23. Chapter Twenty-Three

CHAOS

Rose has been acting weird. One minute she's leaning into my touch, nurturing our bond, and the next she shuts down, as though I've done something wrong.

It's giving me a lot of time to reflect as I fly ahead of everyone.

The last time I was here, there'd been so many shadow wraiths, bloodvines, and will-o'-wisps that I could give one to each resident of Luporia and still have enough to fill a Spar Games stadium. That's why I'm the one scouting ahead. I'm strongest and can alert the others before it reaches them.

But we haven't come across a single one. So, where have they all gone?

Things aren't going the way I expected them to. Yes, Rose is bonding with each of her mates every night, and apparently two last night, but I worry about her mates.

They aren't being tested.

The Aether Plains are supposed to be one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places in all the realms. But other than little sleep, cold, and snow, this is more of a vacation than anything.

Rose will never, ever forgive me if something happens to them during ascension.

The thought of the potential danger makes me restless. The morning is quiet, too quiet. The silence is unsettling, and I can't help but feel that it's the calm before the storm. I need to ensure that everyone is prepared, not just Rose. No one must be left behind.

I scan ahead, soaring through the biting wind in my crow form, flying over the snowy plains. The landscape is stark, hiding whatever perils it might hold beneath its icy blanket. An eerie stillness has settled over the lands; no sight of aether creatures, nor any snowfall. It's as if nature itself is holding its breath in anticipation. The sun is a weak smear of orange discoloring the bleak grey sky.

A cry pierces the silence, sharp and pained.

Rose.

Panic surges through my chest, as her cry echoes off the trees, chilling my bones faster than the wind could. I turn back, shifting into a much larger—and faster—beast: a giant, black dragon.

Eyes desperately scanning the horizon for any movement, I spot the group on a frozen section of a lake. As I touch down, Rose's mates prepare to attack me until I shift into my fae form, but I ignore them as I run to her.

Rose is doubled over, shrieking as she claws at her back.

Sobs rent the air as her bright blue blood spills onto the ice, and my heart clenches at the sight of her in such agony.

"Her wings," I bark at the others. "Jax, help me get her out of her clothes. Theo, warming barrier, careful not to disturb the ice."

The last thing we need is to fall through.

Without hesitation, Theo extends his hands to create an invisible barrier that warms the area, warding off the icy wind. Meanwhile, Jax and I delicately peel the thick coat from Rose's quivering form. Deakan crouches on her other side, his usually warm eyes filled with helpless rage as he watches his mate in agony against a foe he can't shred to pieces. Kieran paces, gripping his hair with clenched fists. Mekhi, ever the calm one, kneels near her head, whispering soothing words as he strokes her hair back from her tear-soaked face.

Then one-by-one, Deakan, Mekhi, and Kieran all fall to the ice, shouts of agony ripping from their throats as they clutch at their backs.

"Off with your coats and shirts!" I shout, but they're too blinded by pain to hear me.

Theo, Jax, and I work to help them shed their outer garments, exposing their backs.

I rush back to Rose, my hands on her shoulder blades as I push as much healing magic as I can into her. Jax helps Kieran and Deakan, a hand on each of them, while Theo presses his hands to Mekhi's shoulder blades.

Together, we channel our magic into them, pushing back against the pain ravaging their bodies. Their screams echo across the land, but there's no one else around to hear.

We gaze in awe and horror as wings, majestic and bloody, burst from their backs. Feathers shimmering with a spectral glow sprout between Rose's shoulders, beautiful and blue, as her shrieks turn to whimpers. A shuddering sigh is torn from Rose's lips as the pain subsides, replaced by an uncanny calm.

Her eyes lock onto mine, so full of relief before she hears her mates crying out in pain. She scrambles towards them, helping channel healing magic into them, too.

With Rose joining, our efforts are amplified. The power of her magic and ours combined radiates heat through the icy surroundings, thawing the ice beneath us into a small pool of water. The agonizing screams of the mates begin to subside, replaced with heavy pants and occasional groans.

Deakan is the first to draw to his feet; giant, gold wings surrounding him like a regal cloak, the tips of his feathers tinted red as if dipped in blood. Kieran's sleek, glistening emerald-green scales replacing the soft feathers. Mekhi's wings confirm what I suspected. The giant, black and blood-red appendages are a telltale sign of a blood fae. Masters of blood and metals.

