Page 4 of Full Moon
Chapter 2
Khal
KHAL
Not now...
The itch has started, and that only means one thing. Every inch of my skin feels like it's crawling. It's time for my shift to shed—which means I need to find water or a wet area to help remove the scales. On several hunting trips for the family, I've found a few small ponds and a stream that might work. None are big enough for my basilisk to submerge fully.
My hands absently scratch at my skin as I walk around what's left of the town. We've had several small skirmishes with rogue vampires and killed them off quickly. The worst part of this is that it's usually my brother and me together, and we help each other. It's times like this that I miss him. I wonder what he's doing. Where in the faerie is he? Is his shift trying to shed as well? Shaking my head, I walk back to camp. How am I going to teach Feray what to do and not turn her to stone?
Diaval steps into my line of sight and arches a brow. "I know that look. What's wrong?"
"I'm getting ready to shed. Most times it's my brother and I, and we help each other." I glance down before looking back up at him. "The conditions aren't ideal. There's no hot spring, and none of the bodies of water are big enough for me to submerge fully."
Diaval paces, then stops. "Feray has shed spray for you, and if Easton or I can warm the water from a pond, that should help."
Speaking of the sprite, she pops up with Easton and Torben in tow. "What's happening?" She scoots closer and hugs onto my side.
"I'm itchy, and that means it's time for my shift to shed." Feray looks up at me as I tell her my concern, and she smiles.
"Okay, we've got this." She turns and looks at Diaval. "We need the old grain silo on the ground and cut in half somehow. I think your giant, incredibly powerful dragon can do that. Can't he?" Feray moves from me to snuggle up to Diaval, nuzzling him under his chin.
"Yes, he can. We'll get right on it." Diaval kisses Feray and walks off.
"I'll get Diaval's dragon to use the other half to scoop water from the ponds to fill the silo. Then it's up to Easton to heat the water for you." The way Feray says it makes it seem a million times easier than I thought.
"What do you need from me, little wolf?" Torben says lowly as he presses himself to Feray's back. His large hands rub her rib cage in a soothing motion.
"I need your giant teddy bear to knock some trees down to use as supports to hold the silo in place."
"You're thinking under the sides to keep it from rolling?" Torben tilts his head, then presses his lips to her temple.
"Like this." Feray moves away with her water bottle and uses sticks under the sides to demonstrate.
Torben nods along and smiles. "I see what you mean, little wolf. Soon as Diaval has it in place, I'll create a support so he can fill it." He walks past me and gives my shoulder a squeeze.
"Khal, you better shift so I can spray you with the shed spray and let it start soaking in." Feray pushes me away from the others. Easton whistles, getting her attention, and shows her the box of sprays.
"Don't look. I'm gonna shift." I press my lips to her temple and breathe in her scent. Feray slowly turns from me, and I shift. It's always so surreal when my eye caps whiten and I can only see things in a cloudy haze. I thump my tail on the ground and wait to sense her movement.
"Oh my goddess, Khal—can you see anything?" Feray shouts, and I shake my head no. Going to thermal, I can see her heat signature, but that's about it. Gently, I bump her with my nose, then tilt my head so she can see my thermal pits.
Silence embraces us for several moments, then a giggle. "Sneaky male. You're using your infrared receptors to see for now. Follow me back—I heard Diaval drop off the silo." Feray moves slowly in front of me so I can follow her. Occasionally, she reaches back and guides my head away from obstacles. It's not easy to navigate like this, but with how careful Feray is, I feel safe. I feel when the water hits the silo, then the flare of heat when Easton shifts. These glimpses are frustrating. I'm missing out on so much.
"It should be hot enough." Easton calls. His heat signature moves closer, and I can tell he's examining me. "You've almost waited too long, my friend. Feray, spray his face. Basilisks shed from front to back. When you go to help pull off his eye caps, close your eyes. His nictitating membrane can't close over or under the old eye cap."
"Okay." I hear Feray rustling around. "I'm going to spray you now, Khal. It might be cold." The first spritz hits my scales, and it feels bubbly. It helps the old scales release the new ones by getting between them. When Feray has my face covered, she rubs at the scales, and I feel her claws at my mouth. She frees my nose, then pulls the nose cones out and the cones from the receptors. She's very careful as she inches the old skin back. Feray moves to my lower jaw and starts working on that next.
"I'm close to your eyes." She pauses. "Let's get you into the water to soak a little before I continue." Carefully, she guides me to the silo. I can see the faint thermal glow.
"I'm going to help you find the top edge." Torben's deep voice catches me off guard as his hand rests under my jaw. He guides my head up until I touch the edge of the silo.
Now that I know how far up I have to go, I coil my body and rise the rest of the way. Inch by inch, I slip my body over the edge, and eventually gravity helps me slide in. The water is warm against my scales and soothes my body. Between the shed spray and the warmth, I feel my old skin loosening the longer I slither in the silo.
"Feray, get down here!" Diaval yells.
A plunk, and I feel the ripples in the water. "He can't see, and he needs help." Feray's voice is a growl, and I can feel thedisturbance in the force. Her hand rests on my body, and the ripples of the water lick against my form. "Give me your face."
