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“Odarum beat me to it. I was right above you the entire time. Between the two of us, you were perfectly safe. You can ask him yourself.” I spoke slowly and kept my tone calm and even, not wanting to risk angering her further. Though, I did enjoy seeing the fire in my mate. “I’m sorry I scared you. But that was the most effective way to force your shifting to manifest. Odarum knew too. That’s why he went along with it.”
Her eyes went distant, and I knew that she was confirming what I just said with her Spirit. After a few moments, her vision came back into focus. Her eyes still held a ferocity that I found endearing, but they were slightly softer now. She shoved off me and stood, stomping away across the room with her wings dragging on the stone floor.
She stood at the window and stared out at the mountains for a long while. I sat up and patiently waited for her to sort through her thoughts and emotions. I’d had a feeling that she would be angry with me—I had felt the same when Theron dropped me from the sky to force my shifting.
At least I didn’t drop her. She would have never trusted flying with me again if I had.
But it worked. My mate, my beautiful, strong and ferocious Worthy, now had incredible black-feathered wings. I took that time to study them. From the tip to the end meeting her back, they were longer than she was tall. Unable to hold them up, where they would have bent was straightened, displaying every intricate feather, varying in size. They were captivating, just like Kya herself—as if she was born to bear them.
Kya finally turned around to face me, her wings sliding across the floor as she slowly spun. Her features were hard and contemplative as her eyes bored into me. I wanted to reach for her, but I also wanted to give her the space she needed.
“I understand why you did what you did.” I held my breath as she spoke. “But I’m still upset with you. I just… I need some time to myself. You really scared me. I truly thought you were trying to…” Her voiced trailed off.
“—shouldn’t have trusted him so easily just because he’s my mate—”I stopped myself from listening further.
Something in my chest sank and I nodded. “I don’t blame you. But I promise, I will never hurt you.”
“I know,” she whispered, not meeting my gaze.
“I’ll give you some space,” I said quietly and I turned to leave.
“Wait,” she called out. “Can you help me make these…go away, for now?” She gestured to her wings.
“Of course.” I stepped in front of her and placed my hands on her arms, rubbing up and down. “Try to imagine them gone. Willing them away. Think of how you move your fingers, you don’t actually think about it, you just do it. Command your body to vanish them.”
With enough concentration, it was easier to shift them away than it was to make them appear the first few times. Kya’s face hardened as she focused until, after a short minute, they disappeared.
I left Kya in the bedchamber, giving her the time she requested, and busied myself in my office with neglected duties that had been put off while I had been away. Reports to be reviewed, orders to write, papers to be signed, requests to be accepted or rejected. All the things that were required for a Nation to run.
I had been working peacefully for a couple of hours and night was approaching when a knock came at the study doors.
“Come in.” My voice echoed in the large space.
Mavris and Hakoa walked in. Hakoa was a brute in comparison to Mavris. He was the chief of my forces and part of myinner circle along with Arra, who still hadn’t returned with the rest of the Vaavi.
Dressed in casual clothing and relaxed expressions, their demeanor suggested it was a social visit, and for that I was grateful. They shoved at each other playfully before closing the door behind them. I shook my head in amusement as I went over to the seating area near the door. Even being over three-hundred years old, Mavris just under that, they still acted like young males not yet having reached their staying age.
“Are you going to tell him or am I?” Mavris said, speaking to the chief of my forces.
“It’s not a big deal,” Hakoa said with a shit-eating grin. His amber-colored eyes flared from underneath his black hair.
“Tell me what?” I sighed.
“Nothing!” He punched Mavris’s shoulder. “Shut up, Mav.”
“Hakoa nearly flooded an entire town during a training exercise,” he said with a smug smile.
“Kleio’s tits, you what?” I wheeled on Hakoa.
“Nearly.I didn’t though.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What happened?”
“I was working with some of the Noavo recruits and I…” Hakoa looked away and mumbled quickly, “partially melted a glacier.”
I gave him a deadpan stare of disapproval.
“I re-froze it before any damage was done. I had it under control. The recruits exaggerated. I told you it wasn’t a big deal.” He shrugged.
