Page 60 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg
“If you hadn’t killed him, he would have killed you,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I’d rather have no answers and hold youin our arms than face burying you for trying not to kill him.” His words reverberate as Klauth trails soft kisses along my shoulder.
Lowering my eyes, I nod slowly. “Go with Balor for a while. You both need each other right now,” Klauth instructs before his lips find my neck over his mate mark. “Head to the hot springs and relax—you both deserve it.” He shakes hands with Balor and moves past us toward the door.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.I’ve barely seen Klauth these past few weeks, except on our rare date nights and fleeting encounters in passing. Balor gently lifts my hand and presses soft kisses against my knuckles. “Let’s do what boss man said and go relax in the hot springs,” he says, forcing a smile as he tries to be strong for me.
“I know it’s not easy,” I reply, wrapping my arm around him as we leave my lab and make our way down the quiet hall toward the sanctuary of the hot springs.
“Nothing worth keeping ever is,” he adds, pulling me closer to him. Our footsteps echo softly in the hallway.
We step into the room where the hot springs bubble gently, their warmth a soothing balm against the chill of lingering tension. I find a safe spot to set Thauglor’s carrier down, then undress to prepare for a swim. The moment the steaming water embraces me, a deep, restorative breath fills my lungs.
I glance around and spot Balor accepting a cooler from Callan, whose wave carries a hint of reassurance before he leaves. “What’s in the cooler?” I ask, swimming to the edge and waiting.
“Drinks and snacks,” Balor explains with a strained smile as he scratches his forearm, his fingers tracing nervous patterns on his skin. “We’re worried that after all the energy you’ve spent, you need to eat.”
“Is something wrong?” I ask, watching him rub his hand against his arm again.
He shrugs, his eyes darkening momentarily. “I was going to leave this morning to go into one of the deep tunnels to shed. But…” He pauses, then adds, “I’ll be alright. For now, let me take care of you.”
I watch as Balor strips down and carries a drink and a snack into the soothing water. “You need to eat, Mina,” he insists, holding the offerings out to me. I hesitate for a moment, the steam curling around us like whispered secrets.
“Only if you let me help you peel away your shed,” I reply, biting into the snack stick and studying his reaction carefully.
“Fine, after you eat,” Balor laughs softly, the sound echoing against the stone walls of the cavern. “Usually I drag Abraxis with me because of his talons, but I’m sure you’ll do a better job than he usually does.” His laughter mingles with the gentle burble of the hot springs, and I smile as I finish chewing the meat stick.
“I can only imagine,” I tease. “Why don’t you shift and let the hot water loosen up your scales?” I lean back against the edge of the pool, the heat seeping into my skin.
“My skin—” he begins, then nods as he assesses the size of the pool. “A soak would help.” He shifts into his massive basilisk form. Now I can see his scales in their dull, lifeless sheen and the whitened caps over his eyes, blocking his vision. Instead of floating as he did when carrying me, his immense body sinks, leaving only his nostrils above the water’s surface.
This is going to be a challenge. I’m used to the tactile struggle of prying dragon scales off with our talons—this is an entirely new adventure.
I floataround the hot springs for what feels like forever, the water warm and thick against my skin, until Balor bumps me gently with his nose. “Okay,” I murmur, my voice low and playful. I push myself upright in the water, feeling it lap softly under the curve of my breasts as I wade closer to the carved stone stairs. I shift my hands, and my silver talons catch the flickering light from the distant fireplace, glinting like shards of broken glass in the dim room.
Balor slithers to the low end of the spring, making room for me on the cool, worn steps. With deliberate care, I use the tips of my talons to lift the edge of his peeling skin. Each inch of movement is methodical. I don’t want to miss a single patch as his heat receptors cling stubbornly, unwilling to let go of the cones of old skin. A soft laugh escapes me as I peel away another layer, the sound mingling with the gentle burble of the spring. I set the freed cones aside on the edge of the pool.
“I feel like I’m picking your nose,” I tease, chuckling to myself as I free six small cones—not counting the two around his actual nose. As the skin parts, I approach the first of his eyes. I retract my talons and slide my hands on either side of the eye, and with a soft pop, the old eye cap detaches. I lean in, careful and precise, until the next eye yields, repeating the process until the eyes on one side are clear.
“I’m going to start on the other side now,” I say. Balor turns his head so that the opposite side faces me. I resume my work, removing the caps with a careful rhythm. “I guess it’s easier without having to worry about turning me to stone accidentally,” I chuckle. The thought of Abraxis—trying to do this with his eyes closed—bringing a brief, mischievous smile to my face.
After all six of Balor’s eyes are free, I shift my focus to the skin along his bottom jaw. Inch by inch, I peel it back, feeling the subtle texture of the aged skin as it gives way past the coarse spikes on his head. Once I have cleared that section, Balor slithers out of the water and begins rubbing his body along the cool stone wall, the friction easing the remaining layers of skin off.
When every piece of old skin is free from his body, I gather it along with the bits that tore off, piling them neatly beside the pool. Balor slips back into the hot spring, sinking once again into the comforting heat. I follow his lead, easing myself back into the water, and recline on the carved stairs to relax. The gentle warmth, the quiet drip of water against limestone, and the rhythmic sound of my breathing create a small haven of calm amid the chaos in my mind.
Lying on the warm limestone stairs, I close my eyes. In moments like this, I am profoundly grateful that some of my mates know precisely when not to push me. Even though I know we need to talk about what we discovered today, deep down, I understand it has hit him as hard as it hit me. For now, I let the soothing heat and gentle sounds of the springs silence the spinning thoughts in my head.
CHAPTER 33
Balor
I watchmy mate’s heart break as I confess about the male she fought. The words hang heavy in the cool air, and I see the pain flicker across her eyes. Those eyes that have always burned with fierce determination—now clouded with sorrow. He was half basilisk, the same as our future child will be, and the thought makes my heart ache with a weight I can scarcely bear. I feel the sting of regret as I witness something inside Mina shatter.
I listened to the soft, reassuring murmur of Ziggy and Leander as they tried to comfort her. Their voices, gentle yet insistent, mix with the ambient echoes of our home, which tonight feels as silent and cold as a tomb. Their efforts help a little, but I know this pain isn’t something that can be fixed quickly. We came to the hot spring to relax and I feel like it’s not helping.
Even now, as I swim at the bottom of the hot spring—a steamy cocoon where the water clings to my scales, making them glisten. I am haunted by the look in Mina’s eyes. The warmth of the water contrasts with the chill that her gaze leaves in my bones. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d have a dragon for a mate, especiallyone so powerful. Outside of our own kind, we’re shunned by most species, and it’s no wonder. When we breed outside our kin, our children often emerge malformed, cursed to remain half-shifted for their entire lives.
When I sense that my scales have hardened from the heat, I surface and shift back to my human form. I find Mina lying on the middle stair, her head resting on the edge of the step above her. “Babe?” I whisper softly, my voice barely audible over the gentle hiss of the steam. She smiles as she opens her eyes to look up at me, and in that moment, I’m captivated by the love radiating from her gaze—it steals my breath away.
Slowly, I bend down and kiss her lips, savoring the delicate taste of her skin. I nibble lightly on her full bottom lip and smile. “Penny for your thoughts?” I murmur against her lips before settling onto the stair below her.
