This short drama has everything—romance, betrayal, obsession, revenge, and shocking plot twists.
#mafia #darkromance #drama #romance #obsession #betrayal #love #movie #dangerouslove #revenge
#mafia #darkromance #drama #romance #obsession #betrayal #love #movie #dangerouslove #revenge
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born with the power to breathe souls into every living thing, yet no one ever cared, because I'm
00:05the weakest beastkin in my family.
00:07A lovebird.
00:08My fiancé, Phoenix, gave me an iron egg to get out of our bonding contract.
00:12He said if I could hatch it, he'd go through with the bonding ceremony.
00:15But he has no clue this iron egg holds the Dragon King, and I'm destined to become the dragon's bride
00:21because of it.
00:22The ceremony is set for next year.
00:25The family has already started preparations.
00:27Our bonding ceremony, I'd like to push it back.
00:31Why?
00:31He shrugs, sighs.
00:33The academy's been keeping me occupied.
00:36Performative, tired.
00:37I simply don't have the bandwidth for a bonding.
00:41Everyone knows that is an excuse.
00:43My stepfather's brow creases.
00:45Lord Whitmore, you're aware the Vanguard retrieved void crystals from the Voidlands on their last expedition.
00:51Our research isn't finished.
00:53If Rin could help shoulder some of my workload, I'd certainly find time for the ceremony.
00:58My stepfather's eyes light up.
00:59He smells opportunity.
01:01Name your terms.
01:02She will comply.
01:03Neither of them asks me.
01:04I'm furniture.
01:06Avians are natural nesters, aren't they?
01:08Consider it playing to your strengths.
01:11Raynard opens his spatial pouch and places an egg in my hands.
01:16If you manage to hatch it, I might even put your name in my next paper.
01:20Muffled laughter from the other beastkin at the table.
01:22He's handed her a rock and called it a test.
01:24Avians are natural nesters, aren't they?
01:26Should be easy for her.
01:29He's an arp magister and an apex phoenix.
01:32The Whitmos were the ones reaching above their station.
01:35Raynard's lips curl, lazy, self-satisfied.
01:38If a hatchling comes out, I can apply for a new research champ.
01:42We'll hold the ceremony then.
01:44A fool's errand.
01:45He knows it.
01:46Everyone knows it.
01:47I look down at the egg in my arms, cold to the eye.
01:49But under my fingers, hard as iron, I lay my palm flat against the shell warm light flows from my
01:54hand into the egg.
01:56Soft.
01:56Steady.
01:57Under the amused, pitying stares of every beast, kin in the room, I answer.
02:02Fine.
02:05But there's something I haven't told any of them.
02:07I am one of the rarest things in all of Aethermord.
02:10A soul mender.
02:15I take the egg home.
02:16My stepfather assumes I'm desperate to marry Raynard, so desperate I'd accept an impossible task.
02:21Wern, just put your heart into it.
02:23Renwick will come around.
02:24I turn and walk to my room.
02:26Why would I want a preening phoenix to be moved by me?
02:28But this egg is different.
02:30Aether flows from my core, wrapping the shell like a hot spring.
02:33Golden light soaks through.
02:34Gentle dents.
02:35Raynard mentioned the Academy's healers tried everything.
02:38Not a flicker of response.
02:40But right now, in my arms, the egg shifts.
02:44Trying to come out already?
02:45I poke it gently, as if it heard me.
02:47What should I call you?
02:48The egg goes perfectly still.
02:50Quiet.
02:50Obedient.
02:51Better behaved than any male I've ever met.
02:53I think for a long time.
02:55Then, testing the waters.
02:56Pebble?
02:56It rolls away.
02:58Actively trying to escape, I grab it.
03:00Listen, Pebble.
03:01I'm going to raise you right.
03:02And in return, you're going to look after me when I'm old and grey.
03:05Every night after that, I shift into beast form, sing the old nesting song of the avian
03:11clans, and tuck the egg against my chest.
03:13Wings folded tight around it.
03:15Warm.
03:16Safe.
03:16That night, the servants are buzzing.
03:18Crown Prince Daemon, missing for half a month, has been recovered by the Imperial Guard.
03:22Battered, covered in wounds, but conscious.
03:25However, the one who went into the Voidlands with him, Commander Castor Salnaris, is still
03:30missing.
03:30Castor is the youngest commander in the Empire's history.
03:33Almost nothing is known about him.
03:35Only that he's Demon's sworn brother.
03:37No one knows the true nature of House Salnaris.
03:39No one knows his past.
03:40The speculation runs wild.
03:42An ancient lineage.
03:43Immeasurable powered.
03:44Some whisper that Salnaris is a surname belonging to a species long extinct.
03:48The moment the servants mention Castor's disappearance, the egg in my arms lurches.
03:53Violent.
03:53Frantic.
03:54I assume it's just the usual movement, but after I fall asleep on that shell, hard as
03:58iron for weeks, a hairline crack appears.
04:05The next day, I'm walking with Pebble in my arms when I run into Raynard and his colleagues
04:10from the Arcane Academy.
04:11A flock of sparrows would hold a more dignified assembly.
04:15Renit.
