Page 27 of Serpents of the Night

Perhaps it was not going to be so bad after all. Drinking and making merry Lori could handle. Holidays had a strange way of pulling people together after all, and that seemed to be true among the Seshanamitesh as well.

At that moment, however, the queen matriarch’s eyes fastened on Lori, returning her regard and the corner of her mouth hitched into a cool smile.

“And that seems to not be the only thing to have improved, I see.”

Lori bit the inside of her cheek but managed a polite smile in return as her fragile hope for sharing a pleasant drink with her mate’s mother went up in flames and ingloriously crashed and burned. Perhaps Kehtal was onto something about bathing in the golden dust. As things stood, she was getting the distinct feeling that she was cursed.

Chapter 22

Slengral snapped his teeth shut, capturing his annoyed hiss. His mother simply could not resist poking at his mate. She was as relentless as a barlisk whipping its multiple tails in its attempt to land a sting. He had happily forgotten that particular detail over the passing revolutions of Seshana. Sweeping a wing around his mate, he gave his mother an indifferent look, unwilling to show that her comments disturbed him.

Unfortunately, Hashal did not have such control. The small nestling glared at Zathexa, his small gavo snapping upright with untempered hostility. “My mother is always beautiful. She is the best mother and much better than any of you.”

Zathexa’s gaze dropped to him, her expression tightening as a shocked, angry whisper quickly worked its way through the royal platform. Slengral kept his expression flat, but his hearts began to thump harder and faster with alarm. A nestling not of his blood had no real protection against his mother’s wrath, and disrespect was not tolerated from any male within the shinara. He glanced over at Kehtal, wordlessly directing him with a glance to move Hashal back into the safety of their coils. His nest brother’s head tipped faintly in acknowledgment as his tail slid forward and upon curling around the little male, dragged him back safely between him and Daskh. Hashal squealed angrily but the male quieted with a few quiet words as Lori wrapped her arms protectively around their nestling.

Jathella darted a worried look toward the queen matriarch but stiffened when another female rose from a cushion, the various strings of precious gems and metals on her body chinking softly.

“It seems that the hashara was correct with her concerns. A human will cause nothing but disruption and detriment to the ways of the Seshanamitesh. It is an insult to Shangla that she is even allowed to corrupt this young male, and an even graver insult that she will birth a half-blood on Seshana’s red ground. And it is for her that my daughter suffers?” The female scoffed, her tail slapping the stone surface of the platform.

Jathella turned toward her, her gavo rising slightly as she lifted her velkat in both hands respectfully to her. “With all respect, noble matron Shalyia, Vekatha’s case has not yet been decided by the queen matriarch and cannot be until your daughter presents herself as she was ordered. All evidence to date has supported legitimate mating between Slengral and the human Lori.”

“You dare!” Shalyia’s face contorted with fury, her teeth bared. “You have no voice here among us, guard. Vekatha does not answer to Slengral’s pleasure for his transgressions against her. Nor does she have to present herself to this human whose mere presence has no bearing on matters dealing with the Aglatha.”

Slengral glanced at his mother, expecting her to agree. To his surprise, the queen matriarch directed a hard look toward the matron, her expression cool. “If Vekatha cannot make herself available to settle the matter then she has no reason for complaint against my son or this... female,” she added with a faint gesture toward Lori. “I would suggest that you encourage your daughter to attend to her duties and answer my summons so that we can conclude this matter. As for the matter of the human’s status as a mother—I cannot control what Shangla permits or does not permit.” She shrugged her wings. “I, too, am bound by our laws, which protect all females and have no control or right over what rests within her.”

“But... my queen...” Shalyia gasped in shock. “Then what of the nestling in her care? That is at least something that you can rectify and see to it that he is raised suitably until he is of age for the haga. The humans have stolen and corrupted too many of our males. We cannot afford to lose even a nestling to them. Remove him from her at once!”

A chorus of agreement rose from the platform. Slengral peered at the females gathered there. Though some of them were shocked at the matron’s words, it disgusted him to see how many hardened gazes were focused on his mate and nestling as if they had done something unforgivable. A growl began to rise in his chest as his gavo likewise began to lift angrily. It was his mother, however, whose tail hit the ground, her wings and gavo snapping, demanding attention as a deep, resonate hiss of anger escaped her, sending a minor shock wave over the platform.

