Saving Cinder

by Maggie Hemlock

  “Can we come in?” Dad asked.

  “Of course,” I stepped back to let them inside.

  “You wanted us to talk and we did,” Dad said once the door was shut.

  “Neither of us want to try to be friends right now. There’s too much past baggage. Don’t expect us to be bosom buddies or anything any time soon,” Carter said.

  “But we’ve agreed to be civil. Carter knows he doesn’t have to avoid me, and I won’t avoid him either. We know it’s a little late to try to parent you now, but we want you to know that we did talk things out. They’re still a mess, but the mess is out in the open now.”

  I glanced at Carter to make sure he agreed with what Dad said. He nodded and I grinned. I threw an arm around both of them careful not to wake the sleeping Dori.

  “Thanks, you guys, so much. You don’t know how much it means to me. I mean, I’m having a baby. I’m going to need both of you. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing no matter how many books I read.”

  “I’m proud of you, Cinder,” Dad said when the group hug broke. “Despite everything life’s thrown at you somehow you manage to smile. That takes more guts than I think I’ll ever have.”

  “Ready to go get married?” Carter grinned.

  “As soon as my groom gets out of the shower,” I laughed.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Seth

  Our idea of the perfect honeymoon was a few days home alone after all our guests left the island. Wedding gifts set in stacks around the house and we were still picking birdseed out of our hair. A few days turned into a few weeks where we didn’t go much past the front yard. We settled into the house like a den like our wild counterparts might have done. Cinder took to bouts of cleaning excessively and I once again double checked the safety of the house. We installed a Moonscale security system and put cameras all over the yard to watch the comings and goings in front of our house. The camera on the roof faced skyward to warn us of any approaching danger from above.

  With each passing day Cinder’s belly grew a bit until his baby bump was plump enough to see from a mile away. His ankles swelled and he lost his taste for ice cream as his dragon adjusted to the furry pup growing within his womb. Halfway through his pregnancy his cravings switched to strictly meat and fruit. The slightest whiff of a tomato or potato would send him running for the bathroom.

  “I win!” Cinder cheered from the sofa while I tended to burgers at the stove.

  When his ankles swelled, we argued over who could cook. Cinder loved cooking and I loved his food, but I didn’t like the painful sounds he made when he hobbled around the kitchen on swollen ankles. So, in the end, I cooked if his ankles even thought about swelling. He didn’t like staying sofa bound, but Carter helped me with that. Even with him back on the mainland he called and texted every day. Lars called weekly to stay in touch too, but most of his attention was on little Dori.

  “What game are you playing today?” I called into the living room.

  “We’re playing go and he’s kicking my ass, but Carter’s moving to the island as soon as Brendan clears it.”

  “How did you manage that?” I laughed.

  “I told him the baby needed a granddad around. That and he’s wanting to do something different anyway. He’s selling out the moving company for quite a pretty penny. He’s been watching our videos and wants to start a vlog about addiction and recovery. A lot of people are too embarrassed to go to meetings and he thinks maybe they’ll watch the videos instead. At least until they’re ready for the real thing.”

  I took the burgers off the stove and turned off the heat.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I told him.

  “I know!” Cinder laughed. “Maybe you two can start meetings up on the island.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Are the burgers done? We only have about an hour before we need to be at the clinic for my ultrasound.”

  “Plating them now.”

  “I can’t believe we finally get to find out if our baby is a girl or a boy.” Cinder grinned as I walked into the living room carrying our plates.

  “Which do you want?”

  “A healthy happy bundle of joy.” He smirked.

  “I think a baby girl would be complicated in her teen years. I might beat up the first asshole to break her heart.”

  “What if it’s a boy, but he’s an omega?”

  “Same,” I nodded.

  “Sheesh. We better teach them to wait for their true-mate then,” he teased. “I’m sure any kid of ours will be able to take care of themselves.”

  “They shouldn’t have to.”