04:15Is this your weak little fiancé?
04:19Utterly foolish.
04:20She's actually trying to incubate a rock.
04:23Remnard.
04:24How did you get her so wrapped around your talon?
04:26I walk past them without a glance.
04:30Reynard calls after me.
04:32Ryn.
04:33He tilts his head, almost wistful.
04:35I didn't realize you were this devoted.
04:38It's almost touching.
04:40Move.
04:41Wyn, how about this?
04:42I can see you've been working hard.
04:44If that egg shows even a single crack, I'll agree to the ceremony.
04:48Are you deaf?
04:50Back off.
04:51Know your place, Wynk!
04:53You are bound to me!
04:55Lord Whitmore has clearly been far too lenient.
04:58That's the only explanation for your manners.
05:00He opens his mouth to continue.
05:02A carriage bearing the royal crest descends from the sky.
05:05Slow.
05:05Silent.
05:06Unmistakable.
05:07The onlookers exchange glances.
05:09Someone whistles.
05:09Revnod, that's got to be for you, right?
05:11Did the crown notice your research project?
05:13Go say hello!
05:14Maybe they'll invite you to the ceremony!
05:15Reynard laughs broad.
05:16Confident.
05:17He strides forward, ready to greet them with his most practiced charm.
05:21The crown does move fast.
05:23Two attendants in Imperial livery step out.
05:25Walk right past him.
05:27Reynard freezes.
05:28They stop in front of me.
05:29Lady Rint, Crown Prince Daemon requests your presence.
05:35I'm brought to a private sitting room.
05:37The moment I push open the door and see Crown Prince Daemon, something clicks into place.
05:41Silver white hair, cropped short, heterochromatic eyes.
05:45Cold underneath.
05:45He lounges on the sofa like he owns gravity itself.
05:48Lady Nguyen.
05:50Forgive the sudden summons.
05:52I just have one question.
05:54That egg.
05:54Where did you get it?
05:56This?
05:56This is my son.
05:58Pebble.
05:58He blinks.
05:59Repeats himself slower this time.
06:01Y-your son.
06:03You laid this?
06:04Someone gave it to me.
06:06I've been caring for him for weeks.
06:07Close enough to count as mine.
06:09Here.
06:09Would your highness knit like to hold him?
06:11Daemon opens his mouth.
06:12Closes it.
06:13Swallows whatever he was about to say.
06:15He takes Pebble with both hands.
06:17Stiff.
06:17Terrified of dropping it.
06:19Pebble shakes harder in Daemon's arms.
06:21I snatch it back.
06:22Soothe it gently, Daemon watches.
06:24Expression unreadable.
06:25Do you know what this egg is?
06:27I tilt my head.
06:28Some kind of large bird, maybe?
06:31A knock at the door interrupts us.
06:33Your highness.
06:34Still no word on Commander Solaris.
06:36A night patrol has been dispatched to sweep the outer perimeter of the Voidlands.
06:40Call off the search.
06:41A slow breath.
06:42A quiet cough.
06:47I found him.
06:51Daemon sends me home in a royal escort.
06:53The moment I step out of the carriage, my stepfather rushes forward, not to greet me,
06:57but to fawn over the attendants behind me.
06:59Wern is always causing trouble.
07:01Please convey to his highness, if he ever has a free moment, our home is always open.
07:05Laughable.
07:07What crown prince would set foot in this dumpy lower my eyes and push past them?
07:11When?
07:11Who sent you home?
07:14Was that the crown prince?
07:16I let my voice shrink to the timid, harmless version they've always expected.
07:20I just got hit by the royal carriage by accident.
07:23His highness felt bad, so he gave me a ride home.
07:26I knew it.
07:27A lovebird Remick won't even look at, as if the crown prince would give her the time of
07:30day.
07:30Back in my room, I ease pebble out of my satchel.
07:33When Daemon handed it back to me earlier, his expression was the most serious I've ever
07:36seen from him.
07:37Take care of him for now.
07:39Keep him safe.
07:40I'll send someone when it's time.
07:42If anyone asks whose egg this is, you know what to say?
07:45My son.
07:46Pebble.
07:47Daemon smiles back.
07:48It seems he chose well.
07:50This egg just became something far bigger than a research specimen, but Daemon doesn't tell
07:54me what pebble is.
07:55And I don't ask.
07:57Some knowledge comes with a death sentence.
07:59When I wipe the shell clean that night, I find it.
08:01A crack.
08:02Hairline thin.
08:03Unmistakable.
08:04Panic.
08:05Sharp.
08:05An instant.
08:05I rush the egg to the healer's hall in the dead of night.
08:08My healer's token gets me past the door.
08:10The apprentice on night shift is half asleep at the desk.
08:13I slip pebble into a healing cradle and activate the diagnostic runes before anyone
08:17notices private use of the hall's equipment is strictly forbidden.
08:21But formal admission means registering pebble's information.
08:24That's not an option.
08:25This recovery room is tucked at the end of the corridor.
08:28Hardly anyone comes down here.
08:29I set pebble into the cradle.
08:31Crack.
08:31I stop breathing.
08:35In the silent room, the fracturing grows sharper, faster.
