Page 71 of The Lost Child

We sat like that for a long time until Nasi returned. I stiffened when he landed next to us, expecting a protest or even anger. Instead, he crept forward on all fours and sniffed us, then rolled his eyes.

“Are we heading back tonight or are you two going to relive your nesting phase?”

Kaida kicked out a clawed foot at him halfheartedly. Nasi caught it with a grin, eyes gleaming. I didn’t want to let my new-found sister go just yet, but she gave me a soft smile, eyes promising that we had the rest of our lives to catch up.

Kaida left my side as Nasi grabbed the bags his mate had packed, slinging them around his back and waist.

Focus on Nerissa. Soon she’ll be well again. And you could learn about who you are from Nasi. It will all be fine.

I huffed out a breath. Right. It would all be fine.

Nasi grinned beneath the weight of their supplies, refusing to let his mate carry a single bag. “Ready?”

I leaped into the sky, breathless with excitement at having two other pairs of wings on either side of me.

Twenty-Four

“Please, do not exhaust your precious supplies. We have enough food and drink here for all.” Alkdama indicated a spread set for all of us, including wine and juice. Three empty goblets sat in front of us, clearly handmade.

Kaida clapped her hands together in excitement. “How wonderful! Thank you so much!” She shot forward and poured pergainsa juice for all of us, then handed me a goblet as well as Nasi.

Nasi wrinkled his nose at it, frowning.

“It’s pergainsa juice, quite good. You’ve never had it?” Kaida asked him.

Nasi blinked slowly. “I’ve had it. I just don’t remember how it smelled, I guess.”

Kaida giggled, and they both drank deeply. I picked mine up and took a sip, never having had ‘juice’ before.

It was so sweet I nearly spit it out.

Instead, I swallowed and took another tiny sip. Yes it was sweet, but there was also an underlying tartness that was quite pleasant. I only drank a little, then set it back down.

Eating and drinking wouldn’t fix Nerissa faster.

“Let’s see her, if we may?” Kaida asked, putting down her goblet in favor of seeing my mate.

“Of course,” Alkdama soothed and led our group over to the corner where Nerissa lay, still and unmoving.

Sudden fear seized my chest. “Is she—”

“Merely frozen,” Alkdama insisted. “I will lift the enchantment now and leave you to your business. She should wake in a few minutes.”

“She is not a draken!” Kaida exclaimed as she took in Nerissa under the sheets, one pale hand at her chest, her eyes wide. Her gaze found me, and she blushed prettily. “My apologies. I didn’t … I shouldn’t assume, that is. I don’t know if the mating will work the same way. I don’t see why it shouldn’t.…” She trailed off, uncertain. Her gaze shot to her mate.

“I have never known a draken to not mate with another draken,” he admitted sheepishly. “Seeing as there are no more elders around, it falls to us to simply do what we can to help.”

He sat at Nerissa’s side, and gestured for Kaida to come sit in his lap.

“Go around the other side of your mate. We will instruct you what to do,” he said.

I nodded and bent down on the opposite side of Nerissa’s bed of furs.

A small breeze cut through the hut as Alkdama let the skin over the door swing behind her, leaving us in peace. I shivered despite the overall warm air in the hut.

Kaida gently tiled Nerissa’s head toward her, then gasped when she saw the small remnants of the bite marks in her neck. “You already tried to mate! What happened?”

My first instinct was to fight and defend what I’d done, but I knew how it looked. I’d hurt Nerissa as I lost control, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I remember licking the wound so it stopped bleeding, but not much after that.

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