Chapter 18
Mina
I have no idea how long I slept. All I know is that I’m warm and safe. The familiar scent of ash and brimstone tells me Klauth still has me in his grip. My eyes flutter open slowly, revealing that I’m still resting in his massive taloned hand, the rough scales surprisingly gentle against my skin.
‘I’m awake,’ I whisper through our mental bond, feeling his massive body shift beneath me. The sound of his movements echoes through the chamber, stone grinding against scale as he repositions himself.
‘Did you sleep long enough?’ His deep voice rumbles in my mind. When I look up, he has his great horned head tilted so his right eye—amber with crimson flecks — stares down at me.
“I did, thank you.” My voice sounds small in the vastness of the chamber. I climb out of his taloned hand and stretch the minute my feet hit the cold stone floor. My muscles are tight from being curled up for so long.
Vaughn and Leander are in the chamber with us.
They’ve set up what looks like a picnic next to the eggs—the glossy shells catching the dim light from the torches they set up.
Ziggy lounges between the eggs, his tentacles wrapped protectively around them, the pulsing of his breathing almost hypnotic.
Vaughn crosses the distance between us in quick strides, the scent of pine and stone growing stronger as he approaches. He scoops me up, pressing me against his firm chest as he hugs me tight enough that I can feel his heartbeat against mine.
“Are you okay? Klauth told everyone what happened.” His voice cracks with worry as he runs his warm hands over my body, checking for injuries. His fingers leave trails of heat on my skin.
“Yeah, it will take a lot stronger acid than a green’s to hurt me.
” I force a smile and move to sit with Leander and Ziggy on the thick woolen blanket.
The fabric scratches pleasantly against my legs.
Klauth shifts back to his human form and joins us, the sound of expensive fabric rustling as he sits.
He looks ridiculously out of place in his tailored suit sitting on a blanket in the middle of our hidden cavern, the contrast almost comical.
“Why are you looking at me like that, my treasure?” Klauth tilts his head slightly before taking the offered sandwich from Leander. The smell of fresh bread and smoked meat makes my stomach growl.
I glance at my other mates, then back to Klauth. “You’re in a three-piece suit sitting on the ground eating a sandwich.” I accept two sandwiches from Leander, the bread still warm in my hands, and start feeding one to Ziggy.
Klauth laughs, the sound echoing off the stone walls, and looks down at his impeccable clothing.
“I can see how that appears odd, given the setting.” He reaches up and loosens his silk tie before taking it off and stuffing it in a pocket.
Next, he unbuttons the top few buttons of his crisp dress shirt, the white fabric stark against his tanned skin.
He’s trying to appear casual, and it’s adorable.
“Where’s everyone else?” I take a bite of my sandwich and recognize Balor’s handiwork immediately—the spicy mustard burns my tongue just how I like it, bringing tears to my eyes.
Vaughn glances at Klauth, who gives an almost imperceptible nod. “They went to handle clean-up. Just in case, by some left-field chance, you left something alive.” The tension in his voice is unmistakable.
I notice the way Vaughn watches Klauth for permission to answer.
Part of it is the hierarchy in our nest. The other part is them hiding the attempts on my life.
I stare at Klauth without blinking for several moments, knowing how much it unsettles him.
The silence stretches between us, heavy and meaningful.
“Treasure, please blink. You’re doing that dead stare your basilisk mate does, and it’s unnerving.” He looks down first, and I know I’ve won this small battle.
“What aren’t they allowed to tell me?” I keep staring at him, only blinking once when my eyes start to burn.
“Balor found another green hiding closer to the border of our flight’s lands.” Klauth glances up for only a moment, his gaze fleeting.
“And? I know that’s not it.” I scoot closer, the blanket bunching under my knees as I take another bite of my sandwich. The spicy mustard makes my lips tingle.
“He had mages with him. They were to capture you or contain Thauglor or me.” He turns his head away, and I feel my heart thunder in my chest, the blood rushing in my ears.