08:38Then a small ink-black creature wriggles out of the shell.
08:41It shakes its downy feathers.
08:42Looks up.
08:43We stare at each other.
08:44Silence.
08:44My shoulders slump.
08:45Deep disappointment.
08:46All those weeks of incubation.
08:48And you're just a black chicken.
08:50Flaps its tiny wings.
08:51Can't speak yet.
08:52Newborn pebble is frail.
08:54Exhausted from the effort of breaking free.
08:56I sigh and channel soul energy into its small body.
08:58Golden warmth wraps around it.
09:00Pebble's eyes drift shut.
09:01It curls into a ball.
09:02Once it's asleep, my own eyelids grow heavy.
09:04Soul mending drains everything.
09:06Even just those few minutes leave me barely functional.
09:10When I open my eyes again, sunlight floods the room.
09:13Someone draped a blanket over me.
09:14I jolt upright.
09:15A talon extends from beside me.
09:17A water cup hooked on the tip.
09:18I take it.
09:19Stare.
09:19A jet black male bird sits in the chair watching me, calm, docile, still juvenile, but far too
09:25large for something that hatched hours ago.
09:27Who are you?
09:28He points at the broken shell on the floor.
09:31My voice pitches up.
09:32Pebble?
09:33His body stiffens for a split second.
09:35I grab him.
09:36Turn him over.
09:36Examine every angle.
09:38He looks nothing like the black chickens I've seen one night.
09:40How did he grow this much in one night?
09:42Did someone slip you a growth taunet?
09:47I cup his face in both hands.
09:49Baby.
09:49Slow, patient.
09:50Say mama.
09:51Enunciating every syllable.
09:52He gazes at me gentle.
09:54Shakes his head.
09:55Come on.
09:55I refuse to give up.
09:56Repeat after me.
09:58Your name.
10:00Pebble.
10:01He turns away, probably embarrassed.
10:03Pebble still can't speak.
10:05Stranger yet.
10:05I can't understand his calls either.
10:07The only option is a familiar stone for basic translation.
10:10But I'm broke.
10:10The stone's magic is almost drained and it keeps glitching.
10:13Are you hungry?
10:14You want something to eat?
10:15He curves his beak into a gentle smile.
10:17Nods.
10:18My familiar stone translates.
10:21I stare at the stone.
10:22Familiar stones are masterwork artifacts.
10:24They can translate virtually every known beastkin language.
10:27What is Pebble if even a familiar stone can't process his speech?
10:30He might not exist in the empire's species registry at all.
10:33I send Demon a note via ink script.
10:35One word comes back.
10:37He's still handling affairs in the outer territories.
10:40One more day, then he'll send someone for Pebble.
10:42The imperial patrol has been unusually active lately.
10:45I overhear Aldis telling the servants they're searching for humans, remembering my conversation
10:49with Demon.
10:50It clicks.
10:51His condition can't wait.
10:52He needs to find a human to stay alive.
10:54For now, Pebble comes home with me.
10:56Hidden.
10:57He just finished eating.
10:58Nestled in my arms.
10:59Nuzzling against my downy feathers.
11:01Content.
11:02Pebble grows like he is fueled by wildfire.
11:05At this rate, he'll be speaking by tomorrow.
11:07I lay both hands on him for one last soul-mending session.
11:10Newborn hatchlings can't regulate their own soul energy.
11:12Bird types especially.
11:14Prone to volatile outbursts.
11:15Alright.
11:16Sleep now.
11:17Maybe tomorrow you'll find your voice.
11:19He settles into the little nest I built for him.
11:21Lined with down feathers and a pink cotton blanket.
11:23Babies like cute things.
11:25I tuck the blanket around him.
11:26Kiss his forehead.
11:27His breathing quickens.
11:28From outside the room, my stepfather's voice.
11:32Wren!
11:33Get out here!
11:37I hide Pebble.
11:38Open my door.
11:41Raynard stands in the main hall.
11:43Beside him, my stepfather seething.
11:45Tessa and Aldous hover behind them.
11:46Complex expressions.
11:48Jealousy they can't quite hide.
11:49Wren, so you've learned to lie now.
11:51You clearly know Crown Prince Damon.
11:53Why did you tell us you didn't?
11:55You can't even do this one small thing for your brother!
11:57Well, what do you expect?
11:59Aldous isn't her real brother.
12:01Wren's cozied up to the Crown Prince.
12:03She's probably eyeing the Consort's seat.
12:05Why would she bother with little old House Whitmarm?
12:08Oh, absolutely.
12:09After all, this household's only notable exports are mediocrity and audacity.
12:13Tessa's eyes go wide.
12:14Did you just...
12:16She lunges.
12:17I don't flinch.
12:18I've been silent all these years because I called them family.
12:21Swallowed every insult, hoping the next time would be different.
12:24That if I just endured enough, they'd love me back.
12:26All I got was more.
12:26They were never my family.
12:28And I'm done shrinking so they can feel tall.
12:30There's no word for endure in a lovebird's dictionary.
12:32Besides, I have pebble now.
12:33Raynard catches Tessa's arm.
12:35Turns to my stepfather with a diplomatic smile.
