Page 25 of A Drop of Venom

It was late that night as I lay half dozing in the deepest of the hot spring pools with my mate in my arms that the rhythm of her breathing finally changed.

I snapped to full wakefulness in the space of a single heartbeat as she inhaled deeply and let out a sigh.

“Hazel?” I murmured, brushing damp strands of hair away from her lovely face. “My shelshi, can you hear me?”

Her eyelashes fluttered.

For a moment, I was transported back to our first encounter in the ravine. What would I see when her eyes opened? What would her reaction be to me and her new body? I didn’t know, and fear gripped my chest like a vise and squeezed until breathing took effort.

When her eyes opened, they were still that perfect blue with golden flecks, but they had a soft amber ring around her round pupil.

“Terolon,” she murmured.

Blinking drowsily, she reached for me. I moved her higher so she could more easily rest her palm on my jaw. We were both warm from our long soak in the pool, but her touch seemed to spark on my scales.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked, her gaze searching my face. “It feels like a long time.”

“Three days,” I said. My voice sounded rough and strained, even to my own ears. “It has been an eternity.”

A little smile turned up the corners of her lips. “I must have been tired.”

“It was more than that, my light.” I drew her closer so I could kiss her forehead. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Shall I make you a meal?”

“No, I’m all right.” Her hand slid down my neck to my chest over my hearts. She didn’t seem afraid or angry, only confused. “Tell me why I slept so long.”

I said a silent prayer to my goddesses, and I told her everything.

She listened quietly as the words came out, halting at first and then in a torrent. Every time my voice caught, the words please forgive me perched on the tips of my tongue, but there would be time for that later once she knew the truth of the matter.

She ran her hands over the scales on her sides and legs as I talked, exploring the new textures with tentative touches that became more experimental as she discovered there was no pain if she poked and prodded at herself.

When I ended my explanation with a description of the adaptations in her womb, she pressed gently on her lower abdomen and studied the pale, scaleless skin there as if she could somehow see through to the changes inside.

“I’ve been giving you your tea every morning,” I said when she didn’t speak. “A stronger brew than I think you’ve made before, but it seemed prudent given these…changes.”

“Thank you.” She seemed thoughtful rather than angry or grief-stricken, but her apparent calm did little to alleviate my trepidation. Her gaze went to something over my shoulder and then focused on my face. “May I see all of myself, please?”

Cradling her in my arms, I rose, glided up the shallow steps I’d cut into the pool to make getting in and out easier, and carried her to the full-length looking glass Aluc had delivered a few weeks earlier.

Carefully, I set her on her feet and steadied her when she wobbled on shaky legs.

She studied her reflection for a long time, turning this way and that and leaning forward to better see the fainter scales along her temples and hairline in the soft glow of lantern light.

When her gaze finally met mine in the glass, her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. My gut contracted, the pain worse than if I’d been kicked by one of my father’s prize stallions.

“I’m sorry, my shelshi,” I said, my voice little better than a croak. “I didn’t know⁠—”

Hazel spun to face me, moving too quickly for someone who’d just woken from such a long sleep. She started to topple, but I caught her in my arms and held her to my chest, my body coiling around her instinctually with the need to protect and comfort.

She cupped my face in both hands as tears spilled from her eyes. Every single one was a stab in my hearts with a blunt blade.

“These are tears of happiness,” she whispered. “My scales are so beautiful. The Goddess has blessed me, Terolon.”

Shock rendered me speechless.

“How could I see you as the most beautiful male I’ve ever known and look at my scales any differently?” She caressed my face. “If the Goddess brought us together, then nothing that has happened can be a mistake.” She drew me closer so she could look directly into my eyes when she said very firmly, “Shelshan, I love my new body. I love you.”

I sucked in a breath so ragged a tremor ran from my chest all the way to the tip of my tail. “I do not deserve you.”