Page 142 of Full Moon
Chapter 63
Feray
The wolves are coming.
The SUV creeps down the dirt road, each bump and crackle under the tires making my senses heighten until I can feel every shift in the air around us. The sound of crushed rocks and snapping branches fills the silence as we roll along, the woods around us thick and shadowed with secrets. Wind blows through the open windows, carrying the scent of pine and earth, and I take a deep breath of it, letting my wolf stretch in anticipation of what's to come.
Torben sticks his head out the window and roars, the sound rumbling through the trees and announcing our arrival to his sleuth. I cock my head, ears trained for their response, and one by one they answer—their calls deep and resonant, filled with happiness that makes my chest warm despite the cold weight of worry I carry.
They know we're back.
Diaval parks the SUV in the small clearing just before the main part of the sleuth, and the moment the engine cuts, silencesettles over us, heavy but not threatening. We climb out into air cooler than I expected, a chill crawling over my skin that has nothing to do with the temperature.
"If you need us, summon us. We'll rain hell from above." Diaval's voice is steady, his eyes flashing with draconic intensity as he motions between himself and Easton. His dragon is already rising beneath his skin, ready to take to the skies at a moment's notice. Easton nods, his agreement solid and unspoken, but I can feel the heat of his protective energy pressing against my back like a promise.
"We'll be safe," I reassure them both, forcing a smile as I look up at Diaval. His eyes narrow, and I can see the words forming on the tip of his tongue—the ones he always holds back.Don't leave my sight.I know him too well.
"It's a fifteen-minute walk to the cabin as a human," I continue, trying to ease the tension coiling between us. "Less than five on four paws if I run."
But Diaval's gaze doesn't waver. He knows the risk. He always does.
His jaw clenches, but before he can argue, I reach up to frame his face with my hands. My fingers trace the familiar ridges of his jaw, the softness of his groomed beard grounding me in the present as I lean in to kiss him softly. I feel the warmth of him, the tension easing ever so slightly beneath my touch.
"I need to introduce my people to Torben's and get everyone settled," I whisper against his lips. "We'll be safe. I promise." I smile, but it doesn't reach my eyes, and I know he sees right through me.
"Take care of our egg like you would me," I say, trying to lighten the mood as I watch his dragon's eyes narrow, the slits rising to the surface. "Watch over our future hatchling."
His dragon rumbles beneath the surface, voice thick and resonant. "Of course."
"Thank you, Vo." I stand on my tiptoes, my lips brushing his ear as I whisper the name just for him, just for the dragon and man both. He nods curtly, backing up as Easton steps forward.
Easton's warmth surrounds me instantly, his hand pulling me into a firm hug that makes me feel safer than any armor could. "Tug on the bond, shout in my head, whatever you need," he says, his voice rough at first but softening at the end, vulnerability slipping through despite his best efforts to hide it. "Just... don't face any danger alone." My heart aches at the concern in his eyes. I nod, slipping deeper into his arms as I nuzzle my face against his cheek, knowing his phoenix loves the affectionate touch—the way his people used to greet each other before they were all gone.
He slides his hand up the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair as he angles my head to kiss me. It's soft, but when he pulls back, his sneaky hand unties the wrap holding my hair in place, letting it fall free. I feel the shift immediately as he carefully unbraids the strands, his feather gleaming against the fiery red. "Perfect," he murmurs with a small, satisfied smile, brushing the feather into place before giving my ass a playful smack that sends me toward Khal with a grin.
Khal does that familiar tilt of his head, the one that always reminds me of his brother, and his lips curl into a smirk as he pulls me close. His hand is warm against the back of my neck as he presses a kiss to my forehead, lingering just long enoughto stir something deep in my chest. "Be safe, precious," he murmurs, his voice soft but firm with the weight of unspoken fears. "When in doubt, turn them into a block of ice, then run."
I laugh quietly, the sound slipping out before I can help it. I lean in and kiss him, tugging on his bottom lip with just a hint of mischief. "I'll be good," I promise, though we both know I'll always push the line. "I'll check in a little later," I say over my shoulder, already reaching into the pack Torben carries for me. My fingers find the familiar weight of my phone, and I turn it on, waving it at Khal as the screen lights up. "It's on, and the volume's all the way up."
Without a second thought, I shove the phone into Torben's pocket, then slip off the flannel shirt I hijacked from him earlier, tying it around my waist where the fabric comforts me with his scent.
I flex my fingers, turning my arms back and forth to study the bone bracers locked snugly around my forearms. They're a reminder of everything at stake—everything we stand to lose if the councils find us before we're ready. I stare at them for a beat too long, lost in the dark possibilities swirling through my mind.
Diaval is suddenly in front of me, his eyes dark and focused as he reaches for the bone collar around my throat. His coin pendant dangles from his other hand along with the collar Dezi gave me, and he slips both around my neck, adjusting them just below the bone collar already there. The cold metal of the chain sends a brief shiver down my spine, but it's the look in Diaval's eyes that sets my pulse racing.
"Perfect," he mutters, voice low and rough. His finger slips between the bone collar and my neck, tugging it gently, and the heat in his gaze makes my breath hitch.
"Later," I reply, my voice dark with promise. He needs to feel every inch of me, every possible way, to settle his dragon's restless hunger. I can see it in his eyes, feel it in the tension crackling between us like lightning waiting to strike.
I glance at the others, catching the same charged expression in all their eyes—Torben, Easton, Khal. They all wear that unsettled look, the weight of the unknown hanging heavy in the air around us like smoke from a distant fire. None of us knows what lies ahead, and it gnaws at them, at all of us. The anticipation, the uncertainty—it crackles in the space between us like a storm on the horizon.
Lowering my head just slightly, I give them the silent agreement they need. Later, when I return home, I'll be everything they need me to be.
Torben pulls me toward his sleuth, and I look over my shoulder as my other mates climb into the SUV to leave. It's harder than I expected to separate from them, the bond stretching thin and aching with distance, but I need to do this.
For now.
The crisp lateafternoon air wraps around us as we walk, leaves crunching beneath our boots in a chorus of nature's whispers that marks each step closer to Torben's sleuth. The rich, smoky scent of meat cooking over an open fire mixes with the earthy smell of pine and fallen leaves, drawing us in like a warm embrace. Laughter carries through the trees, familiar voicesechoing in the distance, and I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips.
