Page 8 of Full Moon
Chapter 4
Easton
The one itemI half hoped we wouldn't find, we did. That tiara means she is the last true Luna. The Crescent Valley throne is hers. I watch Torben hold our mate in his arms, trying to comfort her. Glancing down at the diadem in my hand, then back to my mate.
Shit...
"There was a prophecy. The children of the moon. I know the wolf's side since it concerns all shifter kind. The witch side, I do not know." I step forward and cup Feray's cheek, looking into her eyes. "The prophecy spoke of a queen that united the species of old, taking a mate from each."
I step away from the others and look at all of us. "Phoenix, the children of fire and sky. Basilisk, the children of mountains and water. Dragon, the children of the wind and storm. Kodiak, the children of the woods and earth."
I tilt my head, waiting for Feray to put it together, relying on her superior intellect. Feray pulls away from Torben and startspacing between each of us. She pauses briefly, looking up into each of our eyes.
"Earth." She touches Torben's chest, and his beast's eyes rise to the surface.
She moves to stand before Diaval and touches his chest. "Air." His eyes react like Torben's, his beast rising to the surface.
Feray looks at Khal, then closes the distance and touches his chest. "Water." He closes his eyes when he feels his beast rise, then opens them with the membrane in place.
With a tilt of her head, Feray looks at me and takes the two steps to reach me. Her fingers grip my tie as she looks up into my eyes. Her eyes glow with the power of her wolf. "Fire." And I feel my phoenix rise to attention.
"The elements. If you are the children of the elements, what am I?" Her eyes search each of ours before falling back on me.
"You are the child of winter. Born of frost and fire, and the ability to save us all." I can't help but smile, looking down at my beautiful mate. The tenuous grip she had on the power releases, and my phoenix bows in deference to our mate. My phoenix bowed. I've lived countless lifetimes, and he has never bowed to anyone.
Feray offers me a small smile before taking Khal's hand and asking him to shift in the living room. When he does, she takes her sleeping bag and climbs into his coils. She's sleeping more. That means only one thing. The heat. Silently, I motion to Torben and Diaval to join me. When they do, we walk away in silence. The only sound is the crunching of leaves under our feet once we're outside.
"What's the meaning of this?" Diaval asks, shoving his hands in his slacks pockets.
My narrowed gaze lands on Torben. "Has Feray gone through a heat yet? I know the tonic will keep her from having pups, but that doesn't mean she won't still go through it."
Torben tilts his head, then looks back at the house. He turns to face us. "Not yet. She's only missing one sign that it's on the horizon." He looks down at his hands, then between the three of us. "She'll get very hungry and extra snuggly. That's the only warning we'll have before she starts hunting us."
Torben's eyes lock on each of us. "We need to make sure we each carry a tonic with us, and one of us has to get her to take it. She's due to take it by Tuesday."
Listening to Torben is concerning. A bird being hunted by a wolf sends a chill running down my spine. The fear of her accidentally losing control of her instincts and ending me is very real. She would never forgive herself if she accidentally killed me. Granted, I would resurrect. But the guilt of killing me would eat her alive.
"What's that look for?" Diaval tilts his head.
"What do wolves hunt?"
"Prey, so?" He furrows his brows.
Slowly, in small increments, I watch the pinched flesh between his eyebrows smooth. His face goes slack as his eyes search my features. "Oh, shit..." His voice comes out in a soft whisper.
"Yeah. I can't use my fire shifted. That may hurt her and cause scarring. Without it, I am no better than prey." My eyes slowly move to glance over at the house.
"You keep forgetting one thing, Easton." Torben smirks, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You can fly."
My eyes fall to Torben's hand. It's huge, encompassing the majority of my collarbone. "Flight may not be an option. If I'm frightened, my bird will burst into flame when I shift."
Torben nods slowly, then looks over at Diaval. "Diaval, we have to make sure she either hunts you or Khal first, then me, then Easton. By the time she gets to him, she should, in theory, be past the ravenous stage." He shakes his head, staring back at the house as if expecting Feray to climb out of the coils and come find us.
"We have two days, maybe three, before the moon is at its apex." My eyes turn to the sky, watching the moon with clouds passing before it. "I suspect once we hit the lands of her ancestors, it may trigger her heat. Being this close is already triggering more wolven features to surface."
Torben's head turns back quickly. "Wait... That makes sense." He starts pacing, running his hands through his hair. "The closer we've gotten to the north, the stronger her wolf is becoming. Once she's in the cradle of her bloodline's power..." He stops talking and stares at Diaval.
Diaval strokes his chin. "The dormant power in her blood will awaken. Dunnum is where her father is from, so the Alpha side should awaken stronger. When we hit Crescent Valley, the Luna side."
