Page 67 of Bred By Sor'en

“Oh, fuck off with the balance shit,” I interrupt, fully sitting up in bed. “He deserves to have a chance at both sides of the story, right? You think the Kalzaits are going to give him that? The Alliance, on the off chance they hand him over alive? There’s got to be more to this. Nobody knows my mate as I do, and Sor’en is not a monster. He isn’t.”

The females glance at each other, but I don’t stop. “If I could just get to the field before our home, I could—"

“Absolutely not. You are pregnant, the stress and your… yourfuckingunbalanced attitude is horrible for the baby and my sanity!” Lyr’ael snaps before slamming her hands over her mouth.

Me’alma bursts out in a sudden laugh before doing the same to herself.

I almost crack a smile. Almost. “I’m not asking you guys to do anything exceptturn around. And perhaps trust me, just a little.”

My heart lurches as they glance at each other, both taking a deep breath before they turn. Clearing the balance above their heads before Lyr’ael busies herself with cooing at her friend's baby.

I snap my head to Melion, reaching for him with a weak smile. “I’m ready now, sorry it took so long.”

I’m gone in the next moment, swept upward toward the skylight.

When the world opens to me again, it’s a field, and Melion knows just where to go.

He sits me down gently among the flowers by Jin’rayal’s grave, their black buds small but there. My hands are shaking, my palms so slick I wipe them on my skirt. When bonding with a Vena’lel, your choice of flowers is important. They have meaning like everything else here. I don’t hesitate as I pluck a yellow petalfrom a flower blowing in the twilight breeze. “We’re going to save him. Right?”

Melion swats me, eager to get started.

“I have no idea how much to take.”

He urges a tendril forward, soothing my chilled skin. The domes of Silloria remain temperate and warm year-round, but there is a chill in the air here I can’t shake, one that blows up from beneath the dirt. My heart pounds as something catches my eye through Melion’s swirls, a sob arching up my throat as a thin, shimmering wisp forms just beside us, a worn, leathery hand reaching into the swirl to rip the petal in two.

I sob as Jin’rayal settles in the flowers beside us. His form blurry and uncertain, but I would know him anywhere. “I’m scared.” My hands come up to rest on my swollen, aching belly. I haven’t missed a dose of oil or flowers, not once, even in the chaos, but it's getting worse now. I think… I think I might have my baby soon.

Jin’rayal says nothing, but through the swirls and warmth from Melion, he gestures to my side. I don’t look as a soft, warm tail sneaks through the darkness, drifting gently over my exposed belly. “Mom…” I whimper, trying to settle my sobs.

When I finally gather the courage to look at her, it's everything I have not to fling myself out of Melion and into her soft, wispy arms. She doesn’t say anything, only offering her toothy smile as she adoringly traces my belly with her tail.

I clear my throat to keep my voice sure and strong. “Melion, I offer myself to you. To be my guide through the veil, my companion and solace in all things until you impart my soul.”

He warbles with pride.

The petal tastes sweeter on my tongue than it ever has before. I never would have dared such a large dose, but I feel nothing but warmth as its effects seep into my bones. Melion lays me back into the flowers as the world around me grows hazy andunfocused. I see it in Melion’s eyes the moment Sor’en wakes up, the moment he’s looking at me through our Vena’lel.

The relief that bursts through my chest is shattering.

“I love you,” I whisper as the look fades, getting the impression Melion shut him out. That even under the worst of circumstances, this is just for us. It is odd, the way the world moves when you are dying. The way the flowers tickle my face, the way fur feels on my skin, or a leathery hand feels as it brushes the hair from my face. Suddenly, shimmering curtains drop over my eyes, and my arms are weak as I try to bat them away. It doesn’t work because I am seeing… not curtains but something else. A version of the world that is beautifully dark.

The veil.

And Melion is there.

I gasp at the young male who stands before me, his towering Xyrelith form so different from his shadow. But the eyes are the same. The glowing orbs of mischief familiar and lovely. “Melion… this was you?

He smiles, nodding as he offers me his hand.

I lift my arm to take it before something catches my eye. It's…me.Us… lying in the flowers. My body is limp, sweat beading my face as I pant wildly in my sleep. Melion, well, the other version of him, the one I know, is there too, lying over me as tendrils of his swirling shadows dance over my flesh, dipping in and out of my being with ease.

A brush of warmth hits me, making me sigh. It makes sense now where it comes from; the warmthisthe veil. It’s death and passing, it’s… peace and a calm so resolute you can rest within its grasp. I’ve been so terrified this whole time of something that never left my side. That comforted me in those moments of fear and uncertainty. My hand drops away from child Melion as my eyes widen on the souls around us. Where I expect fear, I feel nothing but the acceptance and love of a warm embrace. I steptoward them, the kind, wispy, warm souls, before child Melion appears in front of me, shaking his head gravely as if to warn me away from them.

For a moment, I can’t recall why Ishouldn’tstay. The flowers glow brighter, the air is warmer, and I can’t think of a single thing to worry about. It is lovely. I take another step away from Melion, barely noticing the panic in his eyes until a kick from deep inside my belly halts me. I gasp, my hands drifting up as my baby kicks again.

Melion offers me his hand.

I give the veil another glance.