Dragonbound, p.2
DragonBound, page 2
Grinding his teeth, he scowled as Archangel Serenia’s voice echoed in his mind. She had called Solanji a whore. How dare she. And Kyrill, the bastard who had tortured him for months, had tried to claim her as his fledgling. That wasn’t happening.
“I’m sorry you got caught up in my problems,” he said, caressing her shoulder.
Solanji lifted her head from where she had been nuzzling his neck and looked at him in surprise. “Don’t go blaming yourself for Kyrill’s actions. He was the one who dragged me into your affairs, and anyway, you should be grateful. We might never have met otherwise.”
“True.”
Solanji paused a moment as if choosing her words carefully.
“What?” Mav asked as the silence extended.
“Kyrill said I was his fledgling. Can he make that claim stick?”
Mav huffed. “He could try. But he can’t force you. That would be slavery.”
“Which I wouldn’t put passed him.”
“He can’t break our personal oaths.”
“But no one knows we swore them. How do they become official?”
“Normally, I would make a public declaration, but I would prefer not to draw attention to you at the moment. We don’t want anyone discovering you are my wife and a SoulBreather just yet. And to be honest,” Mav heaved a sigh, “until Apologia is declared null and void, people would start asking questions we don’t want to answer.”
“I’m worried he might try and grab me in a corridor or something. He seemed pretty determined to claim me as his. Though…” Solanji hesitated again.
Mav raised an eyebrow. “Though?”
“I wondered if it was an opportunity to get someone inside his organisation.”
“Not an option.” Mav’s heart rate spiked, an uncomfortable flutter in his chest. “You know what he is capable of. There is no way he is getting his hands on you. You’re my wife. I’m not allowing anyone else to threaten you.”
“I didn’t realise you would be so possessive!” Solanji said with a smile as she kissed his chin. “I like it, but he is your only lead into what’s happening in the citadel. And we don’t have any proof of what he is up to.”
“Felather will find out. That’s what he is good at.”
“You need him focused on Apologia. That’s your priority. If we can’t prove your innocence, then there is no point doing anything else. And I can’t help with any of that; it all happened before my time.”
“That is a last resort.” Mav scowled. The idea was preposterous and dangerous. Kyrill wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he caught her snooping in his office.
“My love, it is the most likely outcome. Be realistic. Kyrill claimed me in front of the assembly; he will demand you return me to him when he realises I left the cells with you. We don’t want to give him more reason to target you. We need to take advantage of the opportunity. I can spy on him during the day, and Sero can teach me what he knows about soulbreathing in the evening while you prove your innocence.” She emphasised her point by kissing him on the lips and Mav kissed her back. Reluctantly, he let her go.
“We haven’t been back a day yet. Apologia will only take four days, and then we can focus on discovering how your soulbreathing works and find your brother.” He hugged her tight as her beautiful eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “We will find him,” he murmured into her hair.
Mav still couldn’t believe she had thrown her lot in with him and risked losing her younger brother, now banished to Eidolon, soulless and no doubt terrified. How could the citadel justify treating a child in such an inhumane manner, stripping a nine-year-old of his soul and condemning him to an unknown future in the grim depths of Eidolon.
Mav would stop it the minute he had the chance. But the long list of problems he needed to resolve first meant he had to park that desire and focus on his more immediate life-threatening issues.
Apologia. That his brother had agreed to accuse him of four counts. Burning fury rushed through him, and he tensed again at the sense of betrayal.
“You are thinking horrible thoughts again,” Solanji said and reached up to kiss his nose. Her body slid against his, and he groaned. A small smile curved her lips as she hovered above him. “I know something that will help you stop thinking.” She kissed him again, forcing his mouth open, and he surrendered to her demands. The kiss deepened and Mav chased after her tongue.
Solanji lifted her face and arched her neck as Mav continued kissing down her smooth skin to her chest, the heat between them building. He tugged her shirt up her body, his fingers grazing her ribs, and she raised her arms so he could slide it over her head.
