Page 74 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
Klauth and Thauglor step up behind me, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpets that line the chamber floor. We watch our mate and progeny rest; the sight filling me with a warmth that spreadsthrough my chest like honey. The air is thick with the scents of family—milk and warmth, the metallic tang of scales, and something indefinably peaceful that makes my basilisk nature purr with contentment.
“She’s an excellent mother,” Thauglor whispers, his voice barely audible above the soft sounds of sleep, reverence coloring every word.
“This is all instinct,” Klauth says as he tilts his head, looking at Mina laying with the hatchlings and eggs, his crimson flecked amber eyes soft with wonder and pride. The flickering torchlight casts dancing shadows across his face, making him look younger despite his ancient age.
“But why did she bring everyone in here? The hatchlings should be playing with the other children downstairs,” I ask, looking at the ancients for clarification, my voice pitched low so as not to disturb the peaceful scene before us.
“Clutches tend to sleep together no matter what the age difference is. That is until they hit puberty, then the males are separated out and sent off to another room to sleep,” Klauth offers as he moves closer, his hand reaching out toward his egg with the careful movements of someone approaching something infinitely precious.
His movement close to the nest gets Mina to react with lightning speed that makes my heart leap into my throat. She launches up and grabs him by the throat, driving him to the ground with her hand around his neck and her talons ready to strike. The sound of bodies hitting stone echoing through the chamber. She’s growling with her canines bared. The sound a low rumble that vibrates through the air like distant thunder until she blinks and realizes she has Klauth pinned under her within inches of ending his life. The recognition floods her features like dawn breaking, horror replacing primal aggression in an instant.
“Oh, shit... I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to...” She scrambles backwards and leans against the nest, her breathing coming in quick gasps that speak of adrenaline and shock. It’s now that I notice both of Ziggy’s babies have their tentacles wrapped around the eggs, their young faces set with determination that mirrors their father’s protective instincts. They are ready to vanish with their siblings at a moment’s notice, their bodies tense with readiness to portal away if the threat escalates.
“My treasure. It’s I that am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. My only wish was to check on you and our progeny,” Klauth says as Thauglor helps him up. His voice is rough from the pressure on his throat, but filled with understanding rather than anger. He rubs his neck where her fingers left red marks, the skin already beginning to bruise.
Mina looks frightened as she glances between the ancients and then me, her eyes wide with the aftermath of protective fury and guilt. “I sensed movement and reacted. I’m sorry.” Her voice is small, vulnerable in a way that makes my chest tighten with the need to comfort her.
“Don’t be sorry. Your mommy instincts told you there was something where it didn’t belong, and you reacted to defend your clutch,” I offer softly before extending my hand to her, palm up in a gesture of peace and invitation. “Why didn’t you ask me to shift and watch over you while you rested?” Usually she asks me to be with her while she sleeps, my basilisk form providing additional protection that soothes her maternal anxieties.
“I wanted you to rest, too.” Carefully, she climbs back into the nest and checks all the eggs and hatchlings, her hands gentle as she touches each precious life, counting to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. The tenderness in her movements makes something in my chest swell with emotion so strong it threatens to choke me.
“Is everyone alright?” Thauglor asks as he moves a little closer, his movements deliberately slow and non-threatening, hands visible and empty.
Mina smiles and nuzzles the girls before they lay back down, her lips pressing gentle kisses to their foreheads with the infinite tenderness of a mother’s love. “Everyone is fine. Bella and Azalea were going to take the eggs to their father like we discussed. Lily can manifest lightning like I can, so she would wait for the twins to come for her.” Mina’s voice is soft, filled with pride and love as she looks over her progeny with so much affection it makes my heart ache with the beauty of it.
“The little ones can move two eggs apiece?” Klauth moves closer, and Bella slaps him with a tentacle without the barbs out in warning. The wet sound of flesh against skin sharp in the quiet chamber. She hisses low, and it sounds more dragonic than feline, a sound that raises the hair on the back of my neck with its primal authority. He holds his hands up in surrender, recognizing the threat for what it is. “I’m sorry, you’re a powerful hatchling.” He takes two steps back, respect replacing curiosity in his expression.