12:37Lord Whitmore, it's really no issue.
12:40Mother actually sent me to ask, could we move the bonding ceremony up?
12:43The whiplash silences the room.
12:45To be honest, when Mother first arranged the contract, I was quite fond of Wynne.
12:48I was simply too busy to show it.
12:49He reaches for my hand.
12:51Intimate.
12:51Proprietary.
12:52But now I think we're ready to formalize things.
12:54And if the Academy needs me later, I'm sure Wynne could mention it to Crown Prince Damien.
12:58His Highness would be happy to make arrangements.
13:00That preening, insufferable phoenix.
13:02What utter nonsense.
13:03My stepfather is the only one beaming.
13:05His face flushes red with delight.
13:07Wonderful, wonderful.
13:08We were afraid you'd changed your mind.
13:11I pull my hand free.
13:12My voice is calm.
13:13I'm afraid the answer is no.
13:14I won't be bonding with you.
13:16Raynard's smile dies on his lips.
13:18Why?
13:18He forces his voice steady.
13:19Wynne, you don't seriously think you can marry Crown Prince Damien?
13:22This has nothing to do with Damien.
13:25I simply don't want to marry you.
13:26He reaches for me again.
13:30She said no.
13:32What part of that wasn't clear?
13:37I spin around a dark-haired young man leans against the doorframe.
13:40Bare-chested, a strip of linen wrapped low around his hips.
13:43Lean muscle, pale skin, eyes black as void stone and just as empty.
13:47He's smiling, but the warmth doesn't reach past his mouth.
13:50Brent, you've been cheating on me with another male?
13:53I look at him the way you'd look at something stuck to your shoe.
13:56The young man's expression cools.
13:57He glances at Raynard barely, like something not worth focusing on.
14:01Wings erupt from his back, obsidian black, massive.
14:03They unfurl like a living cage, blotting out the ceiling.
14:06Bone spurs line the edges, razor sharp, and they sweep toward the room in one motion.
14:10Raynard doesn't dodge fast enough.
14:11The tips stop a centimeter from his eyes.
14:13Raynard's face drains white.
14:15His knees buckle.
14:15Behind him, my stepfather, Tessa, and Aldous cling to each other.
14:19Petrified.
14:19The young man extends one arm and draws me against his chest.
14:23Pardon the interruption.
14:24Slight bow, a quiet smile.
14:25Allow me to introduce myself.
14:27My name is Castor Solarius.
14:29Caster, my mind goes blank.
14:31Raynard is the first to recover.
14:33He scrambles to his feet, face rearranging into something desperate and ingratiating.
14:37Commander, hello, I-I'm...
14:39I know.
14:40Rin's former fiancé.
14:41Caster looks down at him, calm, almost bored.
14:43The one who tried to dissolve the bond.
14:45He feels me look up at him.
14:46But from today onward...
14:47That gentle warmth returns.
14:49Your betrothal is mine now.
14:51Demon dispatches the Empire's highest tier escort.
14:54They convoy Castor to the healer's hall.
14:56Through the carriage window, I watch my step.
14:58Father and the others shrink.
15:00Smaller, smaller.
15:01Until they're just dark specks on the road behind us.
15:03I still feel dizzy.
15:04Like the ground shifted and hasn't settled back.
15:06Don't worry.
15:07Castor takes my hand.
15:08Steady warm.
15:08I didn't order their arrest.
15:10There's an estate in the city.
15:12You can stay there if you'd rather not go back to your family in name.
15:16Diagnostic runes glow faintly on his wrists and chest.
15:19Pulsing gold with every heartbeat.
15:21I lower my eyes.
15:22Thank you, Commander.
15:23A beat, then a soft laugh.
15:25You don't have to be so formal.
15:27I take a breath.
15:27Alright, Pebble.
15:29His mouth twitches.
15:31Just Castris is fine.
15:32Word of Commander Selneris' return has already spread.
15:35The crowd outside the healer's hall is thick.
15:37Civilians, officials, gossip peddlers all jostling for a glimpse.
15:41We slip in through the back.
15:42He reads the question on my face.
15:44Explains, voice low, just for me.
15:45Our unit was ambushed in the Voidlands.
15:47Daemon suspects to molt in his inner circle.
15:49He couldn't risk revealing too much, afraid they'd come for me.
15:52So that's why Daemon let a lovebird keep the egg.
15:54I was camouflage.
15:55The High Healer, a stern, by-the-book authority who intimidates everyone,
15:59stands before Castor like a nervous first-year apprentice.
16:02Commander Selneris, we've arranged our senior healers.
16:05They'll oversee your full recovery.
16:07No need.
16:08Castor cuts him off.
16:09His gaze drifts to me.
16:10Then back to the High Healer.
16:11I already have my healer.
16:14The room clears.
16:15I catch his wrist before he can sit down.
16:17Castor blinks.
16:18Before he can react, I push soul energy into his body.
16:21A moment later, I withdraw my soul sense.
16:23My face tightens.
16:24Similar to Daemon.
16:25But by a narrow margin not as far gone.
16:28What is it?
16:28He reads my expression.
16:30I'm fine.
