21. Chapter Twenty-One

THEO

As the first slivers of dawn streak across the sky, the chill of the Aether Plains bites deeper, sharper than any cold I've known. Wrapped in my coat, I pace the perimeter of our makeshift camp, my gaze fixed on the cabin at the center of our protective circle. The runes I'd etched into the earth the previous night pulse faintly with a golden glow, a barrier meant to shield, now a potential prison.

All of us have tried to get into the cabin several times, to no avail. I don't think Rose or Jax would've locked it. Not when things are so volatile here.

I can't feel either one of them through our bond. Something else is at work here. Or rather, someone. Could it be another deity? Chaos' silence is unnerving, even to me.

"Dawn's breaking." Mekhi states the obvious, coming up beside me with steaming mugs of tea in his hands.

Not a one of us slept last night.

"Maybe that's what they're waiting for," Deakan growls, his lion eyes glinting with impatience in the half-light.

"Or maybe," Mekhi says, handing me a mug of the bitter brew, "they're just biding their time."

We all know he's right. "Weakening us. Waiting until each of us is too tired to fight before they attack."

Rose and Jax emerge, pushing the cabin door open with a cautious ease as though they aren't sure what they'd find on the other side. The moment the door swings wide, an audible crack slices through the morning air—like the world itself is fracturing. The protective runes flare brilliantly, then extinguish, plunging the camp back into the eerie, pre-dawn gloom.

A wave of relief hits me as I find them unharmed. But this brief relief quickly tangles with anxiety—did something happen inside the cabin, since nothing happened out here?

"Are you guys all okay?" She looks around, eyes landing on each of us to ensure we're all accounted for.

I nod. "It was quiet. All night." I close the distance between us, pulling her into a hug. "What happened in the cabin?"

She pulls back to look at me. "Nothing." She glances at Jax, who shrugs, too. "Other than getting locked in."

"Something's wrong," I mutter under my breath, my hands clenching and unclenching. Or could it just be a glitch in the enchantments? We've all noticed magic going a little off-piste now and then of late. And we all know why. But something tells me there's more to this.

Jax's new wings, majestic and daunting, flex at his back, stirring a gust that swirls the fallen snow around their feet. Rose clings to his arm, her face pale, her eyes scanning the frozen treeline as if she can sense the dread that's settled heavy in my chest.

My mind races through every spell and countermeasure I know. But it's not just the failed runes that worry me—it's the silence. According to legend, the plains are never silent. Not with bloodvines that whisper with the voices of the damned, not with shadow wraiths that hiss through the darkness, nor with the will-o'-the-wisps that usually flicker like false beacons, luring the unwary to their doom.

"Are you two alright?" I ask, my tone sharper than I intend, echoing slightly off the fresh snow. It's like my voice can travel for miles.

Jax nods, his expression grim. "We're fine, but the cabin … it wouldn't open until now. Took more force than it should have."

Rose wraps her arms around herself, as though shivering not from cold but from fear. "It felt like we were being sealed in. Like the cabin itself was aware and didn't want to let us go."

The implications send a tremor down my spine. A warning. If I 'm right about this being more than a magical glitch, and if the protections meant to save them were turning into traps, then something or someone is manipulating the magic of this place. And it's not just any manipulation; it's one that knows exactly what we're trying to do and is actively working against us.

"Stay close," I instruct, my eyes scanning the horizon. "Everyone, gather around!" My shout carries, gathering the others from their spots around the camp. They stumble towards us, bleary-eyed and unaware of the night's deeper perils they've just narrowly escaped. I know they didn't sleep, but it's like they were in stasis, oblivious to everything around them.

Chaos, Deakan, Kieran, and Mekhi join us, their expressions ranging from confused to alert as they take in the situation.

"Nice." Deakan fist-bumps Jax at the sight of his new wings. "Bet mine will be bigger, though." This earns him a wry, disbelieving grin from the dragon fae.

I recount the non-events quickly, my words low and urgent.

"We need to strengthen our defenses." I turn to look at each of them. "Whatever is out there, I'm betting it'll wait until each of us is too tired to function." I peer at Jax and Rose. "Did you sleep last night?"

Rose's cheeks flush.

"Some," she offers.

Yeah, I'll bet.

As we form a circle, hands joined, the first rays of the sun finally cresting the mountains, painting long, creeping shadows across the plains. Shadows that move against the wind, coiling and uncoiling like living things.

"This is only the beginning," I whisper, more to myself than to the others. "We need to get going so we can make it to the next cabin. Jax, can you take Deakan and Kieran? I'll take Rose and Mekhi. Chaos, can you fly scout?"

