17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Raevyn

C asimir was an asshole. "What the fuck was all that?"

I was seething. Absolutely seething at his words. A liability? Yeah, I got that I didn't have a strong grip over my magic, but that didn't mean I was a fucking liability. Urgh! I wanted to rip his eyes out. Peel his skin from his bones. Strangle him with his own intestines!

Motherfucker!

"Casimir is…" Korbin paused, looking for the right word, a frown above his white eyes.

"A dick?" I supplied.

Hawk snorted. "That is definitely the word I would use."

Korbin sighed, the sound weary. "No, haunted."

What did that mean? Haunted? By what?

"There is more to him than meets the eye," Rook explained. "As there is to all of us. Yes, we are the Deathwatch, but we are more than that and we each have our own burdens to bear. Casimir's is just darker than ours and, I know it's hard to believe, but his anger comes from a place of kindness."

Dammit! Now I wanted to feel sorry for the guy. Empathy fucking sucked sometimes. I wanted to hate the guy, but now, all I wanted to do was hug him. But I imagined it would be like hugging a prickly cactus.

"Fine. But don't think I'm going to roll over and let him talk to me like that again."

Korbin smiled widely. "Wouldn't expect you to."

"Good," I said with a nod. "Now then, why don't we go and catch some ghosts?"

"They aren't ghosts," Korbin drawled causing the rest of us to laugh as we all headed out to gear up. I was looking forward to my first visit topside after my sacrifice, but I couldn't help wondering how I'd feel when I'd finally got up there. Would it still feel familiar, or had I changed too much?

T he wind pulled at my hair as I stood on the landing platform. I'd pulled my hair into a plait to keep it out my face, but the wind still managed to wrestle some tendrils free. I peered over the ledge.

Fuck. That's high.

We were about to learn if I could fly. If I couldn't, I'd just hitch a ride with someone else, but I really wanted to be able to fly. It would be pretty awesome.

"Okay," Nox called, drawing my attention to him. "Time to see if you can manifest some wings."

"You make it sound so easy." I rolled my shoulders and limbered up.

"It is easy once you know how," he said.

Casimir scoffed and started to run.

Towards the ledge.

The ledge with the ridiculously long drop. Then he jumped. Just leapt off the edge and disappeared from view.

My heart lurched in my chest, and I ran to the edge, sure I'd see him falling to his death, but as I reached the edge, he swooped upwards in a rush, forcing me backwards. Wide black leathery wings spread out across the sky as Casimir flew in front of the sun, before disappearing completely.

"Asshole!" I shouted after him. I couldn't believe he made my stomach drop. Prick!

Nox sniggered behind me but when I turned to look at him, his face was a picture of innocence.

"If you can transform, you'll feel it like an extension of yourself," Nox explained. "And if you don't have the ability to create wings, then we can try something else."

Hawk walked over to me, a soft smile curling his wicked mouth. "I will always carry you, draguta. But I think you have wings."

His hand stroked the space between my shoulder blades, sending shivers trickling down my spine. The muscles in my back quivered, sensing something changing.

Something wanting to break free.

"Do you trust me?" Hawk asked, his amber eyes warm and serious.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"Good." Then he pushed me off the ledge.

I plummeted towards the ground at an alarming speed, my arms and legs flailing as I tried to find purchase in the air. I screamed, then prayed and screamed some more.

Come on, Raevyn! Do something!

"Fly, Raevyn!" the voice from my dream shouted. "Spread your wings and fly!"

"Easy for you to say!" I hurled back at him, whoever he was.

"It's easy for you. Don't think. Just do."

Okay. Spread my wings.

Oh, fuck. That was the ground. When did it get so close?

I closed my eyes and squealed.

I have wings.

I have wings.

I HAVE WINGS!

Pain ripped through my back as something exploded from beneath my skin. Muscles, tendons and bones worked in ways I'd never felt before and when I opened my eyes, I found myself levitating about five foot off the ground. Air whooshed around me as giant feathered wings held me aloft.

They were fucking beautiful.

Midnight black feathers with purple tips stretched wide, my wings spanning at least six foot either side. They were absolutely breathtaking and holy fuck I had wings!

I shot straight into the sky, whooping with delight as I went. I swirled and spun through the clouds. Was there ever a more breathtaking feeling?

A cloud of shadow shot past me, a dark rumble like thunder echoing in its wake. I could just make out Hawk's large body in the dark mist and I flew after him, my large wings cutting through the air with ease.

"Hey!" I shouted. "You pushed me off the edge!"

"Yes, draguta. And look at you now." He pulled to a halt in front of me and I had to spread my wings wide so that I didn't collide with him. "You are beautiful."

"What if I didn't have wings? What then?" I asked slamming my hands into his chest – fuck, his pecs are firm!

He grabbed my wrists and laughed. It was so deep and rich, so wicked, that I forgot I was flying for a moment, and I fell a few feet. Hawk pulled me into his arms, wrapping his large arms around my small waist and tucking my body close to his.

"I would have caught you." He buried his nose in my hair and took a deep breath. "I love the way you smell. Like lilies doused in death."

"Um… thank you?"

Hawk tucked my hair behind my ear. "There is a beauty in death, not just decay. You smell like lilies, candles, roses and…" He took another deep breath. "Almonds."

Oh. When he put it like that, it sounded almost… well, pretty.

"Come on you two lovebirds," Nox shouted as he shot past, a pair of bat-like wings wrapping around him as he spun, no doubt trying to show off. "We need to catch up with the others."

"What about Rook and Korbin?" I asked. They hadn't been with us on the launch pad… flight deck… ledge of death…. whatever it was called.

"They portalled." Nox then turned and shot like an arrow toward the sun, disappearing into its rays and vanishing from sight.

"Let's go," I said, and stretched my wings, before following in Nox's direction.

Hawk vanished into his cloud of shadows and stayed by my side as I flew towards the sun. The glare was bright, but as I got closer something began to appear. A mirage of something. I could see buildings and start to hear the sound of horns and traffic and then, all of a sudden, I was in a city.

And not just any city. I was in Midnight.

The vampire territory.