I climb into his lap, my weight barely registering to his powerful body, and frame his face in my hands.
His skin is hot to the touch, always running several degrees warmer than a human’s.
I stare into his crimson-flecked amber eyes as my fingers thread up into his auburn hair, silky strands sliding between my fingers.
“No one is taking you from me. Not in this life or the next. I will rain destruction down until the earth is scorched bare.” I kiss his lips softly, tasting the salt and spice from his sandwich, then look back at my other mates.
“No one is ever taking anyone from me. Ever.” I can feel power pulse up through my body until it reaches my horns, making the air around us crackle with static.
Ziggy shifts closer and pulls me away from Klauth. He purrs, the vibrations from his chest soothing as he runs his fingers through my hair, untangling the knots with gentle tugs.
“Shhh... We know about the threat, so that’s half the battle. Plus, we have half of my mom’s pride living here, so we have means for escape if needed.” Ziggy’s voice is honey-sweet, always able to find the bright side of everything.
“I need you to promise me something, Ziggy.” I glance over at Klauth, and he nods. The scent of his anxiety—like hot metal—fills the air between us. He knows what I’m about to ask.
“Anything.” Ziggy kisses my lips, his taste wild and earthy, and I look over his shoulder at Leander and Vaughn. Their expressions tell me they know, too.
“If I tell you to, you need to take the eggs and hide with them. Come here where it’s safe.
Stay here until either I or one of the ancients call for you.
” I stroke his cheek, his skin soft under my fingertips, as I fight the tears that prick at the corners of my eyes.
I’m making plans for the safety of my children in case I’m taken from them before they hatch.
The thought makes my throat constrict painfully.
“Mina, don’t talk like that. Please.” He whines, holding onto me tighter.
“I’m just being careful. I want our children protected.” I force a laugh as I try to smile, but it feels brittle on my face. “Besides, I’m hard to kill. But they’re not, not yet anyway.”
That familiar feeling of being sucked into a vacuum hits me as the world tilts on its axis. The sounds around me fade to a distant hum as my vision shifts.
A black hatchling wobbles on the floor, its tiny horns placed on top of its head like mine, not on the side like its father’s.
The twins lie curled together—one black with silver-green markings, the other silver-green with black patches.
Their tentacles are covered with dragon scales.
One has six legs, the other four. Both babies have the feline shape but dragon features on their faces.
One is born with eyes of molten gold, the other venomous green.
The one with four legs has front feet like my taloned dragon hands.
The one with six legs has six paws like its father.
I’m pulled out of the vision, gasping for air as reality snaps back into focus. As I look around, I see from their wide-eyed expressions. I must have shared what I had seen, the mental images bleeding over into their minds.
“They’re incredible,” Ziggy whispers, awe making his voice tremble.
“It still amazes me you can do that, my treasure.” Klauth’s voice is filled with reverence.
I turn and stare at the eggs I had laid, their surfaces gleaming with an inner light in the dim cavern.
I know what is contained within them now—two new hybrid species resting within those thick shells.
Catching a glimpse of what’s inside those eggs makes me feel better.
Part of me was worried about what was growing in Ziggy’s egg.
Nowhere in any of our histories is it written that a mammal has ever successfully had a child with a dragon.
My children are the first, and they will not be the last. That I know as fact, the certainty of it settling in my bones like an ancient truth.
Night has fallen, the darkness outside seeping through the small windows of our private nest. We’ve all gathered together in the main chamber, the air thick with the scent of my mates and the smoky warmth from the hearth.
I’m sitting perched on Callan’s lap, his body radiating heat beneath me, while Balor sits next to us, his strong fingers working the tension from my feet.
Each press of his thumbs sends waves of pleasure up my legs.
“What do we do now?” Vaughn asks, his voice cutting through the crackle of the fire. His eyes, reflecting the dancing flames, move from the ancients to Abraxis, then over to me. The weight of everyone’s gaze makes my skin prickle.