16:31Dragons get one rebirth.
16:32After a mortal wound, the body reforms.
16:34Once.
16:35I've never met a dragon before.
16:36But I can feel it.
16:37Your body hasn't fully recovered.
16:39The damage from the Voidlands is still there.
16:41The Hall's treatment is only maintaining your baseline vitals.
16:44Full recovery?
16:45Near impossible.
16:46Dragons.
16:46I've never heard the word spoken.
16:48Not once.
16:49Not by anyone.
16:49As if Castor doesn't belong to this continent at all.
16:52It is what it is.
16:54Slow healing it is.
16:56Wait.
16:57Something clicks.
16:58My heart kicks hard against my ribs.
17:00The words I told Daemon.
17:01I know a way to heal you.
17:06Now I just need Daemon to share the blood.
17:08Castor just watches me.
17:09Doesn't ask what I have in mind.
17:11If you need to go out, I'll assign two Wolf Clan soldiers as your guard.
17:14He presses something into my hand.
17:16A medallion black obsidian.
17:17A dragon crest etched into the surface.
17:19Gilded lines catching the light.
17:21My signet medallion.
17:23It grants access everywhere.
17:24Keep it.
17:25I look up at him.
17:26Aren't you worried I'll use it to do something bad?
17:28Castor gazes out the window.
17:30The ghost of a smile.
17:32Little birds don't have wicked hearts.
17:33I decide to try the black bazaar.
17:36The bazaar is flooded with goods smuggled out of the void lands.
17:40Void raiders strip the ruins clean.
17:42Dump the loot on traffickers.
17:43Who repackage and resell it all.
17:45Long odds.
17:46But what if someone's selling human blood?
17:48Three days of staking out every stall.
17:50Nothing.
17:51On the last day, I spot her.
17:53A human girl.
17:56She's hidden under a cloak.
17:58But I catch her scent immediately.
18:00Clean in a way that makes no sense.
18:02Not a trace of beastkin musk.
18:03Other beastkin are starting to notice.
18:06I move first.
18:08I weave an ether veil around her.
18:09A soul energy barrier that masks her presence from every nose in the market.
18:13And pull her through the crowd into Castor's estate.
18:16The estate door closes behind us.
18:18I don't waste time.
18:19I'm sorry.
18:20I need your help.
18:21I have a family member.
18:23Badly hurt.
18:24Your blood might be the only cure.
18:26I just need a little.
18:28Palms pressed together.
18:29Guilt written across my face.
18:30I'm Mira.
18:32You?
18:33Brynn.
18:34She's kind.
18:35Genuinely kind.
18:36When I explain I need the blood for someone I care about, she holds out her other arm.
18:41Do you need more?
18:42You can take from both arms.
18:44Mira tells me she came to this continent from the otherlands.
18:47Chasing a lost kitten.
18:48I jot down her description of the cat on ink script and send it to Castor.
18:52Then to every contact I have, catkin are terrors.
18:55When I was young, they used to yank out my feathers for fun.
18:58How a creature like that ended up bonded to someone this sweet, I'll never understand.
19:02That night, I mix the human blood into a ritual tonic and feed it to Castor.
19:06Between doses, I tell him about Mira's quest.
19:08He raises an eyebrow.
19:09Looking for a kitten?
19:10Mm-hmm.
19:11Etichromanic eyes.
19:12In humanoid form, he'd probably still look like a child.
19:15Castor thinks for a moment.
19:16A quiet laugh.
19:17Is that so?
19:21Castor reminds me.
19:22I can take Mira to the Imperial Archive to search for records of her cat.
19:26The crown is throwing a grand celebration for Demon and Castor's return.
19:30Every eye in the palace will be on the festivities.
19:32No one will notice two girls slipping through the halls.
19:35On the ride to the capital, my stomach won't stop churning.
19:38The crown has been aggressively hunting for humans.
19:40I don't know if Demon has found any others yet.
19:43Mira pokes her head out of the carriage, gawking at everything.
19:45Wyn, what's that?
19:48Wyn, you don't use horses?
19:50This carriage just... flies?
19:56Wyn.
19:57I don't want to hand Mira over to Demon.
19:59History says humans who fell into royal hands became either playthings or prisoners, caged until they died.
20:05The old cruelties were officially outlawed generations ago.
20:08But behind palace walls, who really knows?
20:10I shouldn't have brought her here.
20:12We'll slip in when the crowd's thickest.
20:14If any soldier questions you, tell them you belong to Commander Cenarius.
20:18Understand?
20:19Castor's rank is second only to Daemon.
20:21With his sigil, no Beastrin would dare touch her.
20:23But I forget one thing.
20:25I'm not safe either.
20:30At the archive entrance, the crowd is thicker than I expected.
20:33Gala guests drift through every corridor, wine glasses in hand, laughter bouncing off marble walls.
20:38Patrols everywhere.
20:39I lean close to Mira.
20:41I'll watch the door.
20:42Go straight to the back.
20:43Species records, third row.
20:45Grab what you need and get out.
20:46Don't linger.
20:47She nods.
20:48Clutches the sigil medallion.
20:49Slips inside.
