Chapter 27
Easton
My mate has lost her mind.
I don't know what's worse—knowing I can't help until the very last moment, or that I honestly think this plan is going to work.
Anxiety gnaws at my insides as I watch Feray's wolf creeping closer to the cavern, her fur blending in perfectly with the landscape the farther away she gets.
Each silent step she takes feels like a heartbeat, drumming in my ears.
When she's several hundred yards from the opening, she barks.
The sound echoes across the frozen wasteland, a stark contrast to the eerie silence that preceded it.
We wait.
Breath held tight. Every muscle in my body coiled like a spring. The suspense is unbearable. Suddenly, a rumbling starts deep within the earth.
My heart skips a beat as several yards to the right of the cavern, the worm breaks through the ice. It rises, towering a good ten feet into the air, emitting a strange, unsettling trilling noise that vibrates in my chest. The sound is wrong—alien and hungry.
I watch in horror as Feray shakes her head several times before taking off running. The sight of her tiny figure against the vast, icy expanse fills me with dread.
Run faster. Please, run faster.
The worm doesn't hesitate. It slithers across the tundra after her—a monstrous, undulating mass of pale flesh and frost. We got lucky. This one looks like a juvenile, only about twenty feet long.
Only.
As if twenty feet of death isn't enough. It strikes several times, narrowly missing Feray each time. My heart lurches with each close call. One hit. That's all it would take.
She barks, and I see Khal's head whip in her direction. His basilisk rises up, angling its head down. Feray slams her eyes closed. I feel a tickle at the back of my head—our bond flaring to life.
Keep going straight, then stop. I direct her telepathically.
She follows my instructions perfectly, heading right to Khal's tail.
He pulls her into his coils with practiced precision.
Within seconds, the worm is turning to stone, petrified by the basilisk's gaze.
The trilling cuts off mid-note. Relief floods through me as I see our mate safe within Khal's protective embrace.
Finally out of harm's way. My legs nearly give out beneath me.
When Khal deems it safe, he opens his coils, releasing Feray. She trots out head and tail held high, moving from behind the rock to look at what was chasing her. I watch her cock her head from side to side, studying it before returning to Khal's side.
She remains shifted, her massive form shielding Khal from the howling winds as he shifts back and hurriedly gets redressed.
Her body quivers slightly with the force of the gale, but she stands firm until he's fully clothed.
As soon as he gives a nod, we walk around the rock to inspect the frost worm.
Feray shifts back into her human form and circles the worm, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "It has such tiny eyes," she remarks, climbing up the rock to get a better vantage point. "How in the world did you lock eyes with it?"
I can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. Only Feray would be curious about the monster that nearly killed her.
"Can you get down, please? Some of us need to get out of the wind and cold," I remind her, tightening the scarf around my neck.
"Ooh, shoot, sorry." She leaps off the rock with feline grace and lands in a crouch. "Let's carry on." Feray takes the lead, moving alongside Torben, guiding us toward the ice cave. The snow near the mountain has a frozen top layer, making it crunch louder underfoot.
Occasionally, the sled gets stuck, and we all have to push before we can continue. What should have been a quick journey stretches into an unexpectedly long trek. Finally, at the mouth of the cavern, Feray stops and glances at the eggs nestled within before stepping inside with Khal at her side.
That's when everything goes wrong. Another worm darts out from the tunnel, aiming straight for them. My heart leaps into my throat.
No. No, no, no—
Khal reacts with lightning speed, pulling Feray behind him.
I watch in abject horror as the worm closes in, its maw opening wide enough to swallow them both.
But inch by inch, the worm's skin petrifies.
Khal's stone gaze is apparently just as effective in his human form as it is shifted.
The worm turns to stone mere feet from his face.
Mere inches from Feray.
"That was close. You okay, Precious?" Khal asks, turning to check on her.
"I'm okay. It has to be the other one's mate," Feray says, her voice steady but her eyes wide.