Chaos nods before stepping up to Rose, his hand coming up to caress her face. I watch as she leans into it, her eyes sliding closed. When she opens them again, they're brimming with unabashed affection. Chaos smiles at that look, his fingers sliding down to run gently over her lips before he leans in to press a soft kiss to her temple. The gesture is both tender and protective, a deep-seated instinct from the soul bond they share.

I thought I'd feel jealous, especially as he's another soul bond when there should be just one.

But that's not how it feels.

No, it feels right, as though this is the way it was always meant to be. And it feels cosmically significant.

He whispers something into her ear, too low for any of us to catch, and she gives a small nod in response. Then with a flash of intense light, Chaos transforms into a large black crow, his piercing gaze taking in everything as he rises into the morning sky.

The rest of us watch him ascend, and then it's time to move. My giant, golden wings unfold, catching the first pure rays of the morning sun, turning them an even brighter gold. The light dances across my feathers, casting a sheen across my form, and I watch from the corner of my eye as Rose's skin takes on a decidedly blue tint. I give her a knowing smirk before reaching out my hand. She takes it, and I pull her into my side before Mekhi steps up to me, and I do the same to him.

With a powerful flap of my wings, we're in the air. The view below quickly changes to patches of frozen forests and snaking, iced rivers, like a quilt crafted by nature itself. Despite the stunning vista, my attention stays on Rose. Her hold tightens on me, her form penned comfortably between Mekhi and myself.

In the frigid air, they both squint against the wind as they scan the horizon. We fly for thirteen hours, never landing once, before we spot the cabin nestled in the harsh wilderness. It isn't easy to spot amongst the snow-laden pines and the giant mounds of snow nearly as tall as its peaked roof.

The sight is a welcome one—my muscles are screaming to rest—and we descend towards it, the gusts of our wings sending sprays of snow swirling around us. Icicles hang from the roof's eaves like glittering chandeliers as they catch the dying embers of twilight.

"By the gods, I never thought we'd find the place. Are we sure we didn't miss one half-way?" Jax falls face-first into the snow as Rose runs to him and massages his new wings. He probably should've shifted to his dragon and flew that way, instead. It's got more stamina than he does.

Next time.

Chaos lights a fire near the cabin entrance, stoking it higher while directing heat towards Rose.

Deakan begins to unload our supplies from my packs. Always the planner, I thought to prepare for every possible need we might have on this journey. Food, water, clothing, healing potions; anything and all.

"We need to eat something," I state, my voice gruff from the cold and exhaustion.

I don't think any of us would fair well if something attacked us right now. Especially not those of us who flew. I'm grateful that tonight I'll be in the cabin with Rose, so I might get some rest.

I toss frozen hunks of meat to Chaos to roast over the fire, watching as they sizzle and melt the snow beneath. The smell wafting from the meat is enough to make my mouth water and my stomach growl.

We take turns relieving ourselves behind the cabin and washing up by heating hands full of snow using magic.

While Rose helps Jax with his wings, Mekhi takes over my task of serving dinner. I'm grateful for this; it allows me to focus on our game plan for tomorrow. I pull out the map and pull Chaos aside.

Pointing to our next cabin, I share my concerns. "This is twice as far as today's." The only reason I could fly as far as I could today is because Rose kept healing me throughout the flight. Same with Jax—we had to keep trading off. Each of us knows how to heal, but Rose actually regenerates her power as she heals thanks to her luna magic, so it was the smartest choice.

Chaos takes the map from me, his eyes carefully scanning our route. "We'll have to leave by dawn. We can't afford to waste daylight, but we can do hard things. Right?"

"Agreed." I nod. "We knew this would be a test of our endurance." I feel a fierce sense of pride in our family's bond, but also a deep-seated fear that the Aether Plains will prove to be our greatest test yet.

"Beasts tomorrow. It isn't worth risking another day of exhaustion." Chaos takes his bowl of food from Mekhi and sits back down, his gaze still on the map. His intent stare on the parchment breaks only to give occasional appreciative nods as he savors Mekhi's cooking.

I fold the map and join the others, feeling a hum of anticipation mixed with an undercurrent of unease. Dinner is a subdued, hurried affair, each of us trying to load up on as much nourishment as we can. Post-dinner, Rose's mates take turns telling her goodnight before we retire into the cabin. It's Chaos's duty to activate the runes tonight.

The door swings shut with a solid, ominous sound, sealing us inside. The finality of the click reverberates, like a bell tolling. Rose's fingers lace with mine, her grasp firm as if to anchor herself to something certain in the face of growing uncertainty.