Fitting for a bladesmith.

Rose's bare chest heaves from her position on her knees, skin glowing a bright blue as she takes in the massive wings of each of her mates.

Her awe-filled eyes travel from one to the other, lingering on each one. The blue hue in her skin deepens as her gaze finally lands back on me.

"How much longer until we reach the next cabin?" she breathes.

"Depends on how long it takes you all to learn how to fly. If it's quick, we should be there by nightfall." We've already been flying for two days. A smirk paints my face at the heated look in her eyes. "But keep looking at me like that and I'm likely to build you one right here."

The corners of her lips twist upwards, hinting at a smile as she rises to her feet. The blue in her skin doesn't fade—if anything, it deepens. She steps towards me, the glow surrounding her almost ethereal. With a flicker of amusement in her eyes, she lifts a delicate hand and gently caresses the side of my face. The tips of her fingers are cool against my skin, and a shiver runs through me as she slowly traces a path down to my jaw.

"Wouldn't that be quite the sight, soul bond?" Her voice is soft but teasing, a hint of challenge twinkling in her vibrant eyes.

My eyes travel down the column of her throat to rest on her perfect bare breasts, and I gulp. "Yes," I reply, my voice huskier than I expected. "Quite the sight, indeed."

Rose's laugh is light and melodic, a sound that dances on the wind and tickles my senses.

Theo places his hand on her shoulder, and she turns towards him, mouth slightly parted.

"Let me show you how to fly," he whispers. "Then once we get to the next cabin, we can relieve that ache between your thighs. Alright?"

Her pupils blow wide, but she nods, allowing him to help her into a modified shirt using the long sleeves of his coat.

The next few hours are spent showing the mechanics of flying, followed by lots of practice.

Her wings are still new, the feathers strong but unused to the strain of keeping her airborne. Each flap is tense and unsure, but as she gets more comfortable in the air, they start to beat with an increasing level of confidence. Jax and Theo stay close by, keeping a watchful eye on her, ready to help if needed.

She has an easier time of it than Kieran and Mekhi, whose fae powers don't magically regenerate as tiny microtears in muscles strain their new wings.

Those of us seasoned in flight have to carry them as we fly so they can rest. But as a whole, we travel faster.

The sky gradually begins to turn pinkish purple, the first hint of sunset painting the horizon in beautiful hues. Rose's laughter and excitement echo around us as a gust of wind carries her higher than before. Tiredness clings to her every movement, making her wings heavy. However, even then she persists, only landing in my arms when she needs a break.

I relish her breaks, and wish she'd take more of them.

Three more hours it takes before we reach the next cabin. Not a thing is amiss, other than the nothing-is-fucking-happening-but-it-should-be feeling. The cabin, like all the others, is deserted, untouched by time or creature. Nothing stirs within the snow-covered trees surrounding it.

I land first, scoping out the camp before signaling for the others to touch down.

Theo makes his descent next, landing with a grace befitting his griffin form. Jax and Deakan follow soon after, their larger forms causing the snow to billow around them. As dragon and lion fae, they're naturally more imposing, but their gentleness with Rose has always been clear.

"Rest," Mekhi rallies, landing heavily on the ground, wincing at the impact of each footfall. His wings shiver, fluttering lightly, and I can tell they were just as exhausted, if not more so than their owner.

Kieran nods, landing beside him with a little more agility than the former witch did.

"I could eat a house," Jax groans, digging into Theo's pack while the professor starts a fire. Ever since his magic-less night in the cabin, he's been obsessed with being the one to start the fire, as though afraid if he doesn't use his power, it'll run out again.

Deakan chuckles, reaching forward to smack Jax's hand away from the food supply. "You'll eat us out of house and home before we even get settled. Have a bit of patience."

I watch as Rose struggles to put her wings away, and I move to her side. It's a new process for her, this having wings business.

"Let me help you," I offer, my hands lightly tracing the juncture where wing meets back. She sighs in contentment, but as soon as my fingers glide along the ridge of her wings, a full-body shudder works its way through her, and her skin flares brighter blue as she leans into my touch.

"Oh," she whimpers. "That feels good."

