Page 20 of Full Moon
Diaval is the last to cross with me. I can feel his appraisal as he holds onto the spikes close to my head. "You did good, Bedia." Most dragons look down on us basilisks with disgust and malice. Diaval is the first dragon to not shun me. We make it to the shore, and he climbs off my back, then looks up at the cavern. “Do you think we can climb your scales to get to the cavern?"
I stretch out and slide part of me into the cavern, using the spikes on the back of my head to anchor myself in place. The cool, damp air brushes against my scales. I feel the weight of the first climber, Torben, as he starts his ascent. His movements are steady, confident. I sense his weight shifting and adjust my coils, moving in sync with his footsteps.
"Khal, slide out of the cavern for a moment so Diaval can toss the bags up to me," Torben calls back.
I shift my body, sliding out of the way. The bags are tossed up into the cavern.
Easton emerges next, catching them with practiced ease. "Come on, Feray, you're next."
I turn to look at her expectantly. Using the tip of my tail, I nudge her gently, guiding her to sit in front of the spikes on my head. Her legs block two of my three eyes on each side, but I don't mind. Slowly, I rise, lifting her up to the tunnel entrance. Theguys reach out, grabbing her arms and pulling her in. I can feel the relief and trust in her touch as she ascends. I glance back at Diaval, already climbing with ease. His talons sink into the stone, leaving marks as he ascends.
"All clear," Easton calls.
I use my coils to rise. The bottom of my jaw clears the lip of the tunnel, and I slither in, using my head spikes to anchor me. When over half of my length is inside the tunnel, I shift back and laugh. "Well, that was an interesting use for my shift."
The group chuckles. "I never in all of my centuries have seen a basilisk do what you just did. Good job, Khal." Easton offers my clothing.
I'm at a loss for words, so I just nod and smile. We are the most shunned in the shifter community, and yet in this family nest, I am just as valuable as the dragon and phoenix. I get dressed quickly and take back the bag I was carrying. "Any time you're ready, Precious."
She blushes slightly and dips her head toward me before walking deeper into the cavern. I can hear her humming her favorite song as she walks. Her head bobs in time with the tune as she scans the surroundings. Eventually, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Beyond the exit is a field of snow and a vertical sheet of ice.
Feray pauses where the snow meets the stone of the cavern we're leaving. The anxiety rolling off her makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.
"Little wolf, what's wrong?" Torben asks before I have the chance to.
I watch her throat bob before she turns back, looking at all of us. Her eyes are glowing with the power of her wolf. "Everything changes once I cross over this divide." She points to the line where the snow meets the rock.
"Nothing changes, Feray. You are still you no matter where you are." I close the distance and kiss her temple. "You are our mate. Our precious mate. Queen or not, you are always our priority, and no one other than our kids one day will ever come before you." My words soothe whatever rough edges were prickling up, and she sighs, relaxing.
"Thank you, Khal. I needed to hear that." She snuggles in close, then looks at the others. "I love all of you. Thank you for being here with me."
The guys all tell Feray how much they love her, and she laughs.
"What's so funny?" Diaval asks as he pulls on his heavy coat.
"I'm about to enter a wolf-dominant area." She raises a single finger as she steps away from me. "Where I'm going to have to channel my inner Fi and kick some ass to establish my dominance." She rolls her eyes. "We all know how much I hate violence." We nod, listening. "But if one of those bitches looks at any of you sideways..." A deep growl rumbles in her chest as her eyes burn from gold to amber to amber with red flecks. "I will fucking rip their throats out." Her canines descend, and she gnashes her teeth together in a snarl that makes me take a step back.
The guys and I look at each other, shocked at the sudden change in our sweet little mate's disposition.
She takes a deep breath, then smiles. "Let's go. I can feel the entrance from here." She steps out into the deep snow with a confidence she didn't have when we first met.
"I'd hate to see the first person who says anything negative about you, Khal." Easton whispers as we follow behind Feray.
"That makes two of us." My gut tells me there's going to be a lot of fights breaking out between here and Crescent Valley. I don't know if my nerves can handle not being allowed to defend my mate during the battles. But watching her walk through the snow, head high, eyes burning—I realize she doesn't need me to defend her.
She just needs me to stand beside her.