"I'm pretty sure you are correct." I kiss her temple in passing, needing the brief contact, the proof that she's still here, still breathing.
I turn my attention to the worm, studying it closely. Its tiny eyes glisten in the dim light, and I notice the barbs on its sides—likely used for propulsion underground.
"Diaval, do you remember if the worms live in nests of mated pairs? I never crossed paths with them before."
"As far as I can remember, mated pairs. The hatchlings leave immediately. Otherwise, the parents, if starving, eat their young."
Feray cringes visibly. "Eww... that's disgusting." She shudders dramatically. "Let's get moving. I think I see a suitable place to sleep for tonight." She gives the stone worm one last look before heading deeper into the cavern.
We walk for what feels like forever before Feray stops and moves off to the right. Giant talon gouges mark the walls from the ground to the ceiling.
"An ice dragon dug this out," Diaval says, stepping forward to study the marks. "It's very old, so I doubt it's still being used."
"Do you think it's the den of the dragon in Feray's family crypt?" I scan the area, noting old shed scales and broken eggshells but no evidence of something currently living there.
"It's possible." Diaval strokes his chin.
"Come on, let's set up and stop yammering like a bunch of old ladies," Feray shouts as she unbuckles Torben from the sled.
"Your safety is our main priority, my flame." I arch a brow at her.
She arches one back. "You can't keep me safe if you're too busy staring at gouges in ice instead of the female in question." She points two fingers at herself, then returns to pulling the sleeping bags out.
Well, shit. She's right. I shake my head, moving to help with the camp.
Feray shifts back into her wolf form, and along with Torben, they clear the area.
Their claws dig through the ice fragments with determined efficiency.
The old scales get pushed off to the side as Torben uses the ice chunks to block the crosswinds.
Feray pushes the sheds into the pit she dug.
"Why is she doing that?" I motion to the shuffling of scales.
"The scales are from an ice dragon and act like insulation against the cold," Diaval explains.
"My dragon told her to use them to separate the sleeping bags from the ground.
" His eyes narrow into slits as he stares at where Feray is working.
She stops, tilts her head to the side, looking at him for a moment before returning to her task.
"What happened?"
Diaval turns slowly to look at me, then back at Feray.
"He was telling her how good she was doing and that one day he would build her a proper nest." A small smile tugs at his mouth before he moves to help Khal.
The dragon has been saying that a lot lately.
Building nests. Making plans. Thinking about a future none of us dared to dream of before Feray came into our lives.
Khal moves the sleeping bags into position while Torben stands by his makeshift wall.
Feray steps between them, then turns to face us.
Climb in and get comfortable.
Her voice resonates in my mind, and I quickly move to claim my sleeping bag. Torben shifts his large body to block the chilling wind. Feray climbs into our makeshift nest and stretches out, her body becoming a source of warmth for us.
"Are you going to be okay? It's freezing," I ask, my fingers gently stroking her fur as she rests her head on Torben's front paws.
I'm not the one the cold bothers. Get some sleep. We'll keep you warm. Torben and I are fine.
"I can shift and help shield everyone. I'm bigger than both of you," Diaval offers, moving some of the fluff on Feray's tail.
You would burn way too much energy trying to keep warm. I will hunt in the morning, and we can start on our way again after breakfast. Her voice is soothing yet firm.
"I just heard Feray," Khal says, glancing at me with curiosity. "Maybe it's because of direct contact." He shrugs and turns on his side, pulling his sleeping bag higher.
"That's probably the case. Let's get some sleep.
Everyone keep close to conserve heat." As I close my eyes, the cold seeping through the gaps in our shelter, I can't help but think that tonight may be the second longest night of my life.
But as Feray's warmth seeps into my bones, as the steady rhythm of Torben's breathing fills the den, I realize something.
We made it through the day.
Two frost worms turned to stone. A dragon's den claimed for the night. Our mate safe between us.
Tomorrow, we face whatever waits on the other side of this mountain.
But tonight, we rest.
Together.