“Felather said you mustn’t do anything strenuous; your ribs were cracked, and they are still healing.”
That explained the ache. “He wasn’t serious, was he?” Mav mumbled against the base of her throat, revelling in her scent as he moistened her skin. She tasted divine and smelt even better. A vibration of desire stirred deep inside him. “Not with you in my bed.”
Solanji chuckled and straddled him. “If, and only if, you let me do all the work.”
Mav stopped kissing her long enough to lift an eyebrow. “Is that a trick question?” he asked.
Leaning over him, her unruly curls tumbling over her shoulder as she slid her hands up his chest, Solanji ground against him, sparking an ache in his groin that she’d better be prepared to quench. His fingers drifted up over her ribs and caressed her breasts, unable to resist the instinctive thrust of his hips as she shuddered.
“At least it’s much more comfortable than cold stone,” she murmured as she dove back in, not giving him time to respond. Solanji raised herself over him and guided him into the exquisite heat, which enveloped him as he thrust deeper. A deep groan rumbled through his chest as he slid his fingers up her bare back, revelling in the silky-soft sensation. They moved together, desire tingling through his body and making his toes curl.
He kissed her throat, nipping at the pulse beating at the base, and she writhed. His need increased, as did his rhythm as he held her close; skin slid against skin, heated and slick. Flipping her over onto her back, he ignored her protests and the ache in his side and his knee, and sliding back inside her, exulted as she arched up to meet him, they shuddered in unison as the climax burst through them, leaving them boneless heaps of sensitised skin.
With a shuddering sigh, he raised himself off her and kissed her lips. “You are amazing, you do know that, don’t you?” he asked when he was able to think coherently.
“And you never listen. You’ll do yourself more damage,” Solanji replied against his skin, dropping light kisses that belied her nagging tone.
“It was worth it, though,” he murmured as he rolled to the side.
Solanji followed him, smoothing her hand over his sweaty chest, brushing her fingers through his soft chest hair as if reluctant to stop touching him. “Well, it is something we’re very good at.” She continued to kiss him.
“Mmm…” Mav mumbled, melting under her touch.
Solanji raised herself on one arm and looked down at him. The smile in her voice caressed him. “We have to bathe, otherwise Felather will be storming in and catching us at it again.”
Mav huffed, but he knew she was right. He cracked open an eye and smiled up at her. “How fortunate the bath is big enough for two.”
2
DEMAVRIAN
The corridors were crowded with wide-eyed staff and red-robed administrators. Mav didn’t pause, he just kept moving, confident in his destination, Adriz and Felather behind him and Solanji trailing, lost and worried.
Mav searched for the heart of the citadel as he strode through the hallways. His fingertips trailed along the marble walls, the cool sensation stirring long forgotten memories. He found nothing, no heartbeat, no welcome, and he sighed out his breath in resignation. Why was he so surprised? His soul had been severed from him and the citadel, and he had no idea how to fix that. Maybe Solanji would be able to help.
They reached a wider corridor flanked with marble columns interspersed with busts of ancient personages. None had wings, only serene expressions, but their gaze followed Mav down the passageway. They came to an abrupt halt at the end of the passage where a central fountain graced an open courtyard and a rank of armoured soldiers blocked the way.
“By what right do you impede an archdeus?” Mav demanded, stiffening as he met the derisive glare of the guards. Someone had shoved a stick up their arse and set them off. They had condemned him as guilty without a second thought. He wondered who.
He was answered as his once best friend, Julius, pushed his way through his men, his face stiff, his blue eyes glinting with fury and retribution. Mav stepped forward, leaning on his stick as he gazed around the courtyard. His robes hid the injury to his knee and his general debilitation, though the bruising on his face was in full bloom. He was in no condition for a fight, but he couldn’t back down. Easing his weight off his bad knee for a moment, Mav met Julius’ glare.
“How dare you…” Julius began.
