Leaning back, I close my eyes. Reaching out through the bond, I feel Diaval's dragon roaming the edge of the mountains that separate us from the tundra beyond. Khal's basilisk is slithering around the outside of the alpha house, keeping watch. And Easton—a warm ember glowing softly, peaceful in his sleep.
"The warnings call us the children of the moon. I have yet to figure out what that means."
"You'll figure it out. You're the smartest woman I know." He kisses my temple, and I melt into his arms.
If I wasn't so concerned about another attack, this would be kind of romantic.
A deep rumble escapes Torben's lips, and I know he feels the same.
"I don't feel so smart." I look at my hands and flex them as I snuggle closer, resting my head on his chest. "Supposedly I'm going to be a powerful Luna, and I couldn't even save my mate."
I motion in Easton's chick's direction. The sweatshirt rises and falls with his tiny breaths.
"That was no one's fault." Torben spins me to face him and holds my chin, not allowing me to look away. His eyes glow with thepower of his bear. "It could have been any of us. Unlike Easton, we cannot resurrect. You would be kneeling by a grave instead of watching over a chick."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Torben. Khal. Diaval. Any of them could have been the one with their throat torn open. Any of them would have stayed dead.
Just before the tears break—as I realize how much worse the day could have gone—Diaval enters the room and scoops me up out of Torben's grip.
"My eternal, please understand we did all that we could. We were outnumbered thirty to one. He wiped out the bulk of the vampires. Probably saved all of us." Diaval searches my features, hoping I understand.
Easton's sacrifice saved the family.
"I was almost there. Whatever that vampire did to time slowed me down. I couldn't get to him fast enough." Gripping his lapels, I try to get him to understand what's bothering me.
"Wait... You could move?" He looks at me puzzled, then over at Torben. "Were you able to move?"
"Not even an inch. I felt Feray's wolf use me to launch off of. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her fly through the air in slow motion. It was like her wolf was floating for a moment until she hit the vampire. Then I could move." Torben pauses, eyebrows raised. "How did you manage to move?"
He tilts his head, looking at me just as puzzled as I feel.
"I don't know." I shrug.
"That's part of the power of the Luna. She has to be able to protect the pack. A lot of vampires have powers. The older they are, the stronger the powers. That's why he could slow you and not stop you." Diaval gives me a knowing smile. Pride shines in his eyes.
"Do you think it's because I'm a Luna?" I glance anxiously between my mates and then at the chick in my sweatshirt.
"You're a true Luna. Straight down your bloodline. Never forget it. We are your pack and your family." He smiles and leans down to kiss my cheek.
"We should sleep." I change the subject, staring at my sweatshirt moving from Easton's chick.
I get up and move away from the guys, stripping out of my clothing. My shift is fluid and painless—different from how it usually goes.
Once my paws hit the floor, I shake out my fur and move over to the sweatshirt, curling myself around it. Gently, I stick my nose under the sleeve and sniff Easton. He smells like woodsmoke and cinnamon and something distinctly him—even in this form, even reborn, his scent remains.
Flicking my ears, I listen intently to the flutter of his baby phoenix's heartbeat. It's faster than a human's, a tiny drum beating against fragile ribs.
Consciously, I have to remind myself that he is my mate and not my prey. My wolf understands, but her instincts are harder to silence.
Irrationally, I haven't eaten enough, saving the majority for him. An entire deer is far too much for a hatchling. But here I am, ignoring my needs to tend to his.
He saved us, and I will never forget it.
The next morningcomes far too quickly, and my stomach is growling loudly.
Using my muzzle, I move the sleeve aside and my breath catches.
The chick has tripled in size overnight. Where yesterday he was a fluffy ball of down, today he's a young bird with actual feathers—iridescent plumage that shimmers between copper and gold, with streaks of deep scarlet along his wings. His tail feathers, still short but growing, fan out in a gradient from amber to flame-orange.