“When my babies hatch and I know they are strong and safe, I will shift and lay in the fake nest.” My voice sounds steady despite the hammering of my heart.
“Ziggy will phase the fake eggs in as well as the shells from the real eggs after I put them back together. The combined scent will be enough to trick anyone long enough.” I look over at Thauglor, catching his eye and signaling for him to continue.
The ancient’s scales gleam in the firelight, throwing shadows across his face.
“My descendant will go into town looking for birthing herbs and proudly boast his mate has laid her first eggs,” Thauglor says, his deep voice rumbling through the chamber like distant thunder.
He turns to Klauth, the movement causing light to dance across his impressive form.
“If asked, he will answer. He is not sure who the fathers are, but there are four eggs.”
“Given how speciest most dragons are, they will assume only the dragons sired the eggs and possibly Balor.” Klauth’s voice holds a bitter edge as he examines his hands, turning them over, the firelight catching on his watch.
“That alone will spread quickly that the Queen is expecting her first clutch to hatch.”
“Meanwhile, my children will be safely tucked away like we had discussed earlier.” The words taste like ash in my mouth as I speak them. I dare not say my plans out loud here just in case someone or something is listening in. The thought sends a chill down my spine despite the warmth of the room.
“What will the rest of us do?” Vaughn asks, as he uses modeling clay to make a small creature for the chessboard he’s creating for art class. The earthy smell of the clay mingles with the scent of pine and leather that always clings to him.
“Two of you will remain with the eggs. Thauglor and Ziggy.” I look away for a moment, focusing on the rough texture of the stone wall as I try to gather my thoughts.
“Balor will remain at the entrance to our home and turn anyone to stone that dares enter.” My eyes glow, the heat building behind them as I walk through what I’ve seen.
“Abraxis will use his ability to blend into the shadows close by.” I laugh a little, the sound hollow in the quiet room.
“I’m going to keep Klauth tucked under me with the eggs and at the right moment, release him.
I’ll fly up to distract my father, giving Klauth the opportunity to rise and take him down. ”
“Why don’t you just take him down?” Leander asks as he moves closer to where I am, his footsteps nearly silent on the stone floor. His scent—like freshly fallen snow—grows stronger as he approaches.
I stare down at the floor, the worn patterns in the stone becoming a map of possibilities as I walk through the vision again.
My fingers tap against Callan’s arm as I tense.
“It’s very effective that way, but... It looks better if the drake handles the threat.
Especially since it’s my father, and it’s not really my nest.” Double blinking, I look up, clearing my vision.
The room comes back into focus, the faces of my mates watching me intently.
“A drake defending his territory is accepted; a female defending a dummy nest is premeditated murder.” I tilt my head again and laugh a little, the sound sharp in the quiet room.
“I never thought of it that way,” Callan says as he massages my shoulders, his fingers finding knots I didn’t know existed. The pressure makes me sigh involuntarily.
“Being the queen...” I do air quotes around “queen,” my fingers casting brief shadows on the wall. “I have to anticipate everything. It wouldn’t look good for me to commit cold-blooded murder now, would it?” The words come out lighter than I feel, a bitter taste lingering on my tongue.
“Babe, you already did that with the purge, remember?” Balor says as he gives my feet a squeeze, his touch both comforting and electrifying. The memory of blood and screams flashes behind my eyes.
“Well, okay, from now on, no more cold-blooded murder unless I have to.” I lean back against the arm of the chair and close my eyes, feeling the smooth leather cool against my skin.
We’re slowly creeping up on day fifty of incubation.
There’s ten more days left just about of us being just us.
Maybe it’s time for me to hunt my mates again and spend our last days before the eggs hatch in each other’s arms. The thought sends a flush of heat through my body, and I inhale deeply, savoring the unique blend of my mates’ scents that surrounds me, marking this place as ours alone.