“We came as soon as Levant managed to reach us,” Nala said, as she puttered with a teapot over a very modern stove. I’d been invited into her private chambers, where she lived with Artek, while Khawla had taken his younglings into the ‘greenhouse’ at the entrance to the Shaman’s massive mountain home.
Where the Shaman himself was, I had no clue, but these hallways and rooms were sprawling and confusing—like a maze. They also seemed a little too much like hospital hallways. That should have made me feel at home, perhaps, but I had discovered it only reminded me of all the bad things back home: the kids I’d needlessly lost, the stupid bureaucracy that too often killed the poor, and the politics involved in dealing with my bosses.
“Levant is also a Shaman, right?” I verified, my toes wriggling in yet another new pair of shoes. This time, they were paired with actual knitted socks that Nala had givenme. Artek had much easier means of creating well-fitting clothes, and that was kind of nice. I could deal with hand-sewn leather pants and shirts, but a proper pair of panties and socks really was a blessing.
“Yes, he was tasked with watching the wreck. He really wants his own human mate, I think he’s lonely. When I got captured, he covered for Artek with the Shaman Council, and as punishment, they sent him somewhere far away—the North Pole, I think.” It brought forth visions of Santa, crisp ice, and dainty elves. Given my own experience with just how cold a Serant winter was, I really didn’t envy Levant his fate. Poor guy.
“Levant is struggling with technical issues up there, something to do with the planet’s natural EM field. It’s a bit complex; Artek can explain it better.” I thought this was plenty: EM disturbed technology. It was probably what had made the ship—with us aboard it—crash. Apparently, Artek had tossed a more localized burst of it onto the wreck later to rescue Nala. That’s why the ship had lost all power; only the properly shielded stasis pods had remained functional.
“That’s why it took him a while to get hold of you, I understand. I’m already grateful you even made the attempt!” I gestured at Nala’s large belly. Three months since I’d last seen her had left her huge. She was ready to give birth any day now. Given how protective Khawla was of his little family, it surprised me that Artek would risk taking his pregnant mate that close to danger.
When I asked about that, Nala laughed. “Like I gave him any choice! We humans need to stick together out here. We called Haven too, you know. They were flying down the mountain on their dragon to come to your aid as well. Zathar used to be Thunder Rock’s crown prince before he was cast out. He hoped he could sway enough hunters to aid you in the nick of time.”
“Enough hunterswereswayed,” I said, recalling the show of force at the small window at the back of Khawla’s home—a dozen of them, all earnestly swearing they could not let the Queen kill younglings, no matter what. No, Khawla had more friends than he’d realized, and I was very glad it had turned out that way.
“They’re going to pick you up here instead, later today. With the younglings, you’ll be much happier living in a village again. Don’t worry, Haven is full of modern amenities too. No peeing in an outhouse, proper showers, and a fully kitted-out med bay.” The ease with which everyone talked of a dragon for transport still baffled me. I had only seen a glimpse of it last time, but it had been enough to terrify me andsendKrektar and a horde of hardened criminals stampeding. To think that the dragon had been friendly all along was a little mind-boggling.
I’d already heard of that plan before and knew Khawla was still worried about his welcome—especially that of his young. I just wanted to know if Jasmine was doing all right, even if Nala had already assured me that she was indeed at Haven and safe. I wanted to make sure with my own eyes. “Ah, there’s Zap. I think that means we should head outside.” Nala pointed at a dog-sized badger creature that had stuck her head into the kitchen with a snort. She came over for scratches with a slow, slightly limping walk and eagerly received some dried berries from Nala before turning to lead the way.
I’d never seen a beast quite like Zap, but Khawla’s kids had loved her, and she’d loved getting all the extra scratches. Khawla had stared suspiciously, calling it bizarre that a wild creature would act that way. It was cute how distrustful he was when it came to the protection of his kids. He was a good father.
The greenhouse was warm and humid, filled to the brim with native plants—all of them in various shades of gray and purple. As it was the tail end of winter, nothing was blooming, but Nala assured me there was more than just purple to Serant when summer came. The kids were playinghide-and-seek, laughing when Zap joined the game. They were very good at it, their scales giving them an unfair advantage when hiding in the native flora.
Artek had his head bent close to Khawla—one dark, one pale—and the contrast was striking. Everything about the Shaman was elegant, cultured. He even wore a sash about his middle and, as a concession to the cold, an open robe about his shoulders, all in a pale shade of blue. The only hint of his more primal nature came when he laid eyes on Nala, then there was no denying the claim or the love.
