Page 253 of A Soul to Embrace

“Your father?” Merikh asked, tilting his head.

Her expression turned coy and sheepish. “Nathair is the official protector of these mountains. It’s why his dome covers the village nearby. My father is the mayor of it.” She lifted her face up to Nathair once more. “Can you get a bag ready while I’m gone? I won’t be long.”

He nodded, and she spun towards the village and ran off. Nathair put his hand out, telling them to wait, before slowly slithering into his home to collect what they needed.

“Don’t you dare say anything,” Merikh growled quietly, jerking his bear skull towards him.

I won’t.As much as it was in Jabez’s personality to be a cheeky bastard and pick on the male, he understood this was just too important for Merikh.

He intended to say nothing, as that’s what Merikh would prefer. No sweet sentiments, no words of affirmation, nor did Jabez even think giving him a silent, comforting pat on the back would be helpful. Actually, he bet Merikh would hate it if he touched him right now.

Jabez had known for a very long time how much Nathair’s death, and Merikh’s hand in it, weighed on him. He’d always felt regret and guilt, and he’d freely shared that with Jabez during quiet and forlorn moments of trust. This wasn’t his first time seeing Merikh cry over it, but it was the first time he’d seen the male shed tears of relief and joy.

He’d had a peek into a very private and heartfelt moment that he shouldn’t have been a witness to.

He had no intention of ruining it for his friend.

Once the little human returned, Jabez placed his hands on his sides and stared up at the daunting size of the serpent Mavka before him.

“I’m going to be honest with you...” Jabez stated with his brows narrowing. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Merikh snapped at him from the side.

“I told you. I can only teleport what I can carry, and I’m guessing he’s heavy.” Jabez winced at that and glanced at his bear-skulled friend. “It might be beneficial to call for Weldir’s aid. He may be able to produce a portal for him to slither through.”

“You’re doing it, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

He hid his grimace behind a childish pout, while his mind screamed in protest. He’d love to wring Merikh’s thick neck right now. Just squeeze and squeeze until he snuffed the life out of him for being such a prick.

If you didn’t hate your daddy so much...a small, half-hearted growl left him.

“Alright, fine,” he conceded, before he waved Linh and Merikh closer. “It’ll be wiser for me to take you and her first, since you’re both lighter. It’s also best that she carries the younglings.”

Nathair quickly signed, his hands moving hastily. “I would prefer to go first, as there will be people and Mavka I’m not familiar with.”

“That’s not an option. There’s a chance I may not be able to come back for her once I’m done with you. It’s going to cost me a lot of mana to move you, and I will need to rest afterwards.”

It’s good that we decided to meet him last.He would have suggested it if he’d known how damn big he was.

Nathair let out a growl, but eventually nodded.

Jabez held his hands out, and both Merikh and Linh offered their forearms to him. He teleported them to Magnar’s ward and then quickly ignored every stupid face that looked at him as he assessed the area.

He picked a location with lots of space and no trees to get in the way before he materialised back to Nathair.

The serpent Mavka went to offer his arm, but Jabez shook his head.

“I think it’s best if I hold your middle. I don’t want to rip an arm from you by accident.”

He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders to prepare himself, then stepped forward to essentially hug his waist. Jabez attempted to teleport, but they only flickered in place.

He took a breath, stepped his right foot back as if he was trying to drag something heavy while lifting something impossible, and tried again. A roar came from him as he put all his might into the spell, and it only grew louder when they merely flickered in place, their bodies vibrating. Within seconds, his muscled gut clenched until his stomach twisted, and sweat broke across the surface of his skin.

Blood rushed to his head as it boiled in exertion, and his fingertips dug into the male’s sides as he tried to keep a good hold on him.

Come on!he thought with a feral snarl, and their flickering became incessant as he pulled. He clenched his bared fangs, closed his eyes, and pain exploded in his muscles as he managed to shift the Mavka barely an inch to the side.

They teleported.

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