20:50I press my back against a pillar, pretending to admire the murals, my pulse hammers.
20:54Beastkin fill every sightline.
20:56Some far above my tear.
20:58If anyone catches Mira's scent.
20:59Excuse me, miss.
21:00Which house are you with?
21:01A calm voice.
21:02Behind me, I turn.
21:03A middle-aged Beastkin in military dress uniform.
21:06The insignia on his lapel, Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
21:09Wern of House Whitmore.
21:11The tone is pleasant.
21:12The eyes are dead.
21:13No, you're a soul mender.
21:18My blood goes cold.
21:19You have the wrong person.
21:21I'm just an ordinary lovebird.
21:23Ordinary lovebirds don't cast error veils.
21:26My people saw.
21:27He steps forward.
21:29Soul menders are strategic assets of the Empire.
21:32You're aware that under Imperial law, your abilities must undergo formal evaluation and assignment.
21:37His tear is far above mine.
21:38My Aether Veil is useless against him.
21:40All I can do is stall.
21:41I need to notify my guardian first.
21:43He lifts a hand.
21:45No, you don't.
21:46Come with me.
21:47It won't take long.
21:48I'm taken deep into the palace.
21:50The door locks from the outside.
21:52Wern Holloway.
21:53Greater.
21:53Avian bloodline.
21:54Lovebird subcentrate.
21:55Stepdaughter of House Whitmore.
21:57Assessed constitution near common.
21:59But your soul energy output far exceeds Greater.
22:01That's a contradiction.
22:02Unless you've been hiding your true capabilities.
22:05Volunteer and you'll be taken care of.
22:06The court provides quarters.
22:08A stipend.
22:09It's a comfortable life.
22:10Of course, if you refuse, we have other methods.
22:14I meet his eyes.
22:15Don't blink.
22:16I refuse.
22:20I lose track of time.
22:22The door stays shut.
22:23The room is silent.
22:24I lean against the wall.
22:25Keep my breathing even.
22:26I keep running the numbers.
22:27Mira should be out of the archive by now.
22:29She has Caster's sigil.
22:31No one will touch her.
22:32But she's seen I'm gone.
22:33What will she do?
22:34Caster is still in the healer's hall.
22:36His body isn't recovered.
22:38Diagnostic runes still flicker gold on his wrists.
22:40He shouldn't come.
22:41He can't come.
22:42Then I hear it.
22:43The entire palace shaking.
22:44First a faint tremor like distant thunder.
22:46Then stronger.
22:47The file slides off the table.
22:49The chair topples.
22:50Screaming.
22:50Then a roar tears through every other sound.
22:52Nothing I've ever heard.
22:53Deeper than thunder.
22:55Bolder than wind.
22:56Like the earth itself is furious.
22:57The entire capital hears it.
22:59The door crashes inward.
23:00One of demon's attendants.
23:01Face white as bone.
23:02Staggers into the room.
23:04Release.
23:04Release her.
23:05Commander Salarius.
23:06He's-
23:07Dragon.
23:08It's a dragon.
23:09They pull me out of the cell.
23:11Every person in the corridor is pressed flat against the walls.
23:14No one moves.
23:15Not because of an order.
23:16Dot.
23:16Because of fear.
23:17Ancient.
23:18Bone deep.
23:18The kind written into blood before history began.
23:21I run through the palace doors.
23:22Look up.
23:23A wingspan that blots out the night sky hovers over the capital.
23:26This is the first time any beastkin in the empire has seen a dragonstrew form.
23:31Obsidian black scales shimmer under the moonlight.
23:33Veins of gold rippling through them like living scripture.
23:36Slitted pupils survey the city below.
23:38Judging every creature that breathes.
23:40Castor.
23:40He's looking for me.
23:44The dragon descends into the palace square.
23:47Wings fold.
23:47The beast form dissolves.
23:49Castor stands in human form.
23:50Demon's attendants rush forward.
23:52A single look from Castor stops them dead.
23:54Sees me.
23:54He walks toward me.
23:55Steps even.
23:56But his hands are shaking.
23:57He reaches me.
23:58Says nothing.
23:59Just pulls me in.
24:00Holds tight.
24:00I feel his heart beat too fast.
24:02His soul energy guttering inside him like a flame in a storm.
24:05Forcing the shift burned through every scrap of strength he'd recovered.
24:08I'm late.
24:09His arms tighten.
24:10There won't be a next time.
24:12Then his weight shifts against me heavier.
24:14Castor.
24:15Castor.
24:16It's nothing.
24:17Just tired.
24:19His eyes close.
24:20He collapses against me.
24:22Every diagnostic rune goes dark.
24:26I drop to my knees.
24:28Press both hands against his chest.
24:29Gold ether floods from my palms.
24:31I pour it into him.
24:33Everything I have.
24:34Soul mending is devastating.
24:37Last time.
24:3710 minutes knocked me unconscious.
24:39I don't stop.
24:41By the time the high healer arrives with a team.
24:43I've lost track of how long I've been kneeling here.
24:45Someone tries to pull me away.
24:47I throw off their hands.
24:48Not until the diagnostic runes flicker back to life.
24:51Faint gold.
24:52Barely there.