"Yeah?" I grin over her shoulder, stepping into her back, my body curving around hers.

Rose leans into me, her heavy-lidded gaze meeting mine when she looks up.

"Yes," she whispers, color flaring brighter. "Very good."

I allow myself to savor the close contact, and for a moment, the world around us fades away. It's just Rose and me, standing in our little corner of existence. I can't ignore the way my heart pounds violently against my chest, or the way contact with her stirs a soul-deep longing in me to claim, to make her mine in every way.

It would be so simple to fall into this. To give all of me to her.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head of the lust clouding my brain and take a small step back, regretting the loss of her heat.

She swallows, concentrating on storing her wings properly this time. I watch in fascination as each feather tucks neatly against the other, the azure iridescence slowly muted by the careful folding. In a matter of seconds, Rose's wings are tucked under her skin, no trace of them left on her back.

"Thank you," she murmurs, offering a shy smile.

I give her a curt nod, though my heavy-lidded eyes betray me. "Probably best I sleep on the floor tonight."

Hurt flashes in her eyes, and her blue glow fades completely.

I step into her again, cupping her cheeks so she can look up at me. "Not because I want to. But because I'll need to, Rose."

"You don't think you'll be able to hold yourself back?" Her eyes search mine.

"I've waited eons to share a bed with you." I swallow the lump in my throat, thinking back to all those millennia being so lonely. Waiting on my time to love and be loved in return. "Then I found you. And I knew," I chuckle, though it's humorless, "gods, I knew that you were mine and that I am yours, but you were with Mekhi that first time I saw you by the lake."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Mekhi stills, spoon halfway to his mouth. "You were so happy. In love. And like a dagger to the chest, I tried to walk away. To let you be, despite how badly it hurt, but I vowed to always keep watch, to keep you safe."

"Chaos," Rose breathes, her ocean-blue eyes glassy now. Her hair billows in the breeze as though it were a flag planted on the edge of a cliff. Beautiful, and a beacon marking my way home.

"For over a year, I've watched you fall in love, find your mates, and share a piece of yourself with them. But I couldn't stay away. I was caught in your orbit, and I have you now. There is nothing—nothing I would do to jeopardize that. If I must wait a few more months to know that when you ascend, you and your mates are prepared? That the risks are next to zero because we took the summer to strengthen your bonds? Then I will wait. Fate was merciful enough to give me you. I won't squander that."

Rose's arms slide around my waist, and she holds me, squeezing so tight, as though afraid to let go. Her head rests on my chest. Is she listening to the way my heart beats just for her?

Does she know that I would carve it out of its cage if only she wanted to hold it? She already possesses all of it.

All of me.

Reluctantly, she lets go when Jax brings over a plate for her. The sight of him seems to trigger something in her.

And as if a veil has been pulled over her eyes, they harden. This catches Theo's attention, and he brings her a mug of steaming hot chocolate before ushering her to a log near the fire for her to sit on.

What was that about?

She'd been just fine, and now she seems troubled. I try to catch her eye the rest of the evening, but she won't even look my way now.

Have I been so starved of interaction with others than I can't tell when I've done something wrong?

Usually, she's stealing glimpses of me, even when she thinks I'm not looking. It's the very nature of soul bonds. I fear I've upset her, but when I try to speak with her, Jax intercedes.

Is she upset that I want to wait? I've lived a long time.

I could mount her right here, claiming her as my soul bond, to hell with magic and forfeiting my life, just so I could bask in her love for twenty-four hours before it kills me?

That's a dangerous train of thought, because at this moment, it doesn't sound half bad.

I've seen things I'd rather forget, lived through experiences that would break a mortal. Watched my creations destroy each other. As mates took their own for granted. All while I sat idly by, dying for the chance to watch love bloom. To feel it, be molded by it, be changed by it.

I prayed for my turn.

But who could listen when a god prays?

The fates?

Perhaps they do listen, because she's here now.

If you sliced open my veins, would roses spill from them? Would you find a garden full of them in my lungs, knowing that while she is commanded by the moons, she is also my sun?

Like a sunflower, I turn to her in the darkness of my world. She's my light, scattering the shadows, and her very presence brings life into the cold abyss that has become my existence.

