Chapter 6 Torben
Torben
Feray is silent in the bond, and it's almost unnerving. Usually, I feel blips from her. But right now, with her wolf driving her to follow her instincts, there's nothing. I watch her closely as she turns her nose to the wind several times before continuing up the side of the mountain.
"Is she okay?" Khal asks, motioning to Feray as her wolf winds its way up the rocks.
"I believe so. She's very detached as her wolf drives her forward." My voice wavers with discomfort at how I can barely feel her.
Diaval rests a hand on my shoulder and gives me a reassuring nod.
"It's to be expected. Her instincts are pulling her in a specific direction.
An ancient need to migrate. Her wolf is probably talking to her, giving her directions to the point she doesn't hear anything else.
" He clicks his tongue. "Dragons are just as bad.
It affects the females more—the drive to return to where they were born when they're ready to give birth. "
"Sows go to ground when they're ready to birth. They dig deep and hide, making the entrance only wide enough for one bear to get in and out," I say, turning to watch Feray as she climbs and pauses at a cavern entrance.
Her head turns to look at the sky as the sun sets. She's seeking shelter for us.
She stops at the entrance, her growl resonating through the night air and halting me, Easton, and Diaval in our tracks. Her pure white wolf steps forward, positioning herself in front of Khal, and tosses her head toward the dark, yawning mouth of the cavern.
"She wants you to check it out," I tell Khal, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nods. "Kinda figured that's what she meant. I'll shift and search the cavern."
Without hesitation, he strips off his clothes, his body blurring and elongating as he shifts into his basilisk form.
In an instant, he slithers into the cavern, disappearing into the shadows.
Feray follows slowly, her presence a white ghost against the blackness.
A deep, menacing growl escapes her muzzle, and my heart races with the urge to follow, to protect.
Diaval grabs my arm, his grip firm and unyielding. His eyes lock onto mine. "Khal can handle anything in there. Don't follow."
I take a deep breath and nod, feeling the tension drain from my body, though my heart continues to pound.
Feray barks, and then the hiss of Khal's basilisk makes Easton step forward.
"Feray says it's cave spiders. Giant ones.
" Easton tosses several balls of fire into the cavern, lighting the first ten feet past the opening.
The flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the jagged walls.
The air smells of sulfur and damp stone.
"Don't you two think you should go in there and help them?" I glance between Diaval and Easton.
"I was already yelled at." Diaval rolls his eyes, looking back down the mountain.
"Yelled at?" I strain to hear over what sounds like a war waging in the cavern. The growls, the thrashing, the sound of scales on stone make it almost impossible to look away from the blackened depths.
"Yes. Our mate threatened her favorite part with pain if I set a single talon in the cavern." Diaval adjusts his tie and arches a brow, glancing down briefly.
"Oh. Yeah, let's not risk any part." My eyes dart away for a moment before returning to the cavern.
The roar of a creature echoes out, and a chill runs down my spine. "What the hell was that?"
A new sound echoes from the depths, sending a shiver through me.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I ready myself to rush in.
Easton raises a hand, hurling another fireball into the darkness.
The flames reveal twisted forms of several stone spiders, frozen mid-attack.
A human-like scream, mingled with a high-pitched shriek, reverberates through the cavern, propelling the three of us forward.
The most haunting howl I've ever heard, intertwined with rushing wind, fills the air.
"What's happening?" My eyes dart from Easton to Diaval.
"Vampire spawn." Diaval mutters, nodding at Easton.
Without hesitation, Easton strips down, his body shifting into a magnificent phoenix.
He launches himself into the cavern, his flames illuminating the jagged walls.
The light from his phoenix fire reveals a terrifying sight: the shadow of Khal's basilisk, coiled and ready to strike.
Feray growls, and I hear a wet, squishy sound that makes my stomach churn.
Then, silence.
My heart pounds in my throat until I see Feray emerging from the darkness, her wolf form drenched in blood.
Clutched in her jaws is the severed head of a vampire.
She drops it at Diaval's feet, then sits.
Her eyes are fixed on the cavern, remaining vigilant.
Several more bursts of fire ignite the cavern's depths before Easton and Khal finally emerge.
Easton and Khal get dressed and look down at Feray.
"You would be amazed at how much Precious has improved with her fighting. That ice! Damn..." Khal grins. "She did a weird howl thing, and a cone of frost came from her mouth." Feray's wolf slaps Khal's leg with a paw before she turns to look at Diaval.
"If that's what you want, my eternal," Diaval says, then turns to me. "Feray wants me to share her memory of the fight with you. With your permission, of course." A low growl escapes Feray's muzzle as she stares at Diaval.