"We're locked in." Her whisper cuts through the silence, a sharp note of urgency beneath her words. She tests the handle, her efforts met with the immovable firmness of the locked door. "Again."

Our combined attempts to open it prove fruitless, the mechanism not budging.

"I don't understand why this happens," I murmur, my mind racing through scenarios and magical diagnostics. It's clear that an external will enforces this lock, sophisticated and beyond ordinary magical interference.

"We were just fine last night." Standing on her tiptoes, she presses a kiss to my cheek, and fuck, if I didn't need that.

It eases the anxiety in my chest, soothes our bond, and pacifies my griffin.

Silence falls, broken only by the subtle creak of the cabin as it settles deeper into its foundations. In the quiet, I work to start a fire in the small hearth while Rose prepares the bed for us.

The quiet wraps around me like a cloak as I kneel before the small hearth, preparing to summon a fire. This should be simple, a task I've performed countless times with a mere flick of my intent.

Yet, as I extend my hand and murmur the familiar incantation, the magic stutters—once, twice. It feels like trying to catch a flame between damp fingers. Frustration builds as I concentrate harder, the words of the spell weaving through the cold air, each syllable a practiced dance of power.

But nothing happens. No spark, no warmth. Just the chill of the cabin creeping deeper into my bones. I glance at my hands, the tools of my trade, and try again. This time, pushing more energy into the words, willing the magic to ignite.

Still, the hearth remains dark, cold. My skills in sorcery have never been so defied. The realization that something is amiss sends a chill deeper than the air around us. Magic, the very essence of my being, betrays no spark here.

Rose pauses in her tasks, her gaze flickering to me.

I shake my head, frustration knotting in my chest. We're likely to freeze in here if we can't get warm. Especially as we can't seem to get out, either.

She comes up behind me, trying her luck. Not even a spark of fire magic ignites between her palms as she holds them inches apart.

A frown tugs at her lips, and her worried eyes meet mine as our breaths fog between us. The room refuses to brighten, and so, too, does our outlook on tonight.

We sit in the growing chill, magic failing us as the night deepens outside, the cold seeping in, unchallenged by any hearth's warmth. How can I protect my soul bond if I can't even keep her warm?

The thought sobers me as she crosses the room.

"How are your muscles?" she asks over her shoulder.

"Better." I smile over at her as I try desperately to start a fire like they do on Earth, without magic, but not even an ember sparks. "Thanks for your help. I wouldn't have been able to fly so long if you hadn't."

"I hope I'm not the last one to get my wings," she grumbles.

Rising, I cross the small room to help her out of her boots so we can climb under the covers. "Maybe they'll come tonight?" I shrug. "Could be the cabin that activates it."

"You think?" she breathes, hopeful blue eyes looking down at me.

Pausing on my knees in front of her, I place my hands on her calves. "I don't know," I admit. "But I do really enjoy getting to hold you while we fly. I'm hoping Mekhi gets them tonight." I grin at her.

She playfully kicks out at me, and I land on my butt, chuckling. "Someone's in a playful mood."

"Anything to see you at my feet, Professor," she teases, emphasizing my title, and it shoots straight to my dick. "And trying to keep warm." She bites her lip, toying with it between her teeth. "Should probably share our body heat."

Her skin flares its brilliant blue, eyes heated as she watches me rise to my knees and crawl towards her, a predator in the scant light.

"Mmm," I hum, "I'll show you a professor," I growl playfully, my voice echoing off the wooden walls of the cabin.

She squeals as I pounce, pulling her into my arms and twisting our bodies so that she lands gently on the bed. Her bright blue eyes are wide, her chest heaving with laughter as I lean in, my face hovering just inches from hers.

"How's this for a lecture?" I tease, tracing a finger lightly down her cheek, over her lips, lingering at her chin.

She doesn't know whether to keep laughing or to gulp. I can see the war raging in her eyes, the playful spark igniting into something hotter. "Professor," she breathes again, her hands moving to rest at the back of my neck.

Her fingers curl into my hair, sending a tingling sensation down my spine. My breath hitching, I barely manage to suppress the groan that threatens to escape my lips. "Your teachings are … quite unorthodox," she murmurs, her lips curving in a sensual smile.

I let out a low chuckle. "Only for my favorite student." I conquer the space between us, capturing her lips with my own. The kiss is slow at first, a teasing exploration to make her want more.

She hums into the kiss, her slender fingers tightening their grip on my hair. "I am indeed eager to learn," she whispers against my lips, her words eliciting a groan from me.

My hand slips beneath her shirt, tracing the warm curve of her waist. She gasps at the contact, arching her back to press herself closer to me.