Mav didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. He whipped his stick up, cracked Julius over the head, jabbed it forward, and swept his feet out from under him. As Julius fell backwards, he balanced his weight briefly on the stick and then smacked it across Julius’ chest, all so quick no one really saw what happened. Mav stood over him, negligently resting on his support. “Satisfied?” he asked, looking around the galleries. He twirled his stick and walked out as the Heavenly Host stared at him in shock.
Once out of the courtyard he paused, leant against the wall, and caught his breath, visible shudders threatening to overwhelm him. Felather rushed to his side, hands fluttering. “Julius is out cold. We should get you into the hall before they revive him.” Felather glanced down the empty hallway. “That he dared to delay your appearance before Apologia.”
“It is to be expected. Let us not be delayed further.” Mav pushed off the wall, and limping heavily, he allowed Felather to escort him towards the audience chamber. The guards reluctantly parted as he approached, their unforgiving eyes boring into his back as he passed through the doors.
The chamber fell silent as he stalked down the central aisle. The benches on either side rose in tiers and were filled with seraphim, administrators, and officials. Red-robed councillors to the left, grey-robed angels to the right. White marble lined the floor and walls, interspersed with ornately carved golden columns that held up the vaulted ceiling. Mav’s reflection flickered in the polished stone as he passed, and he ignored the fact that he didn’t look very angelic, battered and bruised as he was. Maybe that was their intent, to keep him off-balance from the beginning.
“You are too late, Archdeus Demavrian. You have missed your opportunity. And anyway...you can’t speak unless you flare, and we both know you can’t do that, now don’t we?”
Mav halted and turned to face the blond-haired seraphim sneering down at him from his seat in the ranks. He held Kyrill’s eyes until he looked away.
Mav continued to walk through the marble hall, flanked by Adriz and trailed by Felather and Solanji. Vast crystal chandeliers hung from the cavernous ceiling, and Mav spotted Sero and some other cherubs perched in them as he passed. His footsteps echoed in the silence until he stopped just before the dais, where the most beautiful and serene angel waited. The angel’s sheer wings swept up either side of her, glittering in an incandescent rainbow of colours in the candlelight.
A sense of peace and calm pervaded the room as she gazed at them.
“Archdeus Demavrian Deusson. You are late,” she said, her melodious voice caressing the air they breathed.
“The reason I am late is because I was attacked without cause on my way here, with obvious intent to delay my arrival, and as such, for an unprovoked attack, I am granted one turn of the glass.” Mav strived to remain calm as he gestured at the huge timepiece on the wall and then inspected Serenia properly for the first time in nearly five decades. The last audience, he had spent most of it pressed face-first into the marble floor. An echoing silence followed his words, along with the agitated ruffling of wings. His breath fluttered in his chest as she caught his eye, conveying a message he couldn’t interpret, and a chill spread through him. Uncertainty of her regard for him another worry undermining his confidence.
“Is there anyone here wishing to speak in rebuttal?” Serenia’s melodious voice grew cold, and Mav regretted the sharp edge that marred it. And then his stomach plummeted as Kyrill replied.
“The host was assisting me in rescuing my fledgling that the archdeus was holding against her will.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at Solanji and then at the floor before him. “Here.”
Adriz hissed, but Mav raised a hand and she fell silent.
“Solanji?” Mav asked. He tried to keep his face expressionless. He hadn’t expected Kyrill to act so fast even though Solanji had predicted he would. Her beautiful eyes were anguished and uncertain, and she clenched her fingers so tight they cracked. She opened her mouth but few words left them.
“Mav, I-I…”
Kyrill continued, waving a piece of paper. “Here is her note advising me they were travelling to the crossing. That Demavrian attempted to purchase a false soul to cross the divide, as he has no soul of his own.”
Voices rose in shock. Adriz hissed her breath out, behind Mav’s shoulder.