  “We’ll feed them and love them, but eventually they’re going to make their own choices.”

  “I know. I’m just nervous that the day is so close.”

  “It’s over a month away,” Cinder laughed.

  “A month will pass in a blink of an eye. When’s Carter getting here?”

  “The beginning of next week, I told him he could probably move into your old house.”

  “Our old house,” I told him. “We lived there together, but I don’t see why he couldn’t. You know Brendan’s not going to say no. He thinks your story should be made into a movie.”

  “Our story,” Cinder pointed his fork at me. “If it’s our old house then it’s our story.”

  “Fair enough,” I laughed.

  ***

  The clinic smelled sterile, but walking made me want to wash my hands before touching Cinder. Omegas were more sensitive to germs. So, I figured unborn babies were even more so.

  “Relax,” my wolf said. “All I can smell is disinfectant. Nothing’s wrong here.”

  Most of Cinder’s well-carrier visits were at home, but he wanted to come into the clinic for this ultrasound. He hadn’t gone out much since it became difficult to move around.

  “Cinder. Seth. How are you today?” Doctor Christopher Ramsey smiled when he walked into the exam room.

  “Very pregnant.”

  “I see that. You’ve grown quite a bit over the last week. Are you having any problems?”

  “The baby likes to sit on my bladder, but that’s about all.” Cinder lied.

  “His ankles are swelling too.” I told the doctor.

  “Rat!” Cinder growled over our mating link.

  “I see that,” the doctor looked down at Cinder’s feet. “Make sure you get plenty of rest with your feet elevated and stay hydrated.”

  “You know that’s not going to work, right? I’m going to hydrate and put my feet up and then have to pee.”

  “I’m sorry,” Doctor Christopher grinned, “but you need to get as much rest as possible. Sometimes patience choose a room next to the restroom or even move their favorite cozy place closer to the restroom. Support hose might help too.”

  “Ugh,” Cinder flopped back on the examination table.

  “This won’t last forever. You’ll forget about all the trouble as soon as your little adorable bundle of joy is in your arms.” The doctor said.

  “I hope you’re right.” Cinder sighed.

  “Let’s see Baby. That might make you feel better. Seth, will you get the lights?”

  “Sure thing.” I turned out the lights and then sat down next to Cinder.

  I reached out for his hand and he entwined his fingers through mine.

  “I’m sorry. I had to tell him,” I said over our mating link.

  “I know, but I already knew what he’d say. If I sit still any longer my tails going to be crooked.”

  “It’ll still be the most adorable tail in the world.”

  The first thing to come on the screen were a pair of dainty little feet I knew belonged to a baby girl. With feet that small I could hold her in one hand. Doctor Christopher slid the wand up and we saw our baby’s face distorted through the water of Cinder’s womb. My breath caught in my lungs. Tiny and beautiful. Perfect. Somehow through the craziness of my life I managed to help create a tiny baby who I loved more than anything despite
never having held her.

  “She’s a girl,” Doctor Christopher announced. “My guess was wrong again.”

  “Maybe next time, doctor,” Cinder laughed.

  “I’ll print your photos. You can take as long as you need before you leave.” The doctor said and left.

  “Don’t chase off her boyfriends,” Cinder wagged his finger at me.

  “They better be worthy of her then.” I leaned in and stole a kiss.

  “We have to name her. I can’t believe we haven’t even talked about names,” Cinder said and sat up.

  He pulled on his shirt over his head and screwed up his face. I stood up and hugged him as much as his growing pregnant belly would allow.

  “We have time.”

  “You said it yourself just a bit ago. A month will pass in the blink of an eye.”

  “What do you want to name her? What’s the prettiest name that comes to mind?” I asked him.

  “Vivian, but you might not like where I got it from.”

  “Try me.”

  “It was Sivan’s grandmother’s name.”

  “I love it. It sounds classy. We can call her Vivi for short.”

  “Really?” His eyes lit up.

