Chapter 25
Lori pushed out of Kehtal’s arms, her feet scrambling beneath her unsteadily as she propelled herself toward her other two mates. Slengral groaned painfully and shook out his wings as he rose with a wince, but Daskh had not yet moved, and she couldn’t seem to stem the stream of worried thoughts that filled her mind as she stumbled towards them. Her mid-section ached horribly from where Kehtal caught her but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Still, she placed a supportive hand over her belly, silently demanding her baby be well as she made her way across the rooftop of one of the many shops of the market, Hashal fluttering through the air as he followed behind her.
Several females had landed a short distance away, one of which, a large female of a pale violet color, she recognized as the one that had rammed into her mate. She didn’t seem exceptionally friendly given the way she stood stiffly off to the side, but there didn’t seem to be anything sinister about her. Instead, she appeared to be watching anxiously, her gavo lifting and lowering in sharp fluttery movements. She glanced over at Lori and tipped her head in acknowledgment of her error—possibly an apology—before glancing away again. Lori still struggled to decipher the various contexts of Seshanamitesh body language, but she couldn’t help but to be a little suspicious. How was it that the female came out of nowhere and crashed into them at such a high speed?
Lori blew out a deep breath and forced herself to relax, releasing tension from one part of her body before moving on to another. Although she ached horribly from falling into Kehtal, it was enough that they were safe. She shouldn’t leap to conclusions. She doubted that the female would have stuck around if she had rammed them intentionally. Still, a tiny shiver ran up her spine. If Kehtal and Slengral hadn’t decided to follow them, the situation would have been far more serious. As it was, aside from some bruises, she was fine. Daskh was not only unconscious but also a bit more banged up, his flesh swelling and straining his scales in some places and already becoming discolored. Slengral remained crouched low on his coils at the male’s side, his hands running over him as he carefully examined him. Lori didn’t dare to draw in another breath as she watched until he finally looked up and met her eyes, setting her mind at ease with the small tip of his head. Daskh was alive and without serious injuries.
Thank the gods.
It was just an accident. Nothing more.
Lori swiped a shaking hand over her face in relief and sagged against Kehtal, taking comfort in his solid warmth. His wing immediately swept around her, cocooning her close. She drank it in, her body trembling in a delayed reaction to the force of endorphins hitting her bloodstream. Kehtal’s wings tightened snugly, and Lori was prepared to gratefully cling to him when it abruptly loosened and pulled back rapidly, exposing her to the cold cavern air and the sharp gaze of the violet female staring down at her.
Lori stared blandly back at her, her mind racing to figure out why the female was suddenly hovering over her a bit rudely. Her gaze slid over her casually until it came to rest on the violet hand gripping the edge of Kehtal’s wing, close to its base. Eyes widening, Lori gaped at the offending hand for a long moment. The female gaze dropped to follow Lori’s line of vision. She blinked slowly once at the sight of her own hand and recoiled, her fingers freeing his wing with such speed that it closed violently with a loud snap, startling both Lori and her mate. Even though he did not jump like she did, she felt the coiled tension within him even after he gained control of his wing and fitted it once more around Lori, albeit at a lower level so that he could keep her close without covering her entirely with it. Even after his wing was folded into place, his jaw tightened with his desire to hide her completely.
The female inclined her head toward her, tipping it respectfully, the multiple fans of her gavo rising with a gentle half-sweep that was considered demure rather than aggressive among the Seshanamitesh. Returning the gesture, Lori made the gavo gesture with her hands, drawing a tight smile to the female’s face.
“Apologies. I was caught up in a game with my companions and did not see your mate.” She gestured to the other three females, each of them tipping their stony faces in silent agreement. “We collided hard, but I did anticipate him going down as I did not see that he carried you until too late. Thank Shangla. If you need anything, please call for me and I will come to your assistance immediately.”
Lori swallowed and nodded quickly as she opened her arms for Hashal. The nestling immediately dropped into her embrace, the impact of his little body hitting hers making her wince even as his heat soothed her heart. “I did not think it could have happened either. But it looks like he is ok, so thank you for your concern... ahh?”
“Payeri,” the female replied, her head dropping again with another flicker of a smile as her gaze shifted briefly to Hashal.
“Payeri,” Lori echoed, her head dipping in turn. She clutched him a little tighter. “I will remember that... thank you.”
“Of course,” Payeri murmured, her eyes following Lori as she quickly stepped around her massive tail.
With its size, the pale violet tail was obviously powerful enough to end her life. Lori’s skin prickled anxiously but she forced a smile to her lips as she circled around her and stepped outside of the Seshanamitesh’s reach.
“Well... I’m going to go see my mate now. Thanks again,” she spat out hurriedly, drawing another amused look on the female’s cool face and those of her companions.
“Of course. Do not forget to call on me if you are in need,” Payeri murmured as she glided away, the simple elegance of her movements making Lori feel all the more clunky and clumsy in comparison.
Lori made a small sound of agreement in her throat in reply as she hurried by, her mind refocusing on her mate. The soft sound of Kehtal’s scales gliding against stone as he followed behind her was just the right amount of quiet reassurance that she needed to back her up as she drew closer to her other two mates.
“Do not place too much trust on anything she says,” Kehtal warned in a soft hiss.
Lori snorted under her breath and nodded. “Of course not,” she murmured. She cleared her throat and cast a worried look at Slengral as she drew to a stop at his side before her eyes dropped reflexively to her unconscious mate. Hashal twisted slightly in her arms, his eyes widening as he stared down at Daskh.
“He’s going to be ok,” she stated aloud, needing the words as much as their nestling did.
Slengral’s gaze slid over to her, and the corner of his mouth hitched faintly. “It would take more than that to seriously injure a vehaliska, much less harm Daskh. His head is thicker than most,” he added with a soft chuff of amusement. “Do not worry, ashlava. He requires rest for his recovery, but he is fine.”
Kehtal grimaced down at his nest brother. “His head may be thick, but his body is heavy, and we are going to have to get him home.” A heavy sigh escaped him, but he glanced up curiously. “I wonder what he was intending to retrieve?”
Slengral’s wings lifted in a faint shrug as his gavo fluttered uncertainly. “I doubt we will know until he wakens.”
“It’s not important,” Lori protested as she bent down to stroke a hand over her big mate’s gavo. “All I need right now is to get him home.”
Slengral dipped his head in agreement. Bending low, he gathered Daskh’s larger frame against his side before heaving the male’s torso over his shoulder with a grunt of pain. Lori watched him cautiously, worry filling her for both males that Daskh’s weight might be too much for Slengral. She was both surprised and relieved to see that Slengral did not appear to struggle too much as he launched into the air—but even so, they needn’t tempt fate too far. They needed to get home quickly.
Reassured, Lori clutched Hashal tightly against her chest as she stepped into Kehtal’s arms, her breath catching only faintly as he abruptly swept up into the air, leaving the market far behind them.