I arch a brow looking at Mina, and she laughs, the sound echoing softly off the stone walls in the torch lit chamber. “The last time he said something about them not being strong, Bella knocked Klauth out. Apparently, her spines have my sleep toxin in them. Azalea has the paralytic in hers.” My eyes move between the two females in question, taking in their small forms that pack such surprising power, and I nod with newfound respect for the tiny defenders.
“Remind me not to piss off the females in our house,” I offer the girls a smile before turning and leaving, the sound of my footsteps echoing softly as I make my way toward the kitchen. I need to go figure out dinner. It’s apparent Mina is not leaving the nest anytime soon, her maternal instincts keeping her close to protect what matters most.
The warmth of the scene follows me as I walk through the corridors. The image of my mate surrounded by our growing family burned into my memory like a perfect photograph. Despite the moment of violence, or perhaps because of it, I’ve never been more certain that our children are in the best possible hands. Mina’s fierce protectiveness, combined with her infinite love, will ensure that every egg and hatchling in that nest grows up safe and cherished.
CHAPTER 51
Mina
TWO MONTHS LATER…
I don’t knowwho’s more anxious about the eggs hatching—me or the guys. The tension in the chamber is so thick I can taste it on my tongue, metallic and sharp like copper pennies. We moved them into the main chamber, and I lie here shifted with the eggs between my forelegs like last time. Their warm shells pressed against the sensitive scales of my chest, each one radiating the heat of the developing life within.
Crack... Scratch... Scratch... Crack...
The sounds echo through the chamber like gunshots, sharp and brittle, making my heart leap into my throat. I tilt my head looking down at the eggs, and two of them have rolled onto their sides, tiny fractures spreading across their surfaces like spider webs catching the flickering torchlight. Turning my head towards the opening of the chamber. I roar, the sound reverberating off the stone walls and down the corridors, knowing everyone will come running. The roartears from my throat with such force that it leaves my vocal cords raw. But I need my family here for this moment.
My other hatchlings climb in between my legs, their small bodies warm and solid against my scales, watching for their siblings with wide, expectant eyes that gleam in the torchlight. They surround the eggs and start purring with me. We create a harmonic chorus that vibrates through my massive frame and fills the chamber with sound like distant thunder rolling across mountains.
The thunderous sound of my mates’ footsteps fills the corridor leading towards the chamber, their heavy boots striking stone in a rhythm that speaks of urgency and barely contained excitement. All of my scales stand on edge, each one prickling with nervous energy as my attention is split between the eggs and the only way into the chamber. My maternal instincts are at war with my desire to share this moment with my family.
Abraxis shocks me and places himself between the chamber and the others, his massive form blocking the entrance with wings spread wide. “Remember, she has the three hatchlings and four eggs,” he says, his voice carrying the authority of someone who understands the delicate balance of this moment. “We need to approach slowly.” His voice echoes in the chamber, and I breathe a sigh of relief that whooshes from my great lungs like a wind through a cavern. Abraxis finally gets it, understanding the protective fury that could consume me if they approach too quickly or carelessly.
He eventually lowers his wings, and everyone files in slowly, their movements careful and deliberate, respect for my maternal state written in every gesture. My mates gather around me cautiously, resting against my forelegs, looking in with wonder and anticipation, their warm bodies pressed against my scales like living anchors.
My three hatchlings move closer to the two cracked eggs, their curiosity overriding any fear. It’s the mysterious green egg and Balor’s that are hatching first, their shells splitting with soft crackingsounds that makes my heart race with excitement. Azalea rises onto her hind paws and uses her claws to help Balor’s hatchling with its shell, her small talons working with surprising precision and gentleness.
“What’s happening?” Balor asks, his voice almost panicked, the words tight with anxiety and wonder.
“Azalea says your hatchling broke its egg tooth, so she’s helping it,” Ziggy answers and smiles at me, his eyes warm with understanding and shared joy.