"Very eager, I see," I murmur, my voice husky with desire. My fingers trace the edge of her waistband, testing her reaction. Her breath catches in her throat, her hand coming to meet mine to remove her pants. "If only we had the time, I'd spend it studying every inch of your body."

She bites her lower lip. "You've done that a time or two."

"But I have to be thorough. It's a science."

"Or an art," she suggests, guiding my hand under her panties. She's soaked.

But I need to see all of her. I yank them down, tossing them across the room before burying my tongue in her pussy.

She releases a moan, her fingers tugging at my hair. "Professor …" she moans, her voice filled with the sweet torture of pleasure. I circle my tongue around her clit, teasing her into a frenzy. Her hips arch off the bed, pressing herself closer to my mouth while the fingers on my scalp tighten their grip.

"Ahh … professor," she gasps, her breath hitching as I bring her closer to the edge of ecstasy. My hands find their way up to her breasts, bracing myself as I continue my vigorous assault on her swollen nub.

It's beginning to feel warmer in here already. But still too cold to take off her coat.

"Patience," I chide, though I can hear the ragged edge of my own desire threading through each syllable. "I want you to come all over my cock rather than my tongue tonight."

With a quick charm, my pants have transported themselves into a heap on the floor, leaving the two of us bare from the waist down. My fingers slide up her thighs, watching as her muscles twitch under my touch, her shy eyes never leaving mine.

"Please," she begs. "Fuck me, Professor."

I can't resist her when she asks like that. I know I told her I'd make her wait, but I want to taste the flood of her come on my face. Picking up the pace, I insert two fingers into her, pumping them in and out while still dancing my tongue across her heated and soaked center. I'm rewarded with a heady moan, her body shaking as she gasps my title once more.

"Professor," she whimpers, her thighs tightening around my head as her climax crashes down on her, sending pulsing waves of pleasure coursing through her body. I feel her spasm around my fingers, the rhythm of her release pulsating against my tongue. I continue to lap at her, prolonging her ecstasy until her trembling hands push me away.

"Your cock, I need it," she pants, her voice raspy and broken with satisfaction. She pulls me up, and her eyes hold a desperate sort of hunger, a wild need. I revel in the sight, relishing the raw desire painted across her features.

Her hips raise off the bed as I align myself at her entrance, the anticipation of feeling her wrapped tightly around me causing my breath to hitch.

"Yes," she murmurs, her hands gripping my shoulders as I push into her. The sensation is almost overwhelming, the wet warmth of her enveloping every inch of me in a pleasure-soaked vise. I moan as I sink deeper, our bodies melding together seamlessly, as if we were two parts of the same entity. The world fades into nothingness, and it's just us—her body under mine, the rhythm all-consuming.

Our movements are slow at first, unhurried. I can feel every ridge and valley inside her, the slight quiver of her muscles as she adjusts to the fullness of me.

She wraps her legs around me, heels digging into the small of my back, urging me on. Her back arches off the bed to meet me half-way.

"Harder, Professor," she whispers. "I'm almost there."

She shudders beneath me as I quicken my pace, our bodies slapping together in a rhythm as old as time itself. Her fangs bury themselves in my neck as she screams my name, the sensation of her teeth sinking in only adding to the intense pleasure rolling over me. It's primal, animalistic, a sign of her untamed need for me. I growl lowly at the sharp sting, the pain only serving to heighten my arousal.

Her body writhes and a growl escapes my throat as I feel her release building beneath me, the waves of bliss coursing through her body and echoing back into mine through our bond. The rhythm is frantic now, urgent in its demand for completion.

"Let go, soul bond," I murmur against her ear, my voice barely more than a growl as I feel my own climax approaching, the pressure mounting within me. Her body coils tight, her legs clenching around me like a vice as I thrust one last time.

Her nails dig into my back in response, and the heady mix of pain and pleasure pushes me over the edge. With a deep, guttural roar, I join her in release, our bodies tensing and shuddering in perfect unison.

The world outside our intimate embrace may as well not exist.

Rose's soft cries taper into sighs, her body melting into mine as the paroxysms of pleasure gradually fade. Her fangs retract slowly from my neck, leaving behind twin marks that pulse with the same rhythm as our hearts. My name falls from her lips again, softer this time, almost a sigh of contentment.

I nuzzle into her neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of love and satisfaction that lingers on her skin.

"Forever, Theo," she murmurs against my chest, her words carrying the weight of eternity. Her fingers trace lazy patterns over my back, each touch a promise as we succumb to sleep in each other's arms.