Mylo perked up. “You’re nearly due, right? You want to den.”
“How’d you know?” I asked, shocked he’d hit the nail on the head.
He chuckled, scratching the back of his mussed-up hair. “When I was close, I nested like crazy. Couldn’t get me out of ferret form—or my nest. Ihadto make it cozy for when my babies came.”
My chest felt lighter. I was relieved we shared this experience across species boundaries. “That’s exactly how I feel right now.”
“Then let’s go build you a den,” Mylo said. “Oh, but you’d normally build one in the snow, right?”
I nodded. There wasn’t a speck of snow on this tropical island. Although my bear itched to rub against packed snow and crisp ice, it simply wasn’t happening.
“Hm… cold but cozy.” Mylo snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea.”
I followedMylo deeper into the castle. I’d grown to think of it as home, but there were still many unexplored rooms I’d never been inside, especially in sparsely used wings. Mylo opened the door to one now. We were greeted by a short wooden staircase that led down to a small, unassuming box of a room. The air was naturally chilly—it must’ve been partway underground.
“This is one of the unused cellars,” Mylo explained. “It must’ve been for food or drinks in the past, but now the dragons use fridges instead, so this place is empty.”
I took a breath. I liked the cool air, and despite its disuse, it didn’t smell musty or unpleasant. The only thing missing was the cozy factor. I glanced down at the concrete floor.
“I can’t exactly dig a den here,” I pointed out.
Mylo nodded, like he’d already thought of that. “That’s what blanket forts are for!”
I blinked. The word ‘fort’ conjured a severe mental image—the total opposite of cozy.
“A blanket… fort?” I echoed.
“I’ll show you! Wait a sec, let me grab some.”
Mylo scampered off with a bounce in his step. I smiled as he left, warmed by my fellow omega’s excitement. I was glad to get along with him—and the rest of the dragons’ mates, too. Despite my past transgressions, they welcomed me like family. They were everything the tundra clan was not.
But as I stood alone in the cellar, my mind drifted back to the arctic. What were Charon and Sorrel and everybody else doing? Were they okay without me? Did they miss me the way we’d missed Poppy after he disappeared?
The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, but this time, it didn’t feel like Mylo. The presence was looming and intense.
I whipped around.
Viol was illuminated by the cellar’s single dim bulb casting his face in a stark light. We hadn’t spoken much since I moved in. He mostly avoided me. I couldn’t tell if he was frightened of me or not. But if he was, why had he followed me?
Trying to sound friendly, I asked, “Can I help you?”
He met my gaze only for a second, then averted his eyes with a grunt. “This won’t do.”
“What won’t?”
Viol didn’t respond. He lurked at the top of the stairs, glaring at the cellar walls disapprovingly. That made me feel strangely defensive about my little subterranean room.
“Listen,” I began, “I know you don’t like me, but—”
Viol’s wide-eyed gaze snapped to mine. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
That caught me off guard more than a walrus fin smacking me across the face. I didn’t know how to reply.
“You think I dislike you?” Viol sputtered.
I felt as flustered as he sounded. “Yes? You avoid me. You never talk to me. You never seem happy to see me.”
Viol scoffed, running a hand through his deep purple hair. He took a beat to collect his thoughts. “Didyoufeel happy to see Saffron after you mauled Aurum?”