  “Sweetheart, I love you and I love our baby. I want her to have a name that means something, and I can’t think of any name better. If it keeps a happy memory alive then we’ve done our job. The world is full of so many fucked up things that we all could use a little more happiness. I think we keep the dead alive by honoring them.”

  “I love you, Alpha.” Cinder wrapped his arms around my neck and nuzzled into my shoulder.

  “I love you and Vivi too.” I kissed the top of his head. “Let’s grab our photos and go make our big announcement to the world.”

  “We already did that.”

  “Well, our new big announcement.” I laughed and stole a kiss.

  “Come on,” he slid off the exam table. “Let’s go tell Cookie she’s going to have a little sister.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Cinder

  ME: Are you coming over for dinner?

  CARTER: Wouldn’t miss your meatloaf for the world.

  ME: I can’t cook. You’ll have to survive Seth’s food. The evil tyrant put me on bedrest.

  CARTER: Which evil tyrant?

  ME: The evil mad doctor.

  CARTER: I didn’t know Brendan was importing mad scientists to the island. Thought that was on next year’s agenda.

  ME: Haha. You think you’re funny?

  CARTER: Yep.

  CARTER: If he put you on bedrest it’s best for the baby.

  ME: You mean the little girl who’s taken my womb hostage?

  CARTER: I can’t tell if you’re joking or upset. Is Seth home? Do you need me to come over?

  ME: He’s at the store.

  Carter: Should I come over?

  ME: Are you working? I’m just bored. I can’t believe I have two weeks of being a beached whale stuck on the sofa or bed.

  CARTER: Just going over ideas for new videos.

  ME: Work on your videos. I’ll be okay, Dad. I’m just bored.

  CARTER: Give me half an hour and we’ll play go?”

  ME: :)

  For the last two weeks of my pregnancy Doctor Christopher put me on bedrest. My backed thanked him, but my restless mind couldn’t find enough to occupy itself. My dragon, also heavy with a baby of his own, paced my chest snorting and passing his puffs of smoke onto my own nose.

  Seth spent most of his time with me, but someone had to run errands. Besides, there’s only so many movies and shows a dragon can watch before the plot lines run together, and I think I’m watching a baking competition with a gun fight.

  “That would be the most interesting show on television,” my dragon huffed.

  What should we have for lunch?

  “Nothing sounds good. Everything sounds meh. Almost makes me wish the days steak and ice cream were my favorite combination.”

  Me too. I’d kill for an Irish coffee right now.

  “Tell me who to disembowel and I’ll do it.”

  Whenever being stuck on my back with my feet elevated got to be too much, I looked at Baby Vivi’s sonogram photos. The grayscale photos didn’t do justice for the beauty she’d grow up to be. Would she have my green eyes or Seth’s baby blues? She’d have a wolf like him, but that just meant she couldn’t fly off when she became a crabby teenager. Though, it was hard to imagine the sweet little girl in the photo growing into anything except an angel.

  “I love you, Vivian,” I whispered to my belly. “Soon you’ll come out and we’ll all be together. I can’t wait to hold you and kiss the top of your little head.”

  My life wasn’t short on love. Growing up Dad showered me with affection to make up for Augustus’s standoffishness. I had good friends. Then I met Sivan and love exploded like fireworks every moment we were together. The dark years came after his death, but now I had Seth and Cookie. I had my real father back, Brendan, and Rhett. I had the Moonscale Flight. None of that compared to the love that pulsated through my veins when I thought about the little girl our love made.

  “Mail call!” Seth teased walking through the door.

  “Yay! Mail for the prisoner!” I rolled my eyes.

  “Mail from a prisoner.” Seth shuffled through the envelopes. “You don’t have to read it if you don’t feel up to it. The doctor said you shouldn’t do anything upsetting.”

  “Pregnant dragons once went to war and ate elves. Their kids turned out fine or none of us would’ve survived.” I sighed. “Why is Augustus writing me?”

