He would kill this man for laying his dirty paws all over his mate. He would gut him for threatening and scaring her.

  “Stop! Don’t hurt my father.”

  A dull ache spliced through his shoulder blades, indicating his wings had spread out. He likely appeared as nothing less than the devil to Eduard—good. The man ought to fear him. The healer should be wetting his pants and begging for mercy once Rayse finished with him. Or maybe he’d be wet with blood.

  Eduard dragged himself backward. “I-I, I didn’t mean…”

  Rayse’s talons lengthened. Eduard startled.

/>   “Rayse!” Constance called.

  He leapt at the aging man, a growl ripping from his throat. His ears pulsed with heat. He would skin this man alive.

  Eduard fell onto his buttocks and threw his arms up in a protective shield. “I-I’m sorry… I never… never should have tried to take her away…”

  Constance rushed between them and spread her arms out, fencing her father. Her eyes were glistening. “Stop now. Please don’t hurt him. You’re hurting me if you do so. You’ll have to kill me before laying a finger on Papa.”

  Rayse shoved his way past her. “Nonsense.” Her hands came over his shoulders in a weak attempt to hold him back.

  He pinned himself over his prey and curled his fingers around Eduard’s neck. The old man coughed and choked. Rayse’s hold tightened, squeezing the breath out of the healer. Eduard would be one of the countless he’d kill.

  But he had never killed innocents.

  He swept the thought aside. Eduard wasn’t innocent—he had threatened Rayse’s mate.

  No! Constance would not stand by and watch another parent choke to death. The scene paralleled her childhood in an uncanny horror.

  “Let him go this instant,” she said. “Please, Rayse, please… I beg of you…”

  Rayse would not listen to her. He was too far gone. The dragon in him had entirely clouded his judgment. If she didn’t do anything about it, her father would die.

  She would no longer be the terrified, helpless child.

  Her breath was a troubled, loud mess. More growling rumbled from Rayse. Cicadas hummed a nonchalant tune, complete unaware of the turmoil in her.

  She lifted her dress up and reached for the cool metal of the polished dagger Rayse had gifted her just hours ago. She slipped the weapon out of its sheath. In an unthinking, swift motion, her hand and dagger shot to her femrah’s throat. “Let him go, or I will slit your throat.” Her voice came like the sharpness of a sword, but her resolve shivered like rippling water.

  Her chest ached from having to threaten him. Under no circumstances would she ever want to hurt the Black Menace. Somehow, even after this display, a part of her still wanted to love him. She reminded herself his mind was clouded with his dragon instincts, and that he had lost control of his senses.