I force myself to look away from her as I collect the empty dishes, using a cleaning charm before packing them away. My movements are slow, methodical.

It seems like every second of my existence has been leading me down a one-way road to this exact moment.

Rose says her goodnights to her mates, giving them each a kiss, and before I know it, she's tentatively taking my hand, and I'm leading her up the short flight of stairs to the door of the cabin.

I glance down at her small hand in mine, savoring the contact before I turn the handle and usher her in. The lock engages as soon as the door shuts.

With a small flick of my wrist, dancing orbs of fire fill the room with their glow. Guarantee the others don't know that trick.

Rose's blue eyes sparkle with an awe that warms something inside me, the way she looks at me as though I've just made the stars align. But then, her gaze shifts to the room, her expression changes and a sardonic smile plays on those lips I want to kiss. But I shouldn't.

The cabin is plain. A small bed, a fireplace, a table, and two chairs.

"And here I thought you might have a lavish palace hidden away," she teases.

The words cut like a blade. Is this why she's been upset with me? "Why? Would that impress you more?" I can turn the inside of this place into anything she wants.

Her laughter is airy and light, filling the space. "No, I actually like this quite a lot. It's cozy. I don't need opulence. Company over surroundings every time."

Rose's words cause a warm sensation to bloom within my chest, one that I keep locked away, never daring to cultivate for too long. It's dangerous, this feeling. As God of Chaos, emotions are an unpredictable thing if I cannot act on them. They can lend power, yes, but they can also lead to destruction.

Most definitely my own.

Yet as I watch Rose, I realize I'd gladly burn to ashes for her.

"It's going to be different, isn't it?" she murmurs, her eyes shifting from the austere surroundings to the burnished gold of my gaze. She steps forward gently as if afraid she might spook me. "Once we mate."

"All magic will strengthen across the realms, as it was millennia ago."

Her brows furrow, and she looks down at her hands. They are small, delicate even, compared to mine. But they hold an immeasurable strength within them.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I imagine it'd be like it was with Theo, as he's also your soul bond. But multiply it by a factor of one hundred or so, as I'm a god." I step into her, sharing my body heat with her as I pull the zipper down on her coat. "Does that scare you?"

Her eyes lock on mine, long lashes framing her beautiful blues. "No."

I swallow. "Good."

She lets me help her out of her coat before she places it on the nearest chair, her hands shaking slightly.

"I need to know," she starts, her words wavering before she continues. "Does you being my soul bonded mate have anything to do with the deal Jax made with you?"

Fuck. I thought she might suspect that when she found out. This is why she's been acting this way. Hot and cold.

"Ah, so he told you about that, did he?"

She flinches, and tears flood her cheeks as she takes a step back. "I trusted you!" Her chest rises and falls too fast, and I panic at the grief surging through our bond.

"You can always trust me." I clutch my hair.

"The first thing you ever did was lie to me!" She's shouting now. It's less angry, and more heartbroken.

I flinch, pulling her into my arms, and place her hand on my chest. My heart aches, knowing I caused her any pain, even if some of it is misplaced. "That deal was made before I ever knew of your existence. Our bond was there long before the stars winked into creation. Forged by destiny, not by the whims of a dragon fae. Can't you feel it?"

She closes her eyes, her lashes brushing against her cheeks, and places her other hand on my chest. For a moment, we stand there in silence. The only sound in the room is our combined breathing and the occasional crackle from the fireplace.

"I can feel it," she finally admits, opening her eyes to look up at me again. "But that doesn't change the fact that there's something more to the deal with Jax, does it?"

I nod slowly. "You're referring to his soul."

Her gaze hardens as she snatches her hands away. "Give it back."

"Rose," I start, reaching out for her but she steps back, her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a hard line.

"I don't care about the reasons, Chaos." She spits my name like she hates the taste of it. A little part of me dies inside.

Devastation and despair eat up the hollow place in me. In her. It permeates our bond, perfumes the air with its grief.

"But—"

"A soul is not something to play with. It's not yours to keep."

"You don't understand?—"

"Whatever you have to do to fix this, do it, or to hell with our soul bond. I don't want it."

All the air is punched from my lungs and my chest heaves with the pain of her ultimatum. It gives me so little time to fix things. "I'll fix this, I swear it."

"Right now."