Page 31 of Serpents of the Night

Lori stared blandly back at her, her mind racing to figure out why the female was suddenly hovering over her a bit rudely. Her gaze slid over her casually until it came to rest on the violet hand gripping the edge of Kehtal’s wing, close to its base. Eyes widening, Lori gaped at the offending hand for a long moment. The female gaze dropped to follow Lori’s line of vision. She blinked slowly once at the sight of her own hand and recoiled, her fingers freeing his wing with such speed that it closed violently with a loud snap, startling both Lori and her mate. Even though he did not jump like she did, she felt the coiled tension within him even after he gained control of his wing and fitted it once more around Lori, albeit at a lower level so that he could keep her close without covering her entirely with it. Even after his wing was folded into place, his jaw tightened with his desire to hide her completely.

The female inclined her head toward her, tipping it respectfully, the multiple fans of her gavo rising with a gentle half-sweep that was considered demure rather than aggressive among the Seshanamitesh. Returning the gesture, Lori made the gavo gesture with her hands, drawing a tight smile to the female’s face.

“Apologies. I was caught up in a game with my companions and did not see your mate.” She gestured to the other three females, each of them tipping their stony faces in silent agreement. “We collided hard, but I did anticipate him going down as I did not see that he carried you until too late. Thank Shangla. If you need anything, please call for me and I will come to your assistance immediately.”

Lori swallowed and nodded quickly as she opened her arms for Hashal. The nestling immediately dropped into her embrace, the impact of his little body hitting hers making her wince even as his heat soothed her heart. “I did not think it could have happened either. But it looks like he is ok, so thank you for your concern... ahh?”

“Payeri,” the female replied, her head dropping again with another flicker of a smile as her gaze shifted briefly to Hashal.

“Payeri,” Lori echoed, her head dipping in turn. She clutched him a little tighter. “I will remember that... thank you.”

“Of course,” Payeri murmured, her eyes following Lori as she quickly stepped around her massive tail.

With its size, the pale violet tail was obviously powerful enough to end her life. Lori’s skin prickled anxiously but she forced a smile to her lips as she circled around her and stepped outside of the Seshanamitesh’s reach.

“Well... I’m going to go see my mate now. Thanks again,” she spat out hurriedly, drawing another amused look on the female’s cool face and those of her companions.

“Of course. Do not forget to call on me if you are in need,” Payeri murmured as she glided away, the simple elegance of her movements making Lori feel all the more clunky and clumsy in comparison.

Lori made a small sound of agreement in her throat in reply as she hurried by, her mind refocusing on her mate. The soft sound of Kehtal’s scales gliding against stone as he followed behind her was just the right amount of quiet reassurance that she needed to back her up as she drew closer to her other two mates.

“Do not place too much trust on anything she says,” Kehtal warned in a soft hiss.

Lori snorted under her breath and nodded. “Of course not,” she murmured. She cleared her throat and cast a worried look at Slengral as she drew to a stop at his side before her eyes dropped reflexively to her unconscious mate. Hashal twisted slightly in her arms, his eyes widening as he stared down at Daskh.

“He’s going to be ok,” she stated aloud, needing the words as much as their nestling did.

Slengral’s gaze slid over to her, and the corner of his mouth hitched faintly. “It would take more than that to seriously injure a vehaliska, much less harm Daskh. His head is thicker than most,” he added with a soft chuff of amusement. “Do not worry, ashlava. He requires rest for his recovery, but he is fine.”

Kehtal grimaced down at his nest brother. “His head may be thick, but his body is heavy, and we are going to have to get him home.” A heavy sigh escaped him, but he glanced up curiously. “I wonder what he was intending to retrieve?”

Slengral’s wings lifted in a faint shrug as his gavo fluttered uncertainly. “I doubt we will know until he wakens.”

“It’s not important,” Lori protested as she bent down to stroke a hand over her big mate’s gavo. “All I need right now is to get him home.”

Slengral dipped his head in agreement. Bending low, he gathered Daskh’s larger frame against his side before heaving the male’s torso over his shoulder with a grunt of pain. Lori watched him cautiously, worry filling her for both males that Daskh’s weight might be too much for Slengral. She was both surprised and relieved to see that Slengral did not appear to struggle too much as he launched into the air—but even so, they needn’t tempt fate too far. They needed to get home quickly.

Reassured, Lori clutched Hashal tightly against her chest as she stepped into Kehtal’s arms, her breath catching only faintly as he abruptly swept up into the air, leaving the market far behind them.

Chapter 26

Slengral set a bowl of water beside Daskh, his gaze drifting worried over the male before finally falling on his mate. She was still at his side, her head pillowed on her arm. A faint smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and his gavo fluttered as a soft crooning hum vibrated in his throat. She had refused to leave him for even a moment. In the end, he had been forced to bring not only a healer to see Daskh but also a mid-mother to check on his mate and unborn offspring. His worry had been enough to completely override his territorial drive when it came to his nest and mate—and all sense of propriety as he interrupted the celebrations of the healer and mid-mother shamelessly, though they had not faulted him for it. The mid-mother had crooned over his mate, drawing her reluctantly from Daskh so that both she and the healer had the space to adequately work.

The affirmation that both Lori and their nestling were safe had been enough to send a sudden weakness through Slengral. Unfortunately, Daskh’s case was less certain as the healer could not predict when or if the male would wake up. Head injuries were unpredictable and the healers of the shinara did not have the technology of the colony. A full day cycle and Daskh had not wakened except once and the male had been incoherent. It had been painful to see. Lori did not place any blame on him, but he blamed himself. Although Slengral had attempted to slow his nest brother’s fall and absorb as much of the impact as he could, he had been unable to keep Daskh’s head from connecting with the hard stonework of the shinara. The male’s bodily injuries were not severe, but if his head wound was severe enough... he could not think of it.

He hissed between his teeth with frustration. Daskh would be fine. There was no other option. Not for him and Kehtal, and most certainly not for their mate. Lori would accept nothing else.

His gaze drifted over her face, the tension of the day relaxed and peaceful in her slumber. She had been tirelessly watching over him until finally falling into an exhausted sleep. Leaning over his nest brother, he gently tucked a cushion beneath her head and drew her blanket over her. The lower caverns were cold. She could not get sick. Daskh would never let him hear the end of it when he woke up if she fell ill because of him.

He shook his head and chuffed quietly to himself, imagining the lecture he would receive. Of all of them, Daskh could be the most verbose when riled up. He could not slip in their mate’s care even a little—not that he ever would, but Daskh was attentive about the little things that Slengral would not even think about. He was certain to find something to blame him for regardless—some little thing that the male would consider essential that he had failed to see to adequately while the male was unconscious.

“You can scold me when you waken, brother,” he murmured. “Do not wait too long. I am certain that your list of things to chastise me about will be annoyingly long if you continue to sleep.”

Sighing heavily, he wetted his nest brother’s mouth with the water. He was disappointed but he had not truly expected the male to rise and rebuke him on the spot. He had wished for it, but he had not expected it.

His ear twitched at the soft sound of scales sliding against stone from the heavier shadows at the far end of the room. There were no galthie flowers in their sleeping chamber, just a singular crystal near the bed to provide some light for comfort while leaving much of the remaining room in darkness.

“Do not linger in shadows, Kehtal. It is not necessary.”

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