“Prove it,” Mav snapped, deepening his voice. A shiver rippled through him. Kyrill was showing his hand much earlier than he had anticipated. He had said Kyrill couldn’t force her to serve him. He had been wrong and over confident. There was nothing he could say to refute Kyrill without putting Solanji more at risk. If they knew she was a SoulBreather, he doubted she would last the night. They hadn’t agreed that Solanji would join Kyrill’s retinue, but maybe it was meant to be. He didn’t like it, though in his current position, there was little he could do to prevent it. He so wished he could mind speak to reassure her.
“What?”
“Prove your claim or defend your honour.”
Kyrill descended from his seat in the tiers to the floor. “She’s a SoulSucker; she can prove it.”
“And yet you dragged her off the streets of Puronia and didn’t report her. Instead, you forced her to go to Eidolon, promised to redeem her brother and return him to her family.”
Kyrill waved his hand, his jaw tightening. “I needed to confirm my suspicions before reporting her.”
“Do you lie about others things as well? Do you lie about what you get up to in Eidolon? Do you deny that you have a castle in the north of Eidolon? Captain Teravin can confirm. After all, he dragged me there and allowed me to be incarcerated in your torture chamber. Do you deny that?”
“Enough,” Serenia interrupted, a scowl marring her exquisite face. “This has nothing to do with the first count.”
Mav coldly inspected the hall, seeing some doubt on confused faces. He almost lost his stern demeanour when Solanji defiantly raised her chin. God, she was beautiful. His gaze lingered, and he met her eyes and saw the determination. She had made her own decision, and he gave her the slightest of nods. Her shoulders stiffened, and he looked back at the seraphim who dared to challenge him.
“Are you the accuser for the first count?”
“Flare your wings,” Kyrill demanded.
Mav stared him down. Since when had this seraphim become so sure of himself? So confident that he would openly confront an archdeus in the citadel? Mav’s breath stuttered. He supposed torturing an archdeus near to death might make him believe he had the upper hand. Was that Kyrill’s plan all along? Get Mav to the citadel and denounce him in full view of the council? “The claim was ‘no soul’. You cannot prove it, therefore your claim is invalid. The word of a mere seraphim,” Mav speared him with a look of pure disdain, and Kyrill licked his lips as he glanced around his shocked peers; the brethren were watching him with wide-eyed expectation, “does not supersede that of an archdeus. My scribe will expect your reparation.” Mav lifted his chin. “Now, who else here claimed I don’t have soul?”
He struggled to remain calm as Kyrill dragged a resistant Solanji back to his seat.
Serenia cleared her throat, her gaze encompassing the room and demanding silence. Her expression hardened as she glared at Mav. He held her stare. This confrontation had not been his choice, and Serenia’s lips tightened.
“We are gathered here today to finally lay to rest the accusations against Archdeus Demavrian Deusson. I declare Apologia is in session. A reminder of the counts, in case you had forgotten. “First count, the murder of Archangel Athenia Demois, our one and only SoulBreather; second count, the murder of Deus Veradeus; third count, lack of a soul; fourth count, inability to flare wings and therefore no longer a divine, blessed angel.” The hall was silent. “First count, lack of a soul.” Serenia turned to face him. “Failure of any count forfeits your life.” Serenia returned to her seat. “Proceed.”
Mav’s lips peeled back in a vicious grin as fury flashed through him. He suddenly understood how innocent people could be driven to terrible actions, behaviour typically beyond their capabilities. The ferocity of his anger at the injustice of this whole situation astonished him. He knew he was innocent, therefore someone else was lying. He stored his feelings away to explore later. And they’d had the temerity to change one of the counts. He was now accused of murdering his father? That they would believe him capable of such a thing took his breath away. He inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm his riotous pulse. Once he was sure he could speak calmly, he said, “Count one, lack of a soul,” and after hooking his stick on his belt, he walked towards the steps.
When he reached the bottom of the marble stairs, he spread his arms and rotated, demonstrating his complete dearth of weapons as his trousers swirled around him. A statement of vulnerability that he knew would have Adriz in a panic, but he had to make it to demonstrate his belief in his innocence.
