Chapter 4 Easton
Easton
The one item I 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 starts pacing 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."
We move back inside the house, not wanting to leave Feray for long. Diaval arches a brow, looking at Khal. Khal raises his head and flicks his tongue out over Feray. "Khal says her scent is changing slowly. We have days at best."
I pace and look in the general direction of the ice cavern.
If I'm being honest with myself, I'm the last person alive who knows where it is.
"Tomorrow we need to have Feray shift and tell her wolf to head home.
" My gaze turns to Torben. "As first mate and another terrestrial warm-blooded shifter, her wolf will listen to you.
" The words taste like ash on my tongue.
Torben looks back at Khal's coils, then in the direction I was staring. "It's not strong, but there's a pull in that direction." He raises his hand and points.
"You said there's a pull. I thought only Feray would feel it."
"I feel it because of Feray. It's like a small child tugging on my sleeve." He furrows his brows, studying the direction he feels the tug. He walks toward the wood line, and I follow.
Diaval chooses to remain with Khal. I walk silently behind Torben.
We walk for what feels like forever until we reach a cliff.
Looking down into the valley below, off in the distance—a sea of white.
Cloud-covered mountain tops block my view.
Even with my phenomenal eyesight, I can't see through the thick clouds on the horizon.
Shaking my head, I rest a hand on Torben's shoulder. "Come on. We need to get back to the others. Tomorrow, we have to find a way to get down there."
I turn to leave and listen for Torben to follow.
He hesitates for several moments before I hear his footsteps behind me.
My biggest concern is that getting closer to the entrance may cause negative reactions from our shifts.
Torben feels the pull. Diaval and Khal are getting twitchy.
My bird and I are very concerned for Feray's safety.
Their primal drive to protect Feray combined with the pull—it's a recipe for disaster. Making it back to the house, we find Diaval sitting next to Khal outside, watching the area. "Why didn't you stay inside the alpha house?"
Diaval's eyes find mine. "In case of spontaneous shifting, it's safer to be outside tonight. Feray is very antsy—it's like a thousand ants running over her skin."
His explanation makes sense. I make a mental check of myself, and there it is. Deep down, a small ripple—almost like a constant gentle wind blowing through my feathers. So gentle I barely noticed it.
"Diaval, your shift is the one I'm most concerned about. How are you doing?" I study my oldest friend. Under the surface of his skin, I can see the occasional ripple of scales.
"I'd be remiss if I lied and said I'm fine." He tilts his head, choosing his next words carefully. "It feels as if something is lifting each scale on my body one by one. Very irritating."
His tone betrays the level of agitation he's experiencing.
"Torben, how are you doing?" I watch a wave of fur run down his arms.
"Not great." He shakes his head just before his bear rips free from its human bonds.
"I have a theory." Diaval moves over to look into Khal's coils. "She's shifted." He paces, then moves to stand where Khal and I can both look at him. "The stronger the bond, the stronger the urge to shift with her." That makes me look at Torben.
"Makes sense. They were bonded for weeks before Khal." I motion between Khal's coils and Torben.
"If we're following bonding order, then it's you next," Diaval points out.
"That's what concerns me. What if I burst into flames in a small, confined space? I mean, being an ancient, I should have better control than that—in theory."
"Why don't you shift and go for a flight? I'll watch over the family. If I need to shift, I will." Diaval's eyes glow briefly, then fade. I think he's fighting harder than he's letting on.
I nod wordlessly and walk off into the cover of the trees. Carefully, I strip and lay my clothes over a low-lying branch before allowing my bird to surface. The urge to ignite is stronger than expected.
Taking flight, I break the canopy into the night sky and allow my flames to ripple over my feathers.
For the first time today, I feel as if I can draw a full, deep breath.
With every flap of my wings, I fly further from camp, searching the area.
I follow the slight pull to the north, curious about where it's leading me.
As I near the mountain range that separates the northern packs from the rest of the world, the pull becomes stronger.
Along the mountain range, partially hidden by clouds, I can see mountain goats and other creatures moving in the snow.
This bodes well for us—Diaval can hunt for everyone before we enter the cavern.
Then comes the concern for our dragon-kin.
Will the cold affect them? If they shift, they'll burn through more energy to maintain their warmth than normal.
In the trunk of the car, I know we have gear for cold weather. In theory, Feray shouldn't need it if she stays shifted. Torben should be fine because of his bond with Feray preventing him from hibernating.
I make several passes by the mountains, looking things over.
There's no way to get the vehicle down into the valley.
The ancient packs were smart, hiding their entrance here.
It's probably one of the most inaccessible places I've ever seen.
After I've exhausted every option, I turn to head back.
When I return, I see probably the most unexpected sight I've ever witnessed.
Diaval's dragon lies curled around Khal with Torben's bear between his front feet. He raises his great head slowly to look at me, then lays it back down.
I guess everyone is sleeping together tonight.
Looking Diaval over, I see the tall, slightly curved spikes on his tail and land there, extinguishing my flames.
Beneath me, I feel the steady rise and fall of my oldest friend's breathing.
Somewhere in those coils, Feray sleeps. Safe. Protected by all of us.
A dragon, a basilisk, a bear, and a phoenix—all wrapped around one small wolf.
This is going to prove to be a very long night indeed.
But there's nowhere else I'd rather be.