"You know it feels icky to pull a memory from you to share with others. It makes my scales crawl." Diaval looks exasperated. "No offense—it's not common to share memories outside of a mating bond. It feels like swimming through mud."
"Just whatever she wants me to see." I look down at Feray as she stands to walk over to Easton to get dressed.
My gaze turns to Diaval, and he nods. His hands frame my face, and his pupils become draconic slits. I swear his pupils pulse in time with my heartbeat— And I'm sucked into the vision.
From Feray's perspective, I see the interior of the cavern.
I blink, adjusting to the dim light, its interior painted in muted, earthy hues.
Everything looks slightly washed out, except for the living.
When I look at anything alive, I can almost see the heat radiating from it, a vibrant aura that stands out in the gloom.
It's as if Khal's thermal vision has become my own.
During the fight against the spiders, Khal had her hang back, watching for attacks from behind.
They move in perfect harmony, striking and retreating as needed.
When the vampire spawn joins the fray, Khal's stone gaze turns the spiders to stone.
But the spawn moves too quickly, darting around with unnerving speed, evading his petrifying stare.
Then she feels it—a ripple through her body, an almost musical hum from the earth, vibrating up through her paws.
She lets out a howl, and a cone of frost bursts forth, crystallizing the air.
The spawn freezes mid-motion, encased in ice, giving Khal the crucial moment he needs.
With swift, brutal efficiency, he rips the heads from their bodies.
Suddenly, Easton arrives. His phoenix's voice rings in her head, clear and commanding.
They leap out of the way as his phoenix unleashes a torrent of flames, reducing the spawn to ash.
Needing to show Diaval what transpired, she picks up one of the severed heads with her jaws, the taste of cold, dead flesh sharp on her tongue. She carries it out of the cave.
I'm knocked out of the vision and look around, disoriented. My thoughts feel sluggish. I shake my head, trying to clear it. "I see what you mean. Let's not do that again."
"See? Torben gets it." Diaval motions to me with a flourish.
Feray raises a brow. She must have shifted back when I was trapped in the vision. "Teach me how to do it, you cantankerous old dragon, and I won't ask you to do it again." Feray crosses her arms over her chest. The anger behind her eyes makes me take a step back to get out of the line of fire.
"How many times do I have to explain it? It's a dragon thing. Not a wolf thing." Diaval raises his head, staring down at Feray—Then freezes. He raises a single finger and taps his ear. He scans the sky, and I can see scales rising as bone plates shift in his face.
"Get into the cave." His voice is so calm it's almost like he's asking for the milk at breakfast. Easton moves fast, grabbing Feray and sweeping her off her feet. I don't hesitate. I turn, grab our bags, and run into the cavern.
"What's happening?"
"Put me down, damn it!" Feray yells until Easton sets her down.
"Something's coming. I suspect it's winged, judging by the way Diaval is acting."
"It's a swarm of Dragazhars, otherwise known as deep bats. Khal, keep an eye on them while I shift," Diaval calls out.
"Got it!"
Diaval calmly steps into the cavern, shedding his tie and suit piece by piece, handing each item to Feray.
"Keep our soft-skinned family safe, my eternal.
I'm going to roast some bats." He hands her the last of his clothing before turning and running out of the cavern.
He takes a leap off the huge rock out front, and his colossal skull dragon form comes into view.
His roar shakes the mountain as he turns to go on the attack.
"He's got this, little wolf." I press a soft kiss to Feray's temple.
"I know he does. His dragon has been tense, and this is the perfect excuse to let him out." Feray's voice is calm as she folds Diaval's clothing and places it neatly on top of the backpacks.
Turning to face Easton, I catch the fiery intensity in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
Easton blinks twice, then shifts his gaze toward the mouth of the cavern before meeting my eyes again.
"Yeah. Diaval was just reminding me of something.
" His hand slips into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, retrieving a small vial—Feray's birth control tonic.
I watch as he moves to her side, offering her the vial with a nod.
Feray takes it, staring at the liquid for a moment before swallowing it down.
Out of habit, she opens her mouth to show him it's all gone, then resumes sifting through our bags.
Furrowing my brow, I tilt my head when Easton glances in my direction. "All good?"
Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah. She really doesn't like taking the tonic. Her wolf wants pups, and I had to remind her it's not safe yet." The usual arrogance in his tone is absent, replaced by a rare vulnerability. He's just as upset about the situation as she is.
"There's time for little ones once everything is settled and we have a safe place to return to," I say. Easton nods, his gaze drifting toward the cavern entrance where flashes of dragon fire illuminate the night sky.
Outside, Diaval's roar echoes across the mountains.
We wait in silence, our family huddled together in the dark.
Safe, for now.