Page 12 of Full Moon
Chapter 6
Torben
Feray issilent in the bond, and it's almost unnerving. Usually, I feel blips from her. But right now, with her wolf driving her to follow her instincts, there's nothing. I watch her closely as she turns her nose to the wind several times before continuing up the side of the mountain.
"Is she okay?" Khal asks, motioning to Feray as her wolf winds its way up the rocks.
"I believe so. She's very detached as her wolf drives her forward." My voice wavers with discomfort at how I can barely feel her.
Diaval rests a hand on my shoulder and gives me a reassuring nod. "It's to be expected. Her instincts are pulling her in a specific direction. An ancient need to migrate. Her wolf is probably talking to her, giving her directions to the point she doesn't hear anything else." He clicks his tongue. "Dragons are just as bad. It affects the females more—the drive to return to where they were born when they're ready to give birth."
"Sows go to ground when they're ready to birth. They dig deep and hide, making the entrance only wide enough for one bear toget in and out," I say, turning to watch Feray as she climbs and pauses at a cavern entrance.
Her head turns to look at the sky as the sun sets. She's seeking shelter for us.
She stops at the entrance, her growl resonating through the night air and halting me, Easton, and Diaval in our tracks. Her pure white wolf steps forward, positioning herself in front of Khal, and tosses her head toward the dark, yawning mouth of the cavern.
"She wants you to check it out," I tell Khal, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nods. "Kinda figured that's what she meant. I'll shift and search the cavern."
Without hesitation, he strips off his clothes, his body blurring and elongating as he shifts into his basilisk form. In an instant, he slithers into the cavern, disappearing into the shadows. Feray follows slowly, her presence a white ghost against the blackness. A deep, menacing growl escapes her muzzle, and my heart races with the urge to follow, to protect.
Diaval grabs my arm, his grip firm and unyielding. His eyes lock onto mine. "Khal can handle anything in there. Don't follow."
I take a deep breath and nod, feeling the tension drain from my body, though my heart continues to pound.
Feray barks, and then the hiss of Khal's basilisk makes Easton step forward. "Feray says it's cave spiders. Giant ones." Easton tosses several balls of fire into the cavern, lighting the first ten feet past the opening. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the jagged walls. The air smells of sulfur and damp stone.
"Don't you two think you should go in there and help them?" I glance between Diaval and Easton.
"I was already yelled at." Diaval rolls his eyes, looking back down the mountain.
"Yelled at?" I strain to hear over what sounds like a war waging in the cavern. The growls, the thrashing, the sound of scales on stone make it almost impossible to look away from the blackened depths.
"Yes. Our mate threatened her favorite part with pain if I set a single talon in the cavern." Diaval adjusts his tie and arches a brow, glancing down briefly.
"Oh. Yeah, let's not risk any part." My eyes dart away for a moment before returning to the cavern.
The roar of a creature echoes out, and a chill runs down my spine. "What the hell was that?"
A new sound echoes from the depths, sending a shiver through me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I ready myself to rush in. Easton raises a hand, hurling another fireball into the darkness. The flames reveal twisted forms of several stone spiders, frozen mid-attack. A human-like scream, mingled with a high-pitched shriek, reverberates through the cavern, propelling the three of us forward. The most haunting howl I've ever heard, intertwined with rushing wind, fills the air.
"What's happening?" My eyes dart from Easton to Diaval.
"Vampire spawn." Diaval mutters, nodding at Easton.
Without hesitation, Easton strips down, his body shifting into a magnificent phoenix. He launches himself into the cavern, his flames illuminating the jagged walls. The light from his phoenixfire reveals a terrifying sight: the shadow of Khal's basilisk, coiled and ready to strike. Feray growls, and I hear a wet, squishy sound that makes my stomach churn.
Then, silence.
My heart pounds in my throat until I see Feray emerging from the darkness, her wolf form drenched in blood. Clutched in her jaws is the severed head of a vampire. She drops it at Diaval's feet, then sits. Her eyes are fixed on the cavern, remaining vigilant. Several more bursts of fire ignite the cavern's depths before Easton and Khal finally emerge. Easton and Khal get dressed and look down at Feray.
"You would be amazed at how much Precious has improved with her fighting. That ice! Damn..." Khal grins. "She did a weird howl thing, and a cone of frost came from her mouth." Feray's wolf slaps Khal's leg with a paw before she turns to look at Diaval.
"If that's what you want, my eternal," Diaval says, then turns to me. "Feray wants me to share her memory of the fight with you. With your permission, of course." A low growl escapes Feray's muzzle as she stares at Diaval.
"You know it feels icky to pull a memory from you to share with others. It makes my scales crawl." Diaval looks exasperated. "No offense—it's not common to share memories outside of a mating bond. It feels like swimming through mud."
