Chapter 10
Feray
The minutewe enter the valley between mountains, my wolf has been talking nonstop. I know we're going to need to establish dominance quickly. One thing she says stops me in my tracks.
I turn slowly and look at Khal. "How do I do the mind control thing?"
My wolf bristles under the surface as we prepare to do the one thing we were taught not to—stare directly into a basilisk's eyes.
"Um..." He rubs the back of his neck. "It's all about intention. The more you want or need something to happen, the more you mentally shove at it to happen." He looks back at Torben, who gives him a nod and sets his bag down.
Several minutes later, Torben is singing "I'm a Little Teapot" and doing the dance.
Double-blinking, I stare at my Kodiak mate, amazed he's doing it so easily. "Oh, wow." Torben is still singing and dancing, and I just stare at him. "Stop." My voice does that weird reverberation thing, and he stops and shakes his head.
"What did I miss?" Torben looks around as if he's lost.
"Interesting..." I close the distance between us and look up into his eyes.Dance with me...I project the thought into his head, pushing it with all of my might. Soon enough, Torben's eyes go vacant, and he waltzes me around in a circle to music only he hears. I giggle, then release the grip on the intention, and he stops.
"Hey, little wolf." He bends down and kisses my lips gently, then notices how he's holding me. "Did you make me dance with you?"
Blushing, I pull away and nod. "Yeah. Khal was teaching me mind control, and this was harmless."
"It could have been worse, little wolf." He rubs the back of his neck and motions across the divide. "Shall we continue?" Drawing in a deep breath, I pick my bag back up and head off toward the vertical ice shelf.
"We're almost there!" I shout over my shoulder at the guys. The snow crunches under my feet as we cross the vast sea of white. Every step closer, my feet feel like they're growing heavier. Once we cross through this cavern, my life will change forever. The guys are talking among themselves, leaving me to my own devices. Checking my phone for the time seems pointless. We need to wait until later tonight, when the moon is at its apex, to find the cavern. Shaking my head, I lower it. I need to let Fi know what's about to happen. I need to say goodbye just in case. Biting my bottom lip, I try to keep the tears at bay.
A large warm hand lands on my lower back, and I look over to find Diaval. He tilts his head and taps his temple. I know he heard my thoughts. "I believe in you, my eternal. But if you feelyou need to do it, then we shall." He kisses my temple and pulls me flush against his chest, holding me tightly. If you had asked me this time last year if I saw myself with Diaval, I would have told you that you were insane. His drake has told me his love language is touching and acts of service. It's funny because those are mine as well.
Come to think of it, all of my guys' love languages involve touch. Torben's are touch and quality time. Khal is touch and words of affirmation. Easton's are touch and giving gifts. His feather was his ultimate gift. Maybe it's a shifter thing that touch is so big for us, but it really settles my wolf. He presses his lips to the crown of my head, and I hear the deep rumbling purr of his dragon. I smile. "I miss you too, big guy." I pat Diaval's chest over his heart.
"You really know how to make my dragon feel loved." He whispers close to my ear.
"Even the big scary drake needs to know he's loved." I pull back and look up at him, bouncing up to kiss his lips before pulling away. He shakes his head and takes my hand as we finish crossing the snow field.
The others catch up, and we set up a makeshift camp.
"We just have to wait another seven hours until sunset, and then for the moon to be in position." Easton says, looking at the sun's position.
"I'm going to write Fi a note to send back with Ro before we go any further." I settle down to sit on top of my pack so my pants don't get wet.
"I'm going to take a nap while Torben cooks." Khal throws down the waterproof cloth, sets his sleeping bag on it, and climbs in,zipping himself in to keep warm. Arching a brow, I look at myself and notice I'm not wearing winter gear like Diaval, Easton, and Khal are. Come to think of it, winter never bothered me like it did Fi.
Easton comes over and sits his pack down next to me, offering me a notepad and pen. "Diaval said you wanted to write to your sister."
Smiling, I accept his gift. "Thank you for everything." I reach up and touch his feather in my hair.
"Anything for you, my flame." He rests a gloved hand on my thigh and gives it a squeeze.
Opening the notebook, I stare at the blank page.
I start by sketching the diadem—the tiara of the Goddess Selune. My birthright as the lunar queen of Crescent Valley, like my mother before me. I draw it in great detail, shading it where it needs to be. I tell Fi about what we learned from finding my parents' bodies and the diadem, and what my ancient mates told me. I trust their histories more than what the shifter council has told us. Next, I note the deaths of the pups around the time of my birth and our suspicion about the council's hand in it and the pack wars. I want to arm Fi and her men the best I can with what we know. My letter continues with what we expect to find on the other side and what my parents did for me.
I'm not afraid anymore.
I trace over those words. I think more for my benefit than hers. I hope she's finding the answers she's looking for. I draw a smiley face with cat ears just for Tiernan in the margin. He knows it's my way of showing affection. I tell Fi I hope everyone is happy and safe and that I miss everyone—even Khol. Hell, our boss themosquito has grown on me. Rev is Rev, and everyone loves him and his sassy nature.
Love and miss you...I end it with a heart like I usually do.