“Enough! The Blooming is not a time to speak of such things. I have heard your objections and do not altogether disagree with your argument, but I will consider the fate of the nestling later. For now, I wish to enjoy this festival and rightly honor the gifts of Shangla, who nurtures us with her rains. To do otherwise is to insult Shangla and provide ill omens for the future.” Zathexa expelled a heavy breath and turned toward her cushions as the platform fell silent. Peering back, she gestured toward Slengral, motioning for him to join her. “Come. Let us enjoy golden agar in anticipation of a good harvest and a new year of prosperity.”

He eyed her for a long moment. He was tempted to usher his family back to the nest and be done with the whole thing until Vekatha made her presence known. Turning, he reached back for his mate and was grateful when Lori hurried toward him, Hashal still clasped tightly in her arms. Wrapping his arm and wing around her, he drew her close to his chest and breathed her in, allowing the frantic pulse of his hearts to settle. Her soft, small hand skimmed over his chest in a familiar soothing motion. His eyes slid closed as he relished the sensation.

“We will leave,” he rasped, not even caring that he was leaving his mother waiting and watching as he hugged his mate to him.

He did not care if all of the Aglatha watched. Let them all see that he put his mate first before them all.

Her hair brushed his chest as she shook her head. “I don’t want to run away. It just tells them that we believe that they are right.”

His eyes opened and his head dipped to give her a sharp look. “And I will not allow them to mistreat you or our family.”

The corner of her mouth curled in a knowing smile. “And I agree that you shouldn’t. But leaving won’t accomplish anything. It just shows them that they can intimidate us. Instead, we will remain here because we were invited and belong here just as equally as any of them.”

A sigh shuddered through him. She was right. Inclining his head in agreement, he led his mate to the large mound of purple cushions near his mother and steadied her as he helped her lower herself onto them, her weight put even more off-balance with Hashal clinging to her. It was understandable—the little male was afraid of being separated from his mother now. He was allowed to cling to her all that he desired. Curling his tail around his mate, he settled beside her, draping the tip protectively over his son’s back to reassure him of the love and support that he had. To either side of him Daskh and Kehtal joined them, their quiet hums singing a lolling song of comfort. Slengral felt a heavy warmth thicken in his chest.

Perhaps, in the end, this was all that mattered. Despite his struggles with jealously not wanting to share his mate’s time and attention at times, there was something just felt right as they all reclined together, unified against all threats of the shinara.

He did not bother to even glance at the queen. Although his mother put a stop to Shalyia’s demands, she had made her agreement clear and that was not something he could overlook or forgive. He did not care what Zathexa thought of him, but he had only grown angrier at the dismissiveness toward his mating and his mate. He did not glance up until Jathella pressed a cup into his hand and gave him a sympathetic look. Despite being his mother’s devoted servant and first commander of the guard, she had surprised him with her voiced defense for his mate.

“I thank you, for this, and for that,” he murmured, watching cautiously from the corner of his eye as others distributed drinks to his nest brothers and mate.

A ghost of smile flitted across Jathella’s face, and she inclined her head in a respectful angle. “I could do no less. They are cruel because she has no allies here among them. They would not enjoy it if the situation was reversed. She deserved to have a voice representing her own people since they are not present. Since no other female here would do so, I took on the duty.”

He hummed softly and inclined his head. The gift of a thanking song was a small one and lacked the full depth of the various songs he gave his mate, but it was a heartfelt gesture and her eyes brightened, their glow intensifying with pleasure. It only lasted a moment, however, before Jathella straightened and returned to her post at the queen matriarch’s side. Even then her gaze frequently strayed toward them, lingering at times on Lori. It would have made him anxious how often her eyes turned to his mate if it were not for the fact that there was no hostility in her gaze. It eased some of his worry. At least there would be one female among his mother’s court who would look out for his ashlava. A covert smile pulled at the corners of the female’s mouth, and he discovered the reason for it a moment later when he felt the light touch of small fingers tracing a pattern over his lower tail. He fought the urge to smile but could not rein in his shudder in reaction to the slide of her fingertips against his scales.

Devious female.

His gaze turned warmly to his mate, enjoying the look of mischief on her face and she continued to leisurely touch him in ways that sent a quivering sensation through him that continued to tighten with every new touch. He regarded her through slitted eyes, his hearts beating with a song of mates that was less than appropriate in their current situation. He was forced to part with a lot in his life, but that was one thing that he would share with no other but her. No other female would ever hear it. And especially not the females at the platform.

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