Page 30 of Serpents of the Night

He tried not to show any reaction of annoyance or any other emotion as males and females alike nearest to them peered over at them curiously as they passed. He was certain that he and his nest brothers were an unusual sight within the shinara. Not only due to their features, which drew enough attention since it was uncommon for a male from the upper caverns to be mated into the shinara, but for their unusually close proximity to each other. Then there was the matter of their defensive postures compared to many of the other smaller males within the shinara who weren’t required to do anything more than protect the nest as they doted on their mates. Despite that, he was frustratingly aware of the fact that Lori was the clear subject of interest despite their best attempts to shield their mate from being treated like a curiosity rather than the respect due to her as a female under shinara law.

Nor could he ignore the fact that he did not trust them any more than his nest brothers did, though he believed he was better at hiding it. Still there were too many gazes that fixed on their mate that were a shade too cool or too hard for his comfort. Seshanamitesh were not as expressive as humans in their features, so it made it easier for them to conceal their feelings unless motivated by a strong emotion or simple desire to be transparent, but there were far too many eyes on his mate for his comfort and far too many who seemed to edge closer when the opportunity presented itself.

A hiss warning rose in his throat as a female reached out to touch her head, captivated by the soft tresses. His gavo snapped up just as his wing blocked her arm. The female immediately recoiled with an angry hiss of her own. He did not flinch away but met her gaze squarely as he tucked Lori closer between him and Kehtal. Her eyes narrowed at him, but finally, she drew back, giving them space. Daskh’s scales prickled with hyperawareness as he peered at his surroundings suspiciously until a loud, explosive sound startled him hard enough that his wings suddenly snapped around her without warning, his hearts thumping wildly in his chest.

Giggling beneath the cover of his wings, Lori poked a finger at his wing webbing, making his wing reflexively slap at her. Not hard but enough to make his mate burst out laughing as she gave his wings a harder nudge to push them off her.

“Jumpy, aren’t you?” she called, her voice slightly muffled by his closed wings. “It was just a sneeze—I didn’t think it would make you seize up like we were under attack.”

His wings relaxed around her and opened just enough so that he could peer down at his grinning mate enclosed within their circle. A sneeze. Of course. While Seshanamitesh sneezed when something irritated their nasal cavities, the sound was a soft hissing expulsion that was quite different from the odd sounds humans made. He did not believe he would ever get accustomed to the sound of a human sneeze to the point where he would not be reactive to it.

Humming softly with concern, he hugged her to him and brushed his cheek against her brow, exposing the sensitive skin there to the heat of her skin. She did not feel overly warm. Still, he could not be too certain. Humans tended to get sick easier than his species as well, which was a constant worry that frequently had him hovering over her if he believed she might become too hot or too cold.

“Are you feeling well?” His head cocked as his eyes ran over her worriedly, looking for any unusual symptoms in her coloration that could indicate possible illness. There were so many potentially conflicting signs to look for that it only increased his anxiety as he inspected her.

“No, I’m fine.” Grabbing ahold of his hands, she stilled their movement beneath her grip and smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I think all of the dust from the dishana is just starting to get to me. And I may be getting a tiny bit tired,” she admitted. “Walking around seems to take a little more out of me lately.”

His gaze drifted down the swell of her belly and without thought his hand followed the direction of his gaze until he cupped their offspring gently beneath his wide palm. Although it was still too early for him to feel any movement from their nestling, his hearts still felt heavy with emotion at that moment.

Slengral trilled softly, his gavo lifting a small degree in awareness as he eyed her cautiously. “If you are tired then we should return to the nest. The medic has said often that there are too many unknown factors with cross-species offspring. His orders were specifically that you are not to overly tire yourself.”

“Agreed,” Kehtal chimed in, his wings snapping with his eagerness to leave. It seemed that the allure of the golden agar had long worn off and his nest brother was more than ready to return to privacy of their nest. Kehtal’s gavo snapped up high and then immediately flattened in a look of chagrin as she met his exclamation with a sour glare that had him rub her back in a coaxing manner. “Though the festivities will continue for some time, the hour is growing late, and you need your rest, ashlava.”

Her reluctant sigh of agreement tugged as Daskh’s heart. Tired as she was, their hithana wanted more fun.

“They are right, but there is still my gift to give,” he rumbled. “It should provide a sweet note to end the night on.”

Lori’s brows rose in response. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot.” She paused and gave him a skeptical look. “I’m still getting it even though you guys are trying to rush me back into our nest?”

Daskh chuffed in amusement, ignoring the curious looks his nest brothers gave them. How did neither of them have any idea of what he intended? He knew that they had mothers... but did they not have fathers? Now that he thought of it, he did not recall any instance where he heard of the queen matriarch mating. As for Kehtal... the male never spoke of it for as long as Daskh had known him. Perhaps they did not know of the custom after all if they had never been told of it by their mothers. At least they were not objecting.