  “Should I take it to Brendan to be checked first?” Seth asked.

  “They check all incoming mail before it’s delivered and before that the Moonscale Mail Service checks it too.” I reached out for the letter.

  “Want me to read it first?” Seth asked.

  “The guards check all outgoing mail. How bad can it be?”

  Curiosity twisted my insides. For centuries I thought of Augustus as my father. He betrayed me then saved me. I wanted answers to questions I was too chicken to ask.

  “Are you sure?” Seth set down on the end of the sofa and lifted my feet into his lap. “How about I give you a foot massage instead?”

  “Massage my feet while I read,” I said and held my hand out for the letter.

  “Be careful, mate.” Seth sighed and handed the letter off.

  “Are you going to be mad at me if I read this?” I asked him.

  “That man put you and your dad through hell. Even if it’s not a hexed letter or a thinly veiled threat he could hurt your feelings and I don’t like that.”

  “I’m a dragon I have a thick hide.”

  Seth massaged my feet, but I didn’t open the letter right away. Instead I studied the neat professional handwriting I recognized from his account books and the signature signed on school field trips permission forms. He addressed the letter to Cinder Aldred.

  “Is that who we are? How many last names do we need?” My dragon mused.

  I didn’t know how many last names I needed, but I had plenty to choose from.

  I finally opened the letter and unfolded the single neat page of handwriting.

  “Cinder,

  I will be eternally surprised if you made it this far without tossing this letter into the rubbish bin. Perhaps, writing you at all is selfish, but this old dragon must do what he can to set things right. An arranged marriage is always for political or financial gains. Marrying your dad provided both. The early years of marriage were cool and only warmed by the presence of a tiny hatchling clinging to our legs to hitch a ride around the house. We made our money. We climbed social ladders. Eventually, we came to tolerate each other.

  My father was a drunk. He ran the family business into the ground. Your carrier and I rebuilt it with help from your grandparents. Then, I became no better than him. Liquor wasn’t my drug of choice. It was gambling. The thrill of tossing the dice or the rush of th
e perfect poker face while the others thought I was down and out. I should have stopped there before I turned into my father at the racetrack. Only hindsight is twenty-twenty.

  Reginald came along with the promise of giving you the best things in life and saving the business. His ways were unconventional and made me uneasy, but I owed his family too much money from gambling in their casinos to speak up too loudly. My addiction turned me into a coward. Worse than that it turned me into a man who betrayed the only two people who ever really cared about me.

  I have not written your dad. I will leave him to his peace with his signed divorce papers. I do not seek your forgiveness or understanding, son. I should cross that word out, but I won’t. You may not agree with the way things were done or the reasons things were hidden, but I will always think of you as my own son. If not by blood before, certainly by it now. An arm was a small price to pay to ensure your life. Oddly enough, the injury didn’t affect my dragon’s limbs. I guess I should thank Frost and Juda for that one.

  My only wish for you is that you find peace with your past and are able to move forward in happiness. My lawyer will forward the contents of my family’s safety deposit vault from the Moonscale’s Cornwall Bank Branch. These items are yours to do what you will as they are the only inheritance, I can offer living or dead. Keep them, auction them off to museums and ensure the prosperity of your future children. Hell, give them to the beta if that’s what will make things right in your mind.

  I’m sorry things fell so far. I won’t write you again unless I hear back from you. I’m not seeking forgiveness or your sympathy. I only wish to make things as right as a dragon might from his cave cell. You are loved Cinder whether or not you choose to believe it.

  With all the love I should’ve shown over the years,

  Father.”

  I blinked back tears. Anger twisted my belly. Sorrow clung to my skin like sweat I couldn’t wipe away. Their lie snowballed into events none of them could have predicted.

  “Cinder?” Seth asked.

  “He’s just apologizing and giving me an inheritance early.” I wiped my eyes quickly and put the letter back in its envelope. “We’ll have packages coming soon.”