24:53Not until his chest rises again.
24:55Then I let go collapse backward onto the ground.
24:58Demon stands nearby.
24:59Behind him, attendants flank a cloaked figure mirror.
25:02He looks at Castor, unconscious on the stone.
25:05Then at me, a long stillness.
25:07Get them both to the healer's hall.
25:10Highest clearance.
25:16A beat.
25:17His gaze shifts to something behind me.
25:20And that intelligence officer.
25:25Lock him up.
25:26I'll handle that one personally.
25:31Castor stays unconscious for three full days.
25:33I don't leave his bedside.
25:35Third evening, his eyes open.
25:37I throw my arms around him.
25:38The tears come before I can stop them.
25:40Not grief this time.
25:41Relief.
25:41Then reality crashes back.
25:43I grab his shoulders.
25:44Mira.
25:45Damon took her.
25:46Demon's condition is worse than Castor's.
25:48If he forces a blood extraction, Mira won't survive it.
25:51But Castor exhales.
25:52Relaxed.
25:53It's fine.
25:53Relaxed.
25:54Damon won't hurt her.
25:56Really?
25:57She's a human.
25:58A rare human.
26:00Nothing will happen to her.
26:02I'm so worried about Mira.
26:04I chew my lip.
26:05Think it over.
26:05Still can't let it go.
26:07Castor, can you go ask Damien?
26:09Please?
26:10Halfway through my sentence, I freeze.
26:12Also, there's something else I need to tell you.
26:16Not important.
26:17Don't worry about it.
26:18Not important.
26:19It's your sigil.
26:20Your sigil medallion is in Mira's hands right now because I gave it to her.
26:24The recovery room door slams open.
26:26Demon storms in.
26:27Castor, you're not even out of bed and you're already poaching?
26:31Don't you have your own mate?
26:32Why are you stealing mine?
26:34Stealing your mate?
26:35Castor releases me.
26:36I don't have that particular hobby.
26:37Leans back on the sofa indolent.
26:39Then why does she claim to be Commander Solaris' person?
26:42Demon's jaw clenches, a cold, thin smile.
26:44Since when do you keep a human?
26:46Castor opens his mouth.
26:47Demon cuts him off.
26:48And Pebble?
26:49Don't even get me started.
26:51Castor takes a slow breath.
26:52The corner of his lips lifts.
26:53The sofa armrest crumbles to dust in his grip.
26:56As if pudding is the pinnacle of dignity.
26:59Demon choke.
27:00Before they can come to blows, I throw myself between them.
27:03It wasn't him!
27:04I'm the one who gave Mira the signal!
27:06After a brief and painful exchange, the two of them retreat to opposite sides of the room.
27:11Demon's expression softens.
27:12Rin.
27:12He even directs a warm look at me.
27:14I had no idea you and Mira were friends.
27:15I've seen that look before.
27:16Many times.
27:17When I was a child, right before a catkin yanked out my feathers.
27:20Same exact expression.
27:21He looks at me, voiced like honey.
27:23I'll leave it to you then.
27:24I don't follow.
27:25I glance at Castor for help.
27:27Castor gives me a reassuring nod.
27:28He means say nice things about him to his consort.
27:32Help move things along between them.
27:34My face burned.
27:35But I haven't even been in a relationship myself.
27:38No pressure, of course.
27:40But Castor did use my future mate's blood without authorization.
27:43To bring this before the war tribunal, I'm go there iffarsha melesame.
27:48I deeply regret not telling him he had six months to live.
27:52Castor nearly died following Demon into the Voidlands.
27:55And now I'm playing wingwoman for the crown prince's love life.
27:58We are quite literally being used.
28:00Mira and I are out walking when she lowers her voice.
28:02Wink, do you have places here where you can pet cats?
28:06Pet cats?
28:07I blink.
28:10Demon's voice crackles from the whispering stone on my earring.
28:13What is that?
28:15I echo carefully.
28:16What do you mean?
28:17You know, a place with lots of kittens.
28:18You pay to go in and you hold them and stroke their fur and bury your face in their little
28:22bellies.
28:22Cat bellies are so soft it's the best.
28:24I'm about to say we actually have something like that, the purring parlor.
28:27Customers pay cat kin to shift into beast form and curl up in their laps for petting.
28:31Of course, in the beast kin world, that level of physical contact is considered extremely intimate.
28:36Demon is already losing his mind through the whispering stone.
28:39What kind of draved establishment?
28:43Shut it down.
28:44The whisper link cuts dead.
28:46Castor, from somewhere far away, kills the connection.
28:48His voice comes through a separate channel.
28:50Mild.
28:51Pleasant.
28:51Don't worry about him.
28:52I'll have someone slip a sedative into his teeth.
28:54Mira watches me fiddle with my earring.
28:56Concern on her face.
28:57Why do you keep touching your ear?
29:00It's just a little itchy.
29:05Dabon really does care about you.
29:07I've never heard a single rumor about him and anyone else.
29:09He's impatient with everyone, except you.
29:13With you, he's completely different.
29:16Through the whispering stone, Demon nods vigorously.
29:19Yes.
29:20Yes.
29:20Exactly.