Khawla was much more a warrior, big, brawny, and all dark lines and scars. He seemed cruder next to the Shaman, but I knew those big arms were there to protect me. They’d carried me countless miles across rough, snow-covered terrain, then carried his kids the same way. I didn’t doubt that he’d always be my shelter in a storm. Then his one good amethyst eye landed on me, and that same possessive claim I’d seen in Artek’s eyes for Nala was there for me.
He hooked his tail around my waist and swept me off my feet, straight into his arms. “I missed you,” he growled, and then we were kissing. The world fell away—it was just us then. I really, really liked this guy. I might even be in love with him, but after the abysmal dating life I’d had, I wanted to be really sure before I said it. Really sure might be very soon, though.
A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by a whoop. I knew that voice anywhere, and even though I would have just as happily stayed in Khawla’s embrace, Ihadto look. As I twisted my head, his mouth skimmed over my cheek before he raised it to look, too. There she was, Jasmine, dressed in warm furs that she was rapidly pulling open as she rushed through the greenhouse toward us. The streak of bright pink dyed into her black hair was still as vibrant as ever, a clear sign she’d had the locks expensively gene-edited to be that way.
“Jo!” she shouted. “You naughty girl! Go on an adventure without me? And get a hot guy to boot?” I struggled to get out of Khawla’s hold, but he still didn’t release his tail from around my waist. My legs wobbled as they hit the smooth flagstones, and then Jasmine had her arms around my neck. “I was so worried about you!” she said.
***
Khawla
Jasmine was a force of nature. As bold and daring as my mate was, the two were clearly wellmatched. That would have worried me if they were Naga females; temperaments that similar could only result in a fierce rivalry for them. Not so with humans, it seemed. These two genuinely cared for one another. They hugged, then talked so rapidly about what had happened that I struggled to keep up.
Jasmine was not the only one who had arrived; Zathar and Corin had come as well, along with their human mates. Artek and Nala had gone to greet them, but I struggled to leave Jolene’s side and do the same. When I discovered my younglings lined up in a plant bed on their bellies, just their eyes peering over the edge, a smile stretched across my face. Curious little ones were doing just as I’d taught them, scouting out the situation from the cover of a hiding spot. I hadn’t taught them to all use the exact same spot, though, and it was giving them away, just a little.
Nisha had adopted a rather cheerful demeanor this morning when I’d helped her dress. The Shaman had used his relics to heal all her wounds, so now her scales were unmarred by any of the damage her peers had done. Leaving a loop of my tail around Jolene’s ankle was as much distance as I could manage when I went to my youngling’s hiding spot. “Can’t ride a dragon from over there,” I told them.
Rasho was out of the plant bed in an instant, demanding to know where the dragon was. I hadn’t seen it yet either, so they must have landed on the other side of the greenhouse. Zsekhet, the dragon rider, was probably still with the beast. Only Serqethos males bonded with the great beasts and rode them into the skies. To have one at Haven had been a great concern for every Thunder Rock queen I’d served. Now I was incredibly grateful they had such a boon.
As I instructed my younglings on how to carefully approach the dragon and its rider, I sensed Zathar come up to me. The former prince was Reshar’s older brother, and the resemblance between the two was definitely there, though Zathar had darker hair, a pristine azure that was the most desired color of the Clan. “Reshar asked me to pass on a greeting,” I said once the three younglings sped off to the side of the greenhouse to look for the dragon. They were pressing their faces to the transparent walls, eager for a glimpse.
“I heard Reshar was even a little helpful,” Zathar responded thoughtfully. Clearly, he’d already received a recount of the events from the Shaman, and I was glad I didn’t have to tell the story a second time. I simply nodded, then waited. I’d always been good at patience; it was the other part that made me a good scout. “We don’t look at differences at Haven,” he said next. Sweeping his hand out, he pointed at my young with a smile. “Young are young, no matter the color of their scales, and everyone is welcome to make a home with us. We only ask that you protect our humans, but I don’t doubt that you will.”
His gaze was as azure as his scales and hair. He swept it from my oohing and aahing younglings, trailing along my tail to where it still clung to Jolene’s ankle. His smile grew, and then he reached out a hand and clasped my shoulder. “Ready to come home with us?”
Chapter 20
Khawla
Flying on a dragon was not the same as seeing one soar overhead when the Serqethos traders came to town. My younglings were still talking eagerly about the magical experience by the time Jolene and I worked together to tuck them into their nests that night at Haven. That was also a new, strange experience—one that merited a lot of talking about. As a result, they weren’t asleep until quite late in the evening.
I was too wired myself to go to bed yet, and it was clear that Jolene wasn’t ready either. Now that she’d reached her goal, the one she’d set out to accomplish when she tried to escape the Krektar and the skywreck, she was ready for the next: actually saving the humans on the ship.