“It will not tire you and is nearby. We can rest there for a moment while we gather your gift before returning to our nest.”

Her lips tipping in a sweet smile, she nodded in agreement, her arms coming up around his neck as he bent down and lifted her high into his arms. He spread his wings slowly, taking care not to inadvertently hit anyone and giving those closest to him enough time to move out of the way by the time he achieved his full wingspan. His swings snapped through the air at the exact moment he launched himself upward, their rapid beat carrying them higher and higher above the festivities. The temple spire loomed just above them like a dark beacon, but Daskh only spared it a glance long enough to orientate his position to it before peering down at the female within his arms. His hearts swelled with adoration as his gaze roamed over her face, memorizing the look of her eager anticipation and the excitement that lit her features. Her head was tipped back in wonder, unafraid as if she did not want to miss a thing.

He felt as if he could do anything—give her anything. He wanted her to always have that look rather than the fear she had often felt deep within the caverns. He would protect her so that she never had anything to be afraid of again. Nothing would get through him.

A smile pulled at her mouth and widened as the temple spire became more defined the closer they got to it. They were high enough now that festivities were nothing more than a shimmer of light beneath them. She was pure beauty and enchantment—but then her lips twisted, her mouth opening in shock as her eyes went wide. His head turned but everything tilted and spun dizzyingly as something slammed into him at high speed. The impact sent him tumbling through the air, his wings flapping uselessly as he dropped. A bellow tore from his chest, the sound of pain and terror terrible to his own ears. Not for himself—but for his arms grasping nothing but air. Spinning, he clawed the air, desperate to locate her. Where was she? Why did she not make a sound?

His lungs burned and throat burned as his bellows shifted into a series of continuous high shrieks as he desperately tried to locate her. He fought off the powerful arms trying to close around him, and a frustrated snarl filled the air before the arms caught hold of him and wings snapped wide to slow his fall. But he was bigger and heavier, and his rescuer cursed as he too realized that, and his arms locked harder around Daskh seconds before the rocky surface of the shinara met them and turned Daskh’s entire world dark.

His hearts shattered as he succumbed to the darkness, not even recognizing the soft voice calling for him.

“Daskh!”

Chapter 25

Lori pushed out of Kehtal’s arms, her feet scrambling beneath her unsteadily as she propelled herself toward her other two mates. Slengral groaned painfully and shook out his wings as he rose with a wince, but Daskh had not yet moved, and she couldn’t seem to stem the stream of worried thoughts that filled her mind as she stumbled towards them. Her mid-section ached horribly from where Kehtal caught her but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Still, she placed a supportive hand over her belly, silently demanding her baby be well as she made her way across the rooftop of one of the many shops of the market, Hashal fluttering through the air as he followed behind her.

Several females had landed a short distance away, one of which, a large female of a pale violet color, she recognized as the one that had rammed into her mate. She didn’t seem exceptionally friendly given the way she stood stiffly off to the side, but there didn’t seem to be anything sinister about her. Instead, she appeared to be watching anxiously, her gavo lifting and lowering in sharp fluttery movements. She glanced over at Lori and tipped her head in acknowledgment of her error—possibly an apology—before glancing away again. Lori still struggled to decipher the various contexts of Seshanamitesh body language, but she couldn’t help but to be a little suspicious. How was it that the female came out of nowhere and crashed into them at such a high speed?

Lori blew out a deep breath and forced herself to relax, releasing tension from one part of her body before moving on to another. Although she ached horribly from falling into Kehtal, it was enough that they were safe. She shouldn’t leap to conclusions. She doubted that the female would have stuck around if she had rammed them intentionally. Still, a tiny shiver ran up her spine. If Kehtal and Slengral hadn’t decided to follow them, the situation would have been far more serious. As it was, aside from some bruises, she was fine. Daskh was not only unconscious but also a bit more banged up, his flesh swelling and straining his scales in some places and already becoming discolored. Slengral remained crouched low on his coils at the male’s side, his hands running over him as he carefully examined him. Lori didn’t dare to draw in another breath as she watched until he finally looked up and met her eyes, setting her mind at ease with the small tip of his head. Daskh was alive and without serious injuries.

Thank the gods.

It was just an accident. Nothing more.

Lori swiped a shaking hand over her face in relief and sagged against Kehtal, taking comfort in his solid warmth. His wing immediately swept around her, cocooning her close. She drank it in, her body trembling in a delayed reaction to the force of endorphins hitting her bloodstream. Kehtal’s wings tightened snugly, and Lori was prepared to gratefully cling to him when it abruptly loosened and pulled back rapidly, exposing her to the cold cavern air and the sharp gaze of the violet female staring down at her.

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