29:21Keep going.
29:22Diamond is handsome.
29:23I do like him.
29:25And he really has been good to me.
29:27He doesn't make me stay in the palace.
29:29He says I can go wherever I want.
29:31The bee skin here are probably nice to me because of him, but still.
29:34It's more kindness than I've ever known.
29:37It's the first time I've felt loved.
29:40My situation isn't much better than hers.
29:43What is family?
29:44What is love?
29:45If you like it here, then that's what matters most.
29:48I take her hand.
29:49Hold it firm.
29:50Diamond brought you here so you could live freely.
29:52And if you ever decide you don't want to stay, you can leave.
29:57Anytime.
29:59I believe Diamond would respect whatever you choose.
30:05Demon told me explicitly,
30:06Don't tell Mira that humans can heal him.
30:09He's afraid she'd shoulder that burden.
30:11Stay out of obligation.
30:12Sacrifice her freedom to keep him alive.
30:14I want Mira to be free.
30:16Kind.
30:18Endlessly curious about this world.
30:21I really do like this world.
30:23It's just because I used to think he was just a house cat, you know?
30:27And house cats are compact.
30:29So now, every time I see him, my brain just...
30:32I'm sorry.
30:34I'm sorry.
30:36This is wildly above my chemist level.
30:39I am a lovebird, not a...
30:40Demon's voice through the whispering stone.
30:42Rin.
30:43Assure her, that won't be a concern.
30:46How am I supposed to say that out loud?
30:48I'm sorry.
30:50I'm a lovebird who has never even been on a date.
30:53Mira and Damon grow closer by the day.
30:56Caster is finally cleared to leave the healer's hall.
30:59I walk beside him, one hand steadying his arm.
31:02During my time at the estate, my stepfather came to the door multiple times, demanding I return.
31:08Caster's people turned him away every time.
31:11Tessa and Aldous take a different route.
31:13Spreading rumors through the noble salons.
31:15Saying I abandoned my own sister and brother the moment I latched onto Commander Salnaris.
31:21Ungrateful, social, climbing.
31:23Mira handles it at a tea party solo.
31:25Tessa throws shade in front of the entire salon.
31:28Mira stands up and dismantles every word, line by line, in public, with surgical precision.
31:34Every time Tessa tries to counter, Mira is faster, sharper.
31:38Meaner.
31:39By the end, Tessa is shrieking.
31:41Red.
31:42Faced in front of every noble woman in attendance.
31:44In aristocratic circles, losing composure in public is worse than losing the argument.
31:50Mira reports back to me, glowing with pride.
31:53Amateur hour.
31:54I can handle these two single-handedly.
31:57And, and I can insult their bloodline going back 12 generations without repeating myself.
32:04Caster follows up.
32:05He sends word to every broadsheet printer and pamphlet press in the city.
32:09One sentence.
32:09Any further publication regarding Lady Wrynn Holloway will be treated as a personal slight against House Selmius.
32:16Overnight, every negative piece about me vanishes.
32:19The gossip peddlers go mute.
32:20No one in the Empire wants to offend its only dragon commander.
32:24And just like that, the narrative flips.
32:26The streets buzz with it.
32:28Lady Wynne isn't even a Whitmore by blood.
32:30Of course not.
32:31Her mother remarried into that family.
32:33Poor little lovebird.
32:34That stepfather's household must have made her life hell.
32:37Well, word is she's seeing Commander Solarius now.
32:40Good for her.
32:41When's the last time an avian amounted to anything?
32:43Never thought I'd see the day an avian caught a dragon's eye.
32:47My heart pounds so hard I feel it in my teeth.
32:50This is bad.
32:51They think we're together.
32:53The dark-haired young man across from me doesn't seem concerned at all.
32:57Caster's family is shrouded in mystery.
33:00Noble houses have tried to arrange bonds with him before.
33:03He turned every single one down.
33:05His response at the time a thin, dismissive curve of the mouth.
33:09I don't need a bonding to secure my position.
33:12So speculation about his mate has been a favorite pastime of the entire Empire.
33:17After I finish speaking, the room holds still.
33:21Caster adjusts the clasp of his commander's cloak.
33:23Then, without looking up.
33:25They're not wrong.
33:26His lashes lower, casting shadows across pale skin.
33:30I'm the one who put the word out.
33:32I stare.
33:33Caster presses his lips together.
33:35Keeps talking, almost to himself.
33:37Being the lady of House Solanus wouldn't be so bad.
33:40I have no parents.
33:41My mate wouldn't have to navigate into house politics.
33:43No meddling relatives.
33:44No one whispering behind your back.
33:46Solanus isn't as wealthy as Daemon's Crown, but you'd never want for anything.
33:49I'm stationed at the Bastion often, but every two moons I get extended leave.
33:53My voice shrinks.
33:54Caster, what exactly are you saying?
33:58Caster's expression softens.
34:00I'm saying you don't have to envy Meera for being loved.
34:04He takes my hand, gentle, the way he once spread those wings between me and the world.
34:09Daemon wants her to be free.
34:11A pause.
34:12His thumb traces my knuckles.
34:16I just want you to be happy.
Comments