"You know that's not meant for wolves, correct?" The shopkeeper asks.
Feray giggles and nods. "I know. I was asked to pick it up while I was out."
The way Feray doesn't mention it's for her mate makes me look at her oddly. Her eyes lock with mine and flare for a moment. Ifeel the warning in her gaze wash over me, as if she shoved me physically. There has to be a very good reason why she didn't say who it was for. The shopkeeper returns with several bottles of spray, and Feray picks three different ones, not sure which would be best.
"If you told me which shifter you were shopping for, I can point you in the right direction." The shopkeeper smiles sweetly, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes creasing.
"She's dragon-kin. That's all she wanted me to say." The smoothness of Feray's face and her even tone shocks me. She's lying right to the shopkeeper, and it appears she's telling the truth.
"Ah, that makes all the difference." The shopkeeper reaches under the counter and pulls out a different kind of spray. "Dragon-kin's scales are very difficult to shed. This should help her immensely."
He offers Feray the bottle, and she untwists the cap and sniffs it. Smiling, she puts the top back on. "I'll take six." The shopkeeper pulls out five more and boxes them with her tinctures. We complete the transaction, leaving the shop with the stash of tinctures and sprays held securely in my grasp.
Our footsteps carry us toward a nearby park, where we find a quiet bench under the shade of a sprawling oak tree. We sit down, fingers still entwined, and she takes the tincture immediately. She makes a disgusted face as she shakes her head. "Yuck. I was hoping it was grape flavored. Boy, was I wrong." She laughs and stares at the little vial in her hand.
I know she hates it. Her instincts, much like my own, are to start a family. It's not safe yet, sadly. Hopefully sooner than later we'llfigure out why she's being hunted. For now, my number one job is to keep my mate happy and safe.
"We should probably head back, little wolf." Leaning over, I kiss her temple and pull her into my lap for a moment, hugging her tightly. I miss the feel of my mate in my arms. "Will you hunt with me later?"
Gently, I nuzzle her cheek before placing a kiss there. "Of course." She stands up suddenly and starts dragging me back toward the inn. Her sudden enthusiasm earns a hearty chuckle from me as I'm dragged up the road.
"Why didn't you tell the shopkeeper it was for your mate?" Her omission of the truth bothers my bear and me both.
She pauses, drawing in a deep breath. "If we're being hunted and watched—if someone asks around about me or who I'm traveling with—dragon-kin is not an exact answer. There are dozens of subspecies. They wouldn't know about Diaval or Khal, since that's species-specific. Saying 'she' instead of 'he' also throws things off." Her eyes glow with the power of her wolf as she looks up at me. "I may not be as strong as everyone else, but I protect what's mine however I can." What she says makes sense. If we're being followed or tracked, saying it was for her mate or for a basilisk would be like flashing a neon sign over our heads.
"Makes sense, little wolf. I just didn't understand why you did it." Smiling, I kiss her temple before we continue on our way.
As we approach, we watch Easton and Diaval loading the car with a sleeping Khal in the front seat. When we get close, Feray climbs into the car, settling herself in the middle of the back seat. She leans forward, fastens Khal's seatbelt, and snuggles him into place for the ride. I help finish loading the SUV, then climb in theback with Easton and Feray. She shocks me by placing her back against Easton, allowing him to hold her while she stretches her legs out over my lap.
"Diaval, what can you tell us about Vasserdell?" Since it appears our mate has decided to sleep more, I need to learn about our next stop.
"It's an old draconic stronghold for the older species of dragons and dragon-kin. Unlike Norburg, you'll find many species versus only basilisks." He glances back using the rearview mirror. "There are ruins near the town where several of my ancestors are laid to rest. I haven't visited in decades, mainly because the female I was almost forced to be mated to is the matriarch."
Diaval visibly shivers, thinking about what we're walking into.
"Is it safe to bring Feray there?" I look over at my sleeping mate wrapped in Easton's arms. His eyes burn with the fire and intensity of his shift, watching over her.
"She has two mythics, a basilisk, and a Kodiak berserker in her nest. She can't get much safer than she is right now." He glances down quickly. "I'll give her my scale before we get there. The rest will have to wait." Diaval goes silent as his stony mask falls back in place.
"She has to accept his shift and fly with him." Easton whispers so as not to wake Feray. "A Skull Dragon's natural intimidation ability is very hard for a smaller shifter to withstand." Easton glances up and watches Diaval nod stiffly. Come to think of it, I've never seen him shift either.
"Have you seen his dragon before?"
Looking back at Easton, he nods and looks down. "Yeah. It scared me to death." He looks down at Feray, and a single tear rolls down his cheek. "I'll make the sacrifice to walk with her when it's time. I can resurrect." He runs his fingers through her hair, playing with her feather.
"So it can kill her?" I try my best to quell the fear building in my chest.
"It's why it's imperative I plant my scale first. The intimidation shouldn't affect her once it's in place." Diaval's tone is rough, and the feeling inside the car becomes almost oppressive.
Feray half-wakes and yawns before sitting up and reaching out to touch Diaval. "Shhh... you're okay." Her tone is almost hypnotic, and the oppressive feeling fades away. As soon as it does, she lies back down and goes back to sleep.
"She shouldn't be able to do that." Diaval whispers.
"Why?" I glance between him and Easton.
"She's not bonded to him yet." Easton glances down, then his head whips toward me so he can look me in the eye. "It's because of me. My feather." He brushes his knuckles over her hair, touching her feather.
"What does that have to do with anything?" His answer confuses me more than I was before. The sudden left turn we just took